«You know nothing, Jon Snow»: corpi, mascolinità problematiche e questioni di genere nella serie televisiva Il trono di spade

Game of thrones, a very popular TV series adapted from a fantasy saga by G.R.R. Martin, is praised for its capacity of overturning gender clichés and for the representation of disability. Comparing the television serial and the written saga, the paper underlines the difficulty of overcoming the traditional visual stereotypes and aesthetics models for feminine roles, while masculinities can be more nuanced, in terms of bodies, attitudes and performances. Indeed, among the most popular masculine characters of the saga there are a swordsman without a hand, a sexy and intelligent dwarf, and a young watchman, Jon Snow. Brave and heroic, romantic and passionate, Jon Snow could play the role of the traditional champion, even if he is quite small and delicate in his appearance (and he is mocked for being more beautiful than a girl by his comrades). But “he knows nothing”, as he is often repeated by women, and so he is another example of (un)hegemonic masculinity.