Joseph Conrad - Heart of Darkness

First of all I don't want to hijack min 's thread here so maybe you or another admin could move these posts?

But I do think it is worth talking about.  I completely agree with you about anything written by Yandel (i.e. not GRRM) without attribution to Gyldayn.  And I've said elsewhere that I believe the World Book was likely sponsored by the Lannisters.

I consider the parts attributed to Gyldayn differently because:

• They were actually written by GRRM (please correct my I'm wrong on this)
• Gyldayn's manuscript was written at a time when the Targs were relatively secure in their power
  
• The quotes would presumably be verifiable in world and so it's unlikely Yandel could alter them.  Now that is not to say he could not have omitted parts that were unfavourable to the Baratheon's, Lannisters etc.

Yep. Same idea applies to the theory of R+L=J.

You can choose any lens you like and view the series through it, and some (like Marvel) are well sourced in GRRM's background. But ultimately I think you'll get best results by taking the series as it is: a product of GRRM's magpie mind, that collects shiny ideas from a hundred sources and combines them to suit his tastes and goals. If you want to understand Bloodraven, then I think you should study Bloodraven, not a character from a book Conrad wrote over a hundred years ago.

Yes, it is. Specifically, the sidebar content.

GRRM did also, to be fair, provide really extensive background and notes -- Ran didn't just make it up from scratch -- but if it's a question of who chose the specific phrase used to describe shadowbinders going upriver, I'd guess that came straight from Ran.

I've read Heart of Darkness ages ago and can't remember most of it. Apocolypse Now though is one of my favourite films.

I agree with min, the travelling that Marlowe does is very similar to Tyrion's trials by water. However, the Kurtz description, while having some bearing on Bloodraven, to me is more indicative of Varys. He's the bald guy in the middle of all things. This is especially true after Tyrion kills Tywin and Varys goes in to hiding. He's sitting in the HoD that is King's Landing, with its myriad dark passages and underground connections.

And I still do not own, nor have I read the World book. I don't think it adds all that much to the story that can be relied upon. Not only is written with a Baratheon filter, but it's written to purposely skew the world view by a Maester of the Citadel. Clever Mr Martin has given us a filler to tide us over until he finishes his Magnum Opus.