Discworld
- This article is about the novels. For the Discworld itself see: Discworld (world). For the Apple Macintosh-themed disk magazine, see, Diskworld (with a "k").
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4d/The_Colour_of_Magic_%28cover_art%29.jpg/220px-The_Colour_of_Magic_%28cover_art%29.jpg)
Discworld is a comedic fantasy book series by the British author Terry Pratchett set on the Discworld, a flat world balanced on the backs of four elephants which are in turn standing on the back of a giant turtle, Great A'Tuin. The books frequently parody or at least borrow ideas from J. R. R. Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, H. P. Lovecraft, and William Shakespeare, as well as myth, folklore and fairy tales, often using them for satirical parallels with current cultural, technological and scientific issues.
Since the first novel, The Colour of Magic (1983), the series has expanded, spawning several related books and maps, four short stories, cartoon and theatre adaptations, and even music inspired by the series. The first live-action screen adaptation for television (Terry Pratchett's Hogfather) was broadcast over Christmas 2006. Another one for the cinema (The Wee Free Men) is currently in development.
Newly released Discworld books regularly top The Sunday Times bestsellers list, making Pratchett the UK's best-selling author in the 1990s. He has since been overtaken by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, but still holds the record for the most shoplifted books.[1] Discworld novels have also won awards such as the Prometheus Award and the Carnegie Medal. In the BBC's Big Read, five Discworld books were in the top 100, and a total of fifteen in the top 200.
Writings
Pratchett has developed the Discworld in a series of novels, short stories, and other works.
Novels
As of 2006 there have been 36 Discworld novels published (four of which are marketed as children's or "young adult" (YA) books). The original British editions of the first 26 novels, up to Thief of Time (2001), had distinctive cover art by Josh Kirby; the American editions by HarperCollins used their own cover art. Since Kirby's death in October 2001 the covers have been designed by Paul Kidby. Recent British editions of Pratchett's older novels no longer re-use Kirby's art.
Very few of the Discworld novels have chapter divisions, interweaving storylines instead. Pratchett is often quoted that he "just never got into the habit of chapters",[2] adding later "I have to shove them in the putative YA [young adult] books because my editor screams until I do".[3] However, the first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic, was divided into "books", as is Pyramids. Going Postal does have chapters, including both a prologue and epilogue along with brief teasers of what was to come in each chapter in the style of A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh stories or, more topically, Jules Verne's and Jerome K. Jerome's.
Reading orders
Many novels share the same lead characters and show their development over time. Some of the main characters of one book may also make a cameo appearance in another book where they are not the primary focus; for example, Carrot Ironfoundersson and Angua von Überwald appear briefly in Going Postal. The books take place roughly in real-time, and the characters' ages change to reflect the passing of years. The novels can be grouped into several story arcs, with characters or themes in common, however no distinction will ever be clear-cut. Many stories (such as The Truth and Thief of Time) nominally stand alone but nonetheless tie in heavily with main storylines. A number of characters, such as the Unseen University staff, Lord Vetinari, the Monks of History, or the Elves, appear prominently in many different storylines without having titles of their own. As it is, many of these 'standalone' stories deal with the development of the city of Ankh-Morpork into a techno-magically advanced metropolis, that readers will find analogous to real-world cities. For example, The Truth catalogues the rise of a newspaper service for the city, the Ankh-Morpork Times, and Going Postal similarly deals with the development of a post service and the rise of the Discworld's telecommunications system called 'the clacks'. With the announcement that the main character of Going Postal is to star in a similarly-themed book in which he takes over the Ankh-Morpork Mint, this may be considered a new arc; the Moist von Lipwig stories.
Reading order is not restricted to publication order. However, each arc may be best read chronologically.[4] The best introduction to the geography and structure of the world is The Colour of Magic, although the style and contents differ somewhat from what later Discworld developed into. Character and plot development became foremost in Guards! Guards!
Lists of Novels
Nº | Name | Group | Notes | Motifs |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The Colour of Magic | Rincewind | First published 1983. Came 93rd in the Big Read. | Fantasy clichés; role-playing games; tourism; insurance |
2 | The Light Fantastic | Rincewind | First published 1986. | Fantasy clichés; tourism |
3 | Equal Rites | The Witches | First published 1987. | Fantasy clichés, Gender equality, Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea trilogy |
4 | Mort | Death | First published 1987. Came 65th in the Big Read. | Death and its personification, Apprenticeship, the relationship between master and apprentice |
5 | Sourcery | Rincewind | First published 1988. | Fantasy Stories, Apocalypse, Kubla Khan |
6 | Wyrd Sisters | The Witches | First published 1988. Came 135th in the Big Read. | Shakespeare, especially Macbeth and Hamlet |
7 | Pyramids | Miscellaneous, Gods | First published 1989. | School stories, Egyptian mythology, Quantum physics, Greek philosophy, UK driving tests |
8 | Guards! Guards! | The City Watch | First published 1989. Came 69th in the Big Read. | Cop novels (with some hints of film noir including Dirty Harry), show dogs, dragons, fantasy stories, fraternal organisations, monarchists, social contract, million-to-one chances, aristocracy |
9 | Rincewind | First published 1990 in a larger format, fully illustrated by Josh Kirby. Reissued as a paperback without illustrations. | Faust, Dante's Inferno, Homer's Iliad, Evolution | |
10 | Moving Pictures | Miscellaneous, The Wizards | First published 1990. | Hollywood (especially silent movies and the early years of the studio system), the Cthulhu Mythos, Celebrity, Lassie Come Home, King Kong, Gone with the Wind and many other movies |
11 | Reaper Man | Death, The Wizards | First published 1991. Came 126th in the Big Read. | Death, Alien invasion SF, "Man with No Name" Westerns, Modernization, Shopping malls, Minority rights movements, even the odd nod to Ghostbusters |
12 | Witches Abroad | The Witches | First published 1991. Came 197th in the Big Read. | Fairy tales, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Voodoo, Louisiana, and tourism |
13 | Small Gods | Miscellaneous, the History Monks, Gods | First published 1992. Came 102nd in the Big Read. | Religion (especially Christianity,Islam,Judaism and the Spanish Inquisition, with major thematic references to Nietzsche), Philosophy (especially Ancient Greek) |
14 | Lords and Ladies | The Witches, The Wizards | First published 1992. | Shakespeare especially A Midsummer Night's Dream, UFOs, Fairy lore, pop-culture Wicca |
15 | Men at Arms | The City Watch | First published 1993. Came 148th in the Big Read. | Cop novels, gun politics, racial prejudice, Tolkien-type 'kings in hiding', Leonardo da Vinci |
16 | Soul Music | Death, Susan, The Wizards | First published 1994. Came 151st in the Big Read. | Rock music, Beatlemania, and related stories (A running joke, "He looks elvish", refers both to the urban legend that Elvis is not dead, and to a well-known Kirsty McColl song). Also scenes taken from The Blues Brothers film (eg: "We're on a mission from Glod"). The crash of the plane carrying Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper features prominently as well. The Welsh language. |
17 | Interesting Times | Rincewind, The Silver Horde | First published 1994. | Imperial China, Maoism, Lemmings (video game) |
18 | Maskerade | The Witches | First published 1995. | Opera, The Phantom of the Opera, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, the Goth subculture, Celebrity |
19 | Feet of Clay | The City Watch | First published 1996. | Cop Novels, Robots (RoboCop and Terminator 2: Judgment Day come in for particular attention), Jewish Mythology, atheism, murder (or, here, attempted assassination) mysteries, ethnicity and minorities, heraldry, slavery/serfdom, Golem legend |
20 | Hogfather | Death, Susan, The Wizards, Gods | First published 1996. Came 137th in the Big Read. | Christmas; Children's stories; religion as mythology, partly a parody of Mary Poppins; Is there a Santa Claus (Hogfather), and What does the tooth fairy do with all those teeth, anyway?, belief |
21 | Jingo | The City Watch | First published 1997. | War, Diplomacy, Racism and Xenophobia, Multiculturalism, Jingoism, Imperialism, the Kennedy assassination, Leonardo da Vinci, submarines, Lawrence of Arabia, Captain Nemo, the Cthulhu Mythos |
22 | The Last Continent | Rincewind, The Wizards | First published 1998. | Australia (Mad Max, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, The Man from Snowy River, Aborigines and Dreamtime) Evolution/Creation, Waltzing Matilda |
23 | Carpe Jugulum | The Witches & Überwald | First published 1998. | Vampire novels and films, Existentialism, Tradition versus Change, religion, morality |
24 | The Fifth Elephant | The City Watch | First published 1999. Came 153rd in the Big Read. | Diplomacy, Eastern European folklore and literature, Political-conspiracy novels, petroleum, the global economy, national myths, werewolves, The Caine Mutiny |
25 | The Truth | William de Worde, the City Watch | First published 2000. Came 193rd in the Big Read. | Watergate, Newspapers, Pulp Fiction, The Front Page and His Girl Friday, Organized crime, the power of the upper classes over everybody else |
26 | Thief of Time | Death, Susan, the History Monks | First published 2001. Came 152nd in the Big Read. | Wuxia and Martial arts films, Chaos, James Bond movies, Quantum Physics, The Fab Four and the Apocalypse |
27 | The Last Hero | Rincewind, The Silver Horde | First published 2001. Published in a larger format, fully illustrated by Paul Kidby. | Legends, Prometheus, D&D, Conan the Barbarian, the Space Shuttle program, Apollo 13, the designs of Leonardo da Vinci, Catch-22 |
28 | The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents | Miscellaneous | First published 2001. A YA (young adult or children's) Discworld book. Winner of the 2001 Carnegie Medal. | Beatrix Potter, The Pied Piper of Hamelin, The Secret of NIMH, Redwall, Watership Down |
29 | Night Watch | The City Watch, the History Monks | First published 2002. Received the Prometheus Award in 2003. Came 73rd in the Big Read. | Cop Novels, Historical novels (esp. Les Misérables), time travel, the French Revolution, the Paris Commune of 1871, the Peterloo Massacre, the Spanish Inquisition, the Grandfather paradox, the achievements of revolution (or the non-achievements), the Remembrance Day flower-wearing tradition,Battle of Cable Street |
30 | The Wee Free Men | Tiffany Aching | First published 2003. Another YA Discworld book. | Folklore, Mythic Scotland, as seen in Braveheart and Highlander, the fairy paintings of Richard Dadd; subjective experience, the Smurfs |
31 | Monstrous Regiment | Miscellaneous, William de Worde, the City Watch | First published 2003. The title is a reference to The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women. | Folk song (especially Sweet Polly Oliver), Joan of Arc, women who disguise themselves as men to join the army, the Napoleonic Wars (possibly as interpreted through Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe novels), First World War (especially the patriotism and "Home by Christmas" mentality), Vietnam War (in one character's "contagious visions"), feminism, Afghanistan and the Taliban, wartime journalism, deceitful military recruiting campaigns, the pointlessness of war and militarism |
32 | A Hat Full of Sky | Tiffany Aching, Witches | First published 2004. A third YA Discworld book. | The history and folklore of witches in Britain, mind controlling aliens in science fiction, arguably Jill Murphy's The Worst Witch |
33 | Going Postal | Moist von Lipwig | First published 2004. | Politics; con men; The Stainless Steel Rat; corporate crime and business practices; monopolies (Fox and Rupert Murdoch; and AT&T and its "Golden Boy"[5]); history of the Post Office; the Internet, cracking and phreaking; fraternal organizations; alternative medicine; stamp collecting and the hobbyist mentality in general; the three laws of robotics; Atlas Shrugged |
34 | Thud! | The City Watch | First published September 2005 | Politics, Cop Novels, Affirmative Action, The Da Vinci Code, Plato, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, race relations, fatherhood, chess and tafl |
35 | Wintersmith | Tiffany Aching, Witches | First published September 28 2006. The fourth YA book. | The Snow Queen, Orpheus, Persephone, Sleeping Beauty, The Snow Maiden |
36 | Making Money | Moist von Lipwig | Future novel featuring Moist von Lipwig. The title and the end of Going Postal indicate that it involves the Ankh-Morpork mint. A brief excerpt was read at the 2006 (UK) Convention. Amazon has currently set a release date at 1 October 2007. | |
37 | I Shall Wear Midnight | Tiffany Aching | Pratchett has stated that this is the next Discworld novel that will follow after completion of Nation (which itself may or may not be a Discworld novel)[6] |
- Possible future novels
Pratchett has occasionally hinted at other possible future Discworld novels. These include
- Unseen Academicals[7] about football at the Unseen University.
- Scouting for Trolls[7] the title of which would parody Scouting for Boys.
Short stories
There are also four short stories by Pratchett based in the Discworld: "Theatre of Cruelty" (1993), "Death and What Comes Next" (2002; both are available online.[8]), "Troll Bridge" (in After The King: Stories in honour of J. R. R. Tolkien, 1992; reprinted in The Mammoth Book of Comic Fantasy edited by Mike Ashley, 1998) and "The Sea and Little Fishes" (in Legends, anthology of novellas taking place within popular fantasy cycles edited by Robert Silverberg, 1998).
All four stories, as well as Discworld miscellany as the history of Thud and the Ankh-Morpork national anthem have been collected in a compilation of the majority of Pratchett's known short work, Once More* With Footnotes.
The Mapps
Furthermore, there are four "Mapps":
- The Streets of Ankh-Morpork (1993)
- The Discworld Mapp (1995)
- A Tourist Guide to Lancre (1998)
- Death's Domain (1999)
The first two were drawn by Stephen Player, based on plans by Pratchett and Stephen Briggs, the third is a collaboration between Briggs and Kidby, and the last is by Paul Kidby. All also contain booklets written by Pratchett and Briggs.
Terry Pratchett also admitted: "There are no maps. You can't map a sense of humor."
Science books
Pratchett has also collaborated with Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen on three books using the Discworld to illuminate popular science topics. Each book alternates chapters of a Discworld story and notes on real science related to it. The books are:
- The Science of Discworld (1999)
- The Science of Discworld II: The Globe (2002)
- The Science of Discworld III: Darwin's Watch (2005)
Quiz books
Two Discworld Quiz books have been compiled by David Langford:
- The Unseen University Challenge (1996), parodying the TV quiz show University Challenge
- The Wyrdest Link (2002), parodying the TV quiz show The Weakest Link
Diaries
Most years see the release of a Discworld Diary and Calendar, both usually following a particular theme.
The diaries feature a great deal of background information about their respective themes, far more than could reasonably be put into the novels. However, some of this occasionally finds its way into the series proper - the concept of female assassins and the character of Miss Alice Band were two notable ideas that first appeared in the Assassins' Guild Yearbook.
The Discworld Almanak - The Year of The Prawn can also be listed with the diaries, as its format and general contents are very similar.
Other books
Other Discworld publications include:
- The Discworld Portfolio (a collection of Paul Kidby's artwork, with notes by Pratchett)
- The Discworld Companion (an encyclopedia of Discworld information, compiled by Pratchett and Briggs. An updated version was released in 2003, titled The New Discworld Companion.)
- Nanny Ogg's Cookbook (a collection of Discworld recipes, combined with etiquette, language of flowers etc., written by Pratchett with Stephen Briggs and Tina Hannan)
- The Art of Discworld (another collection of Paul Kidby's art)
- The Discworld Almanak (an almanac for the Discworld year, in the style of the Diaries and the Cookbook, written by Pratchett with Bernard Pearson)
- Where's My Cow? (a Discworld picture book referenced in Thud!, written by Pratchett with illustrations by Melvyn Grant)
- The Unseen University Cut Out Book (Build your own Unseen University, written by Pratchett with Alan Batley and Bernard Pearson, published 1 October 2006).
- The Folklore of Discworld (forthcoming)
Adaptations
- Stage
Stage adaptations of 15 Discworld novels have been published. The adaptations are by Stephen Briggs (apart from Lords and Ladies by Irana Brown), and were first produced by the Studio Theatre Club in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. They include adaptations of The Truth, Maskerade, Mort, Wyrd Sisters, and Guards! Guards! Stage adaptations of Discworld novels have been performed on every continent in the world, including Antarctica.
- Film & Television
Due in part to the complexity of the novels, Discworld has been difficult to adapt to film – Pratchett is fond of an anecdote of a producer attempting to pitch an adaptation of Mort in early 1990s but told to "lose the Death angle" by US backers.[9]
A list of completed adaptations include:
- Hogfather: In the UK, Sky One commissioned a £6 million 'made for television' adaptation of Hogfather with David Jason playing the role of Albert, which premiered 17th/18 December 2006.[10]
- Lords and Ladies: A fan movie adaptation by Almost No Budget Films was completed in Germany.[11]
- Run Rincewind Run!
- Soul Music: Produced by Cosgrove-Hall Productions for Channel 4 in 1996. These were made available on DVD and VHS in the US from Acorn Media, though they are now out of print. The soundtrack to Soul Music was also released on CD.
- Wyrd Systers produced by Cosgrove-Hall Productions for Channel 4 in 1996. These were made available on DVD and VHS in the US from Acorn Media, though they are now out of print.
A list of adaptations in pre-production include:
- The Colour of Magic / The Light Fantastic: David Jason will play 'Rincewind'. He has also been quoted as saying he would like to appear in more Discworld adaptations.
- Troll Bridge: Australian group Snowgum Films have completed principal photography and are currently working through post-production.[12]
- The Wee Free Men: In January 2006 it was announced that Sam Raimi would direct this adaptation for Sony Pictures following his completion of Spider-Man 3.[13][14]
There have also been several aborted attempts at bringing stories from the Discworld to the silver screen, such as a fan attempt of Maskerade that failed through lack of funds. [citation needed]
- Radio
There have been several BBC radio adaptations of Discworld stories, including Wyrd Sisters, Guards! Guards! (narrated by Martin Jarvis), The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents, Mort and Small Gods.
- Audio book
Most of Pratchett's novels have been released as audio books, both abridged (read by Tony Robinson) and unabridged (earlier ones read by Nigel Planer or Celia Imrie, later ones by Stephen Briggs).
Merchandise
Various other types of related merchandise have been produced by cottage industries with an interest in the books, including Stephen Briggs, Bernard Pearson, Bonsai Trading and Clarecraft.
Music
- Dave Greenslade: Terry Pratchett's From the Discworld, 1994 (Virgin CDV 2738.7243 8 39512 2 2).[15]
- Keith Hopwood: Soul Music - Terry Pratchett's Discworld, 1998 (Proper Music Distribution / Pluto Music TH 030746), soundtrack to the animated adaptation of Soul Music.
Games
Pratchett co-authored with Phil Masters two role-playing game supplements for Discworld, utilising the GURPS system:
- GURPS Discworld (republished as The Discworld Roleplaying Game)
- GURPS Discworld Also
An unofficial online supplement to this is:
Available computer games are:
- The Colour of Magic (ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64)
- Discworld (The Trouble With Dragons) (PC/DOS, Macintosh, PlayStation, Saturn)
- Discworld II: Missing, Presumed...!? (Discworld II: Mortality Bytes! in North America) (PC/Windows, PC/DOS, PlayStation, Saturn)
- Discworld Noir (PC/Windows, PlayStation)
- Discworld MUD (Internet)
The board game, Thud was created by puzzle compiler Trevor Truran.
The card game Cripple Mr Onion is adapted from the novel Witches Abroad.
Fanzines
There are a few fan newsletters / magazines of Discworld including
- The Guild of Fans and Disciples (GOFAD) who produce the fanzine Ramtop to Rimfall
- Wossname (newsletter)
- Discworld Monthly
Stealth Philosophy
Throughout many of his novels, Pratchett employs what has been dubbed "Stealth Philosophy": he will hide philosophical struggles, questions, and arguments within the texts, without (often) overtly stating them. Pratchett is concerned about the philosophy of ethics, the philosophy of religion, the mind as well as topics related to popular science - lampooning the usual misunderstandings of concepts like quantum physics ("it's probably quantum") and theory of Relativity.
"Villains"
Discworld has a relative lack of recurring or overarching villains. Many of Pratchett's potential villains, such as Lord Vetinari and Lord Downey, are too complex or multifaceted to be simplistically characterised as "evil", while other more standard villains, such as Lord Rust, are depicted merely as egocentric dullards. Principal villains in Discworld novels tend to die or be put similarly out of action by the story's end. The Lovecraftian creatures from the Dungeon Dimensions cannot be considered evil in any true sense, since they are utterly amoral. There are, however, two groups of villains that feature prominently in many of the stories and have, in their own ways, come to represent the force of 'wrongness' in the Discworld: the Auditors of Reality and the Elves. These two races are, in many respects, opposite ends of the same spectrum. The Auditors, cosmic bureaucrats who prefer a universe where electrons spin, rocks float in space and imagination is dead, represent the perils of handing yourself over to a completely materialist and deterministic vision of reality, devoid of the myths and stories that make us human. The Elves, innately psychopathic beings who seek to dominate people by usurping their free will with glamour and false magic, represent the dangers of giving yourself over completely to stories and superstition. Together they appear to reflect the philosophy Pratchett expresses in Hogfather; that while the stories we weave may not be true, we still need them to continue our existence. However, it would be wrong to categorise the Auditors or Elves simply as 'evil'. While their actions cause misery, it is merely incidental. Elves do not understand the suffering they cause as they have no empathy, while the Auditors are simply a form of supernatural bureaucrat who think humans cause too much inefficiency.
His good witch, Granny Weatherwax, takes the form of an archetypical evil crone:
Mrs Earwig would definitely have objected to the cottage. It was out of storybook. The walls leaned against one another for support, the thatched roof was slipping off like a bad wig, and the chimneys were corkscrewed. If you thought a gingerbread house would be too fattening, this was the next worst thing.
"In a cottage deep in the forest lived the wicked old witch ..."
It was a cottage out of the nastier kind of fairy tale.
— A Hat Full of Sky
His good public servant, Lord Havelock Vetinari, is an assassin and a tyrant, but acting in his city's best interests as a benevolent dictator nonetheless.
In general, Pratchett presents the notion that to be good quite often results in being perceived as bad or evil by the very people you're doing good for, and in many of his stories image is eventually overcome, without fanfare, by substance.
- Some people will do anything for the sheer fascination of doing it, said Death. Or for fame. Or because they shouldn't.
- – Hogfather
In the "elf" books as elsewhere, he presents the notion that our "world" is subjective, and is constructed internally. In particular, that it is constructed out of stories. Related to this is the idea that most of our experience is filtered out before it reaches consciousness:
- You build little worlds, little stories, little shells around your mind and that keeps infinity at bay and allows you to wake up in the morning without screaming!
- – A Hat Full of Sky
- "All right," said Susan, "I'm not stupid. You're saying humans need ... fantasies to make life bearable."
- No. Humans need fantasy to be human. To be the place where the falling angel meets the rising ape.
- "Tooth fairies? Hogfathers?"
- Yes. As practice. You have to start out learning to believe the little lies.
- "So we can believe the big ones?"
- Yes. Justice. Mercy. Duty. That sort of thing.
- "They're not the same at all!"
- Take the universe and grind it down to the finest powder and sieve it through with the finest sieve and then show me one atom of justice, one molecule of mercy. And yet you act as if there were some sort of rightness in the universe by which it may be judged.
- "Yes. But people have got to believe that or what's the point — "
- My point exactly.
- – Hogfather
Also in the Elves books he presents elves as nasty, evil creatures, as they are in original English folk songs and stories e.g. Tam Lin, quite in contrast with how they were portrayed by Tolkien which is more commonly known these days.
- "Elves are wonderful. They provoke wonder.
- Elves are marvellous. They cause marvels.
- Elves are fantastic. They create fantasies.
- Elves are glamorous. They project glamour.
- Elves are enchanting. They weave enchantment.
- Elves are terrific. They beget terror.
- The thing about words is that meanings can twist just like a snake..."
- Nobody said elves were nice.
- Elves are bad.
- – Lords and Ladies
A large portion of Carpe Jugulum is about "internal struggles", and how pieces of our mind do not always agree with other pieces of our mind (and how some of us feel we have "Darker" selves within us, that we keep deep, deep down). Aside from the obviously "split" mind character (Perdita and Agnes), it is shown that even characters as decisive as Granny Weatherwax have inner "selves" with whom they struggle.
While central human villains do not recur from novel to novel the individuals often share certain personality traits. The most prominent of these traits is the lack of the aforementioned "internal struggle". They are villains not because their bad self has won the struggle, but because they never had a conception of good and bad in the first place. This results in a person who is completely dispassionate, egocentric, and lacking most recognizeable human emotions. This is very similar to the character of the elves, but portrayed in a more negative light, since such characteristics are inherent in elves as a species, while the reason for a human to act in such a manner is less clear cut. These amoral human villains are often highly intelligent and develop schemes to shape society or the world to conform to their views of how things should work. While the description may not apply to every central villain, many of them could be described as sociopaths. Examples include Vorbis (Small Gods) and Mr. Teatime (Hogfather).
The concept of racial hatred is touched upon often when Trolls and Dwarves are present and forms a significant plot pillar in Thud!, in which the most ardent proponents of racial hatred are the clear villains.
"Heroes"
In several books, characters or narration bring up the question of precisely what constitutes a "hero" and whether there's anything really "heroic" about gung-ho violence.
This is generally the basis for Cohen the Barbarian and the actions of his Silver Horde, as shown in The Last Hero, in which the Patrician points out that when people say that heroes steal things from the gods, kill monsters, defeat tyrants, and seduce women, they are, in fact, saying, that heroes murder, steal, rape, and wipe out endangered species. Lord Vetinari also asks the question, "When a tyrant is defeated or a monster killed, who is the person defining the monstrousness of the monster, or the tyranny of the tyrant? The hero. In fact, when a hero kills someone, he is in fact saying that, if you have been killed by a hero, then you are a person who is suitable to be killed by a hero."
Many Discworld stories feature Rincewind, a dour and ill-fated wizard who specializes in the art of the escape. Any 'heroic' actions on Rincewind's part are, for the most part, caused by accident or sheer bad luck, which often puts him straight back into the very situation he was running from in the first place. Rincewind is categorically not a 'hero' in the traditional sense, since he merely wants to be left alone.
In particular, The Fifth Elephant raises the point of view that if someone can kill a villain and then joke about it, they are no less a murderer than the villain himself. This thought is had by Commander Vimes, who actually considers several possible "quips" after tricking the villain to his death, but declines to say them out loud, raising the prospect (dealt with at greater length in Night Watch, among many other books) that the most effective heroes are natural villains who choose to act in accordance with a particular system of ethics.
Society
Many concepts of government and types of social systems are mocked in Discworld books.
- Does the social contract extend to feeding virgins to dragons?
- Is crime best addressed by legalizing it, regulating it, and allowing thieves and assassins to control theft and murder?
- Do revolutions end up replacing one tyrant with another?
- Is democracy just a choice among tyrants?
- Does organized religion destroy belief in the supernatural?
- Does insurance just increase property damage?
Miscellaneous
Pratchett first explored the idea of a disc-shaped world in the novel Strata (1981).
Characters in Discworld books have been named after real people, notably Nanny Ogg, whose first name, Gytha, is a tribute to noted British fan and filker Gytha North. Another is Colette in Maskerade, whose "fascinatin' earrings" are briefly commented on by Granny Weatherwax. This is a reference to Colette Reap, who wore "Anorankh" earrings – small figurines of an ankh wearing an anorak – to one of Pratchett's signings. But usually people appear in the books by bidding for the privilege in charity auctions.
See also
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/34px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png)
References
- ^ Karen McVeigh and Lesley Walker (2002-07-13). "Pratchett casts a bitter spell on rivals". The Scotsman. Retrieved 2006-08-11.
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(help) - ^ Terry Pratchett (1992-07-30). "Chapters". Newsgroup: alt.fan.pratchett. memo.550062@cix.compulink.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
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(help) - ^ Terry Pratchett (1993-09-26). "Re: Posting to TP". Newsgroup: alt.fan.pratchett. 749073107snz@unseen.demon.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
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(help) - ^ The Discworld Reading Order Guide 1.5 - JPG showing the interrelationships between the books and series within Discworld, with suggested starts
- ^ http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2004/083004widernetgoldenboy.html
- ^ Meeting Mr Pratchett, theage.com.au
- ^ a b Alternative Nation interview
- ^ Theatre of Cruelty and Death and What Comes Next at Lspace.org
- ^ Terry Pratchett (1992-11-02). "DW Film... (was Re: Guards! Guards! play". Newsgroup: alt.fan.pratchett. memo.725659@cix.compulink.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
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(help) - ^ "More Adaptations by Sky to follow".
- ^ "Lords and Ladies fan movie adaptation".
- ^ "Snowgum Films".
- ^ "Raimi's a Free Man, Spidey helmer signs for new flick". IGN. 10 January 2006.
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(help) - ^ "Sam Raimi set to direct The Wee Free Men". 10 January 2006.
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(help) - ^ Amazon.co.uk page
External links
- Terry Pratchett Books, Terry Pratchett's official website
- Discworld Monthly (free monthly newsletter about Terry Pratchett OBE and his Discworld and other novels.)
- Lspace.org Home of the Annotated Pratchett File, which details the many references, allusions, parodies and in-jokes in the Discworld novels.
- Terry Pratchett Quotes archive A searchable database of quotes from Terry Pratchett's novels.
- Discworld Convention The UK Discworld Convention
- Nullus Anxietas The Australian Discworld Convention