Discworld and the Disciplines: Critical Approaches to the Terry Pratchett Works

Critical Explorations in Science Fiction and Fantasy #45

by Anne Hiebert Alton (Editor), William C. Spruiell, Donald E. Palumbo

This collection of new essays applies a wide range of critical frameworks to the analysis of prolific fantasy author Terry Pratchett's Discworld books. Essays focus on topics such as Pratchett's treatment of noise and silence and their political implications; art as an anodyne for racial conflict; humor and cognitive debugging; visual semiotics; linguistic stylistics and readers' perspectives of word choice; and Derrida and the "monstrous Regiment of Women." The volume also includes an annotated bibliography of critical sources. The essays provide fresh perspectives on Pratchett's work, which has stealthily redefined both fantasy and humor for modern audiences.

Genres: Nonfiction

244 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 18, 2014

Reviews

[David Meyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a bit more academic than I was hoping for. Some of the essays were interesting while others were simply too dry. I particularly enjoyed the analysis of color (colour?) in Discworld as well as the analysis of art and play in Pratchett's works. The final essay confirmed my assumption that Discworld is filled with immensely detailed jokes and wordplay that I missed, and showed just how many there are, including in seemingly every characters name.

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was leant to me before Covid ever happened and I’ve dipped into it for ages. Lots of clever people analysing Terry Pratchett’s writing. And I learned a few things and got terribly lost in much of the academic writing. It feels a bit like the auditors trying to find out how he wrote and how he made it funny. Fascinating but I’d still rather read the source material.

[Kay Hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a weakness I buy anything that says Discworld because I'm trying to collect them all. So I didn't realise this was a textbook when bought it. I really enjoyed it and happy to have this in my collection.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

scholarly interpretations of Sir Pterry's work, just proving that there are many ripples as the turtle moves.