GoTTalkPod. Not your father's ASOIAF pod.
Podcast Intelligence Profile

GoTTalkPod. Not your father's ASOIAF pod.

Glen Reed, M.A. Stanford University

English United States Arts Books
Recently Active · Publishes monthly

Key Metrics

Episodes
19
In catalog
Apple Rating
No rating data
Apple rating count unavailable
Cadence
Monthly
~every 28 days
Avg Length
45m
Per episode
Latest
Jul 13, 2025
Recently Active

About the Show

A Song of Ice and Fire literary analysis and insight. ASOIAF/Game of Thrones books stand on the shoulders of literary giants--Homer, Dante, Joyce, Vonnegut, Melville. Or if that's not enough, how about a heaping helping of Plato? We analyze these literary and philosophical forerunners and show their influences on GRRM's series. Understanding the books' literary DNA opens up entirely new vistas and interpretations of characters and events throughout the series. Grappling with the literary and philosophical elements in the series give the stories meaning and relevance in our own lives, today.

Production & Distribution

Active Since
May 16, 2021
Format
Episodic
Hosting
anchor.fm

Recent Episodes

Bridge of Dream Analysis--Truth Depends on Who's Doing the Talking

Jul 13, 2025 41m

The Bridge of Dream chapter (Tyrion Five from A Dance with Dragons) delves deeply into a number of the key themes in the series. These include the subjective nature of reality, the non-thought of…

S2E6 Yes, A Feast for Crows is Great Literature

Jan 14, 2025 2h 51m

Feast reminds me of MLK Jr's revolution of values. But whereas he was concerned with race, class and militarism, Feast is concerned with gender, class and militarism. And just as MLKJ aimed to…

S1E12 01.12 Tyrion 1/Ch.9 When Hell Really Is Other People

Jul 26, 2022 45m

Welcome to the Covid edition of the pod. Apologies for the scratchy voice, but what can a guy do? In this episode, we pay our usual homage to Plato and Dante, but we also take one of our patented…

S1E11 01.11 Bran 2/Ch.8 When Opposite Twins Attract: Bran, Ishmael, Perspective and Interpretation

Jul 01, 2022 50m

In Brant Two, GRRM digs deep into his bag of tricks and comes up with...twincest! But this pair of identical twins couldn't be more dissimilar--they disagree on literally everything, except for maybe…

S1E10 01.10 Arya 1/Ch.7 *PART TWO* Plato's Republic and Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire

May 22, 2022 1h 13m

Plato's Republic is the Mother of Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire. Arya One is the Midwife.  Contrary to popular belief, Arya One is not some throwaway text between two vastly more…

S1E9 01.09 Arya 1/Ch.7 *PART ONE* Communication and Rhetoric as Themes in Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire

Apr 02, 2022 44m

Great things sometimes come in small packages. Arya One is a short little chapter that is easy to overlook. People will call it a palate cleanser or the pause that refreshes between two blockbuster…

01.08 Game of Thrones Catelyn 2/Ch.6 Re-Read from an Academic, Literary Perspective

Mar 20, 2022 38m

Did I tell you that every scene in the series has a double or a triplet? Well, here's one of those doubles--Catelyn Two is the double of the Prologue. If we agree that the series is about the problem…

S1E7 01.07 Game of Thrones Jon 1/Ch.5 Re-Read from an Academic, Literary Perspective

Mar 07, 2022 43m

Did I say Cat One and Dany One were a pair? Well, Jon One and Dany One are a pair! Believe that Jon and Dany are destined to be Westeros' new power couple? Well, the links are established beginning…

S2E5 02.05 Plato's Cave Confirmed! TWOW Arianne II

Feb 28, 2022 10m Bonus

Woot woot! Weeks after publishing a special episode dedicated to showing Plato's influence on the series, we get confirmation. Arianne II from the pre-released Winds of Winter material includes a…

01.06 Game of Thrones Eddard 1/Ch.4 Re-Read from an Academic, Literary Perspective

Feb 22, 2022 51m

Did I say Joyce's parallax is a central issue in the series? Well, this chapter gives us some key evidence for that statement. Words, lines and scenes are doubled, offering two interpretations or…

S2E4 02.04 Plato's Allegory of the Cave in George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire

Feb 11, 2022 1h 33m

George Martin's Song of Ice and Fire provides a modern take on Plato's Republic. There, I said it. George takes the themes of Plato's masterwork and sends them marching across our pages in the form…

S2E3 02.03 Cat One/Dany One Compare and Contrast Special Episode

Jan 16, 2022 1h 3m

Dany One is the bizarro-world version of Cat One. Why is that? Here we deconstruct the ways in which Cat One and Dany are opposites, mirror images of one another. And then we ask ourselves, why did…

S1E5 01.05 Game of Thrones Dany 1/Ch.3 Analysis from an Academic, Literary Perspective

Jul 29, 2021 48m

Woot woot! Enter the hero--Daenerys Targaryen!  Welcome to GoTTalkPod! Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire Book discussion and analysis. Dany One is everything that the preceding chapters are not.…

S1E4 01.04 Game of Thrones Catelyn 1/Ch.2 Analysis from an Academic, Literary Perspective

Jul 06, 2021 38m

Welcome to GoTTalkPod! Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire Book discussion and analysis. Catelyn One occupies an important location in the physical and emotional geography of the book, sandwiched…

S2E2 02.02 Bloomsday Episode on James Joyce' Ulysses in A Song of Ice and Fire

Jun 16, 2021 35m

GoTTalkPod honors Joyce and GRRM in the same pod! Two great epics, unified by many of the same themes. Come along for the ride and see how George structured Dany's storyline around Joyce's notions of…

S1E3 01.03 Game of Thrones Bran 1/Ch.1 Re-Read from the POV of Academic Literary Criticism

Jun 07, 2021 35m

Welcome to GoTTalkPod! Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire Book discussion and analysis. Now our watch begins in earnest--we are into the novel proper with Bran 1/Chapter 1!!! Please tackle the…

S1E2 01.02 Game of Thrones Prologue Re-Read from the POV of Academic Literary Criticism

May 29, 2021 33m

Welcome to GoTTalkPod! Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire Book discussion and analysis. We kick off our virtual book club at the very beginning of George RR Martin's series, with book one, A Game…

S1E1 01.01 GoTTalkPod Intro and the Epic Song

May 24, 2021 36m

Welcome to GoTTalkPod! Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire Book discussion and analysis. We lay out the rationale for a literary critical analysis of George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. As…

S2E1 02.01 Dante's Divine Comedy in A Song of Ice and Fire

May 16, 2021 1h 14m

GoTTalkPod! Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire Book discussion and analysis. Looking at the influence of Dante on the series. Arya's entire plot line? Winterfell? King's Landing? Battle of the…

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Profile compiled from public podcast metadata · Last refreshed June 15, 2026