The Romance of the Three Kingdoms in the West

Carley 2022-04-22 07:01:02

China has the Chronicles of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty and the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the West has the Middle Ages, King Arthur, and the Battle of the Knights, and the Song of Ice and Fire is a feudal era of war between nations, without Christianity, and without much divine elements. Court infighting, family love and hatred, the honor of knights, the betrayal of retainers, the desire and terror of power, these things that are commonplace among Chinese people in Chinese Qing palace dramas, and even often regarded as backward things, are so accepted. The world welcomes it. It can only be said that Trump does not win.

Political dramas, whether it's House of Cards or Ice and Fire, are all moving towards a realist logic. The most important thing is power and security, not ideals and love. There can be no ideals in politics, only the prudent pursuit of justice. This is not the era of the White House, not the era of political idealism, but it is strange that this hodgepodge of betrayal, submission, loyalty and emperor worship, with clan worship, witchcraft totems, etc., is so popular.

Why don't Westerners film World War II, World War I, and colonial struggles, instead of weaving stories in a medieval worldview? There is no heroic spirit and romantic feelings like Homer's epics, and there is a sour look of pretending. Downton Abbey, which was popular in the past few years, is also about the aristocracy. Although it is a declining aristocracy, it is also a big hit. Hbo's dramas have such an attitude of loving reasoning and promoting values, whether it is true detective or hotline. It can be seen that modern people love this kind of temperament, life is too difficult.

If this theme is so popular, it really can't help but make people think. There are Breaking Bad, Mad Men, True Detective, The Walking Dead, Frozen, House of Cards, and the Atlantic Empire. Woolen cloth? It can only be said that Westerners can handle all kinds of themes, but they have a realism in their bones. This is a narrative that started from the godfather, I hope some scholars will study it well.

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Game of Thrones quotes

  • Stannis Baratheon: We march to victory, or we march to defeat. But we go forward. Only forward.

  • Petyr 'Littlefinger' Baelish: The realm. Do you know what the realm is? It's the thousand blades of Aegon's enemies. A story we agree to tell each other over and over until we forget that it's a lie.

    Lord Varys: But what do we have left once we abandon the lie? Chaos? A gaping pit waiting to swallow us all.

    Petyr 'Littlefinger' Baelish: Chaos isn't a pit. Chaos is a ladder. Many who try to climb it fail and never get to try again. The fall breaks them. And some are given a chance to climb; they refuse. They cling to the realm or the gods or love. Illusions. Only the ladder is real. The climb is all there is.