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Notes -
I guess I disagree? You absolutely can end a novel in the "real world" style. History books also end, and it often does seem like a fitting place to end them. And a more dramatic and interesting story thats still "realistic" could have artistic merit, but a lot of people would be disappointed. The way I see it, ASoIaF starts off promising cynical realism, and then moves back to a more traditional plot, until you get something like the TV ending, where even ignoring the loose ends, "Who has a better story than Bran", really? TF is this? Thats even more fantastical than some good guys winning.
And its an extremely predictable problem. You seem to think theres some marginally less deconstructive version of what hes doing that succeeds, and I dont see what that would be. If you dont ride out the "reality is cruel and unfair" thing till the end, then its not a weaker version of that, it becomes "hold out even when all hope seems lost".
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