It is clear that the small screen drinks from the same source as literature, but not only because it is based on a particular novel. The similarities that are manifested when it comes to building one's own story and the characters that provide it, but because they are very obvious. The scripts of all these fictions are usually literary and the characters cited have the same depth.

Think about the influence that the protagonist of this book that we have been reading can have on us for several weeks, or the degree of empathy that “travel” means with what we have known for eight seasons. And not only that, but also great similarities such as “consume” flourish. Because we can see them/read them in small doses; in the bus, in the train station, in the bed… we can see a passage of the book or a specific chapter of the series, following without any problem from the point we leave a few hours later.

Series resources

But to know what are the literary resources that the series usually use, it is best to cite concrete examples. The series has always used narrative elements from fiction literature. You can say they've become a perfect machine for storytelling. It has many characteristics of fragmented literature, for example, narrative structure, and also uses various resources to maintain the attention of the viewer. They were very similar to those used by Arthur Conan Doyle or Charles Dickens. Metaphors, ellipsis or the use of Cliffhange, so fashionable today (you can usually see or feel in the last scene of a particular chapter, even in the last moments of a film or a book. It is the feeling, the emotion, the concern, the suspense and, above all, the desire to see the next episode).

I also find it interesting to show the influence of certain authors based on the reference of resources. To see this link more clearly, I would make two differences. On the one hand, genders. Any story that has to do with a series of science fiction, for example, or dystopia, because Ray Bradbury's influence is inevitable. George Orwell, for example, to understand the Black Mirror that's so fashionable lately, or not, Shakespeare. All these obsessions that appear in the classic dramas: family, honor, power, blood, betrayal, temptation, guilt… as they were incorporated into series like The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Sons Of Anarchy, Gomorra… The other aspect that could distinguish is location. Where the series is located, the influence of a specific author can be appreciated. In a story located in the EE.UU, you can often see the tone of Stephen King, such as Stranger Things, which this year has created a great stir. Also Edgar Allan Poe or Mark Twainena… Or the possibility of enjoying the genus Forbrydelsen, Bron/Broen or Nordic noir that come to us from Nordic countries is due to writers such as Henning Mankell, Stieg Larsson or Jo Nesbo. In England, Doyle and Dickens, Jane Austen, Agatha Christie, etc.

Game of Thrones

Anyway, we have to be clear that the book and the series are two ways of living the same story. That is, that each one chooses the path to follow and that the phrase “the book is better” does not always have to be the truth. It is good that the novel is the basis and the source of inspiration for all these productions, but I sometimes believe that this burden should be freed. I will try to clarify this argument with the case of Game of thrones, which in recent weeks has turned social networks upside down in Euskal Herria. Series: George R. It is based on Martin's books, but the last season has been the first, which has been discarded from the main story of the novel (which he has advanced). I say that this is an aspect that needs to be looked at, because the series has improved a lot. The characters, the rhythm and the general pattern are intermingled much better, and the cinematographic concept has seemed much richer to me. The use of literary resources is fine, but always keeping in mind that the book is one more way to tell stories. The black letters on these white pages, even though they try to give a whiff to the series, the image and above all the cinema is what needs to be highlighted.