To ask if spoilers are still spoilers if the series / film was preceded by a book?

[newsecretidentity]

Just that, really. A friend has taken umbrage because somebody posted a GOT spoiler on his facebook page. But having read the books years ago, I was a little surprised that anybody didn't realize that particular event was coming.

I can understand if you're watching a series that's new to everybody, that you wouldn't want to spoil it for people who haven't had a chance to watch it yet. And likewise, when the HP books came out, people were careful not to tell what happened for people who hadn't read that far yet.

So, is it still a spoiler if the information has already been out there for years, albeit in a different format?

we cant go through life trying to second guess the cultural depths to which our fellow citizens have sunk

great gatsby spoilers???
lotr spoilers???
titanic sinks spoiler?????????

however, if we are aware (and god only knows what trashy remake of a classic is currently showing on channel 5) then it is polite not to ruin things for those watching

there are those who do it on purpose - they should stop! but in general, if the plot has been out there for years, its hardly a spoiler

mercibucket That's why I said it was thoughtless to put a plot development of The Great Gatsby in the title. It wasn't necessary.

And it was mean to sneer at the poster who objected for not having read it. She didn't get 'arsy' btw. She was disappointed and I can see her point.

And yes, some people do it on purpose.

Someone a twat posted a spoiler just before the last episode of Homeland.

That was horrible, because no one had a way of knowing what would happen and it was supposed to be a big twist.

I just think it's mean. There's a particular person on MN who delights in spoilers about GoT books vs the TV series. She will remain nameless because I don't want to get into that, but I think she's a difficult cow in that and other respects.

And it's Game of Thrones. It's not Shakespeare, so what's the big deal? It's a pot boiler, not great art from the dawn of great artdom.

I didn't know until relatively recently how Hamlet turned out or what the secret Mr Rochester was hiding in Jane Eyre and I was probably one of a small number of people at the Empire Leicester Square who thought the Spartans were in with a chance in 300.

I blame it on my lack of a classical education.

It's a spoiler. Martin's Song of Fire and Ice series isn't a ubiquitous part of our culture. I hadn't even heard of it until the TV series, and I'm now waiting for my library reservations on the book series to come through. (Unsurprisingly, there's a queue!) There's a lot of books out there, and no-one will have read every single book series before it's adapted into a film or tv series. If they did, producers might not bother to make adaptations, seeing as the chorus from the readers is usually, "it's not a patch on the book". Adaptations are made with an eye on the wide audience who are intrigued by the popularity of the book, and don't have time to read it themselves.

That said, I doubt it was malicious, and it's very easy to get caught up in talking about a series you love to other viewers, and to forget there might be someone who hasn't read it/seen it. I really do sympathise, because I've had to be careful about the entire plot of the Harry Potter books until very recently, because a dyslexic friend decided to wait (possibly the only person in Britain!) until he could buy them all on DVD.

On the other hand, if someone was idly chatting about Romeo and Juliet, unaware that someone on their friends' list didn't know the story and had theatre tickets to see it next week, they wouldn't be unreasonable. It's fair enough to assume that we've all picked up a rough idea of how that ends, even the folks who did Macbeth for GCSE. Similarly, no-one should have to keep silent about the actual historical facts, such as that the Titanic sank, just in case someone nearby is planning to see the film.

But after all that, I'm on the fence about the ending of Blackadder goes Forth...

Yes, it is a spoiler. GoT (books) are not cultural currency like Shakespeare. I have read them but cannot expect everyone to have done so. The TV series has a greater audience and their viewing pleasure should be respected.

I am always very careful when discussing it for this reason. I love the series and want others to love it too, why would I spoil it for them?

It is so delicious when Something Happens that we book-readers have been waiting for and the unspoiled TV viewers flip out

I know what happens in The Usual Suspects. It would be cunty of me to spoil it in a title and then crow: 'Get over yourself. It came out 20 years ago.'