I'm finally ready to talk about Terry Pratchett. More Dom: / domsmith / dominic__noble / dominic__noble www.teespring.... Co-writer/editor: Kate Robinson: / channel Original music by Il Neige: / djilneige
I ran into Sir Terry at a convention when I was 3. Literally physically barreled into him in the hotel hallway. I barely remember it, but my mom sure does, and it is to date the accomplishment I am most proud of. -R
“Getting an education was a bit like a communicable sexual disease. It made you unsuitable for a lot of jobs and then you had the urge to pass it on.” (Hogfather)
@@NickJohnCoop Thanks to Patrick Couton's awesome translation skills, Pratchett is also the funniest in French. (There is even additional jokes, like the different footnote in every single book that specifies that "La Mort" (Death) is male, or the "correct" pronunciation of Teatime (Lheureduthé in French, that sounds like "Le Redouté": "The Feared One") )
This is my favourite Discworld novel. Death’s observations of human nature are absolutely in point. And I love his conversations with the children in the department store.
international treasure, even if he was made in England - some of us do feel he is ours as well - cheers from Denmark. If we could have knighted the Sir Pratchett I would actually have cared just a tiny bit about our nobility in Denmark.
When Nanny realized she would be the new “other one” “None of my bra’s will fit” as though she expected to physically change to match the social status
"A man is not dead as long as his name is spoken" -Sir Terry Pratchett GNU. He is definitely my favorite author of all time. The way he manages to slightly twist things is beautiful. Also, the watch series is one of the best and the rincewind stories are amazing.
As for favorite author, that would be a toss up between Sir Terry and Douglas Adams. Both similarly showing social issues, one in a magical universe, the other in space
"It always embarrassed Samuel Vimes when civilians tried to speak to him in what they thought was ‘policeman’. If it came to that, he hated thinking of them as civilians. What was a policeman, if not a civilian with a uniform and a badge? But they tended to use the term these days as a way of describing people who were not policemen. It was a dangerous habit: once policemen stopped being civilians the only other thing they could be was soldiers. “ - from Snuff by Terry Pratchett
Yeah I think he does address the problems in policing (such as the militarisation through this quote) and I have always read it as a quasi manifesto on how you could reform policing ie. people focused and actually on their side, as a force that challenges authority rather than protects it and more community policing, like the watch ends up being.
These kinds of moments made me confident that Sir Terry Pratchett understanding the issue of police violence, and that he was making a role model for what the police SHOULD be - not an authoritarian force to protect the interests of the rich and powerful, but members of the people who take the job to protect and help keep everything from bringing more harm and damage!
My girlfriend has trouble sleeping so I've taken to reading her discworld novels over the phone to help her sleep. And it's when you're reading it aloud to someone that you really notice how ingenious Pratchett's casual conversational tone is
I have intense insomnia, but since I found the Discworld books on audiobook and listen to them every night, my evenings sometimes end in the most fantastic dreams.
I read somewhere the opinion that “reading Pratchett’s works is like listening to the most amazing storyteller you’ve met in a pub” and it’s been the best summary of Sir Terry Pratchett’s writing style I have ever seen
@@leyrounni1304 I was the letterer on the Mort Big Comic, and my mate, Graham Higgins, was the artist. Graham had a bit to do with Sir Terry in person, and was touched by how genuine he was. Apparently, if someone phoned and Pratchett did feel up to talking to them, he would stand outside, so the caller could honestly be told that Terry wasn't at home at the moment.
When you say the loss of Terry Pratchett affected you in a way that is usually reserved only for close friends and family members, all I could think was “Same, man. Same.” His writing changed me for the better.
I've lost grandparents and other relatives and while it certainly was sad it never affected me much. After Terry's death I was a nervous wreck and broke into tears at the drop of a pin for two or three weeks.
“I meant," said Ipslore bitterly, "what is there in this world that truly makes living worthwhile?" Death thought about it. CATS, he said eventually. CATS ARE NICE.”
I love the clowns guild the clowns are as depressing as they can be on purpose, their Idea being: "we could be funny and make you forget your sorrows FOR A WHILE. but if we are very depressing instead, then the rest of your life will seem much brighter in comparison"
Small thing but I always liked the footnote saying the Gamblers' Guild was opposite the Alchemist Guild. People ask them why they set up their guildhouse near a building that frequently explodes. Their answer is "Did you read the name on the door?"
Also Vettanari is a gem of a character. One of my favorite quirks: In one of the books his favorite music is described as not played. He essentially says, or thinks, that actually playing out the songs ruins them. So he reads notesheets.
And, if you’re a fan of OSP (which, if you’re subbed to this channel, you SHOULD be) Vetinari is also the most accurate portrayal of what Machiavelli was writing about in his thesis about rulership. In effect - being loved or feared is not the important thing, but rather, being INDISPENSABLE by dint of being very good at your job.
"Sex is a lot like food. Some people use books for ideas, and you imagine very lavish feasts when you go a long time without it, although you're usually content with just a plain ham and cheese sandwich."
"...wizards who are by nature celibate, and can come up with some pretty funny ideas at 2 am in the morning." ...New additions to the legendary Pratchett footnotes will also be sorely missed.
Pratchett wrote the scene that has perhaps impacted me the most. It's at the end of Hogather, discussing assumed and manufactured meaning, and I will never forget it.
“All right," said Susan. "I'm not stupid. You're saying humans need... fantasies to make life bearable." REALLY? AS IF IT WAS SOME KIND OF PINK PILL? NO. HUMANS NEED FANTASY TO BE HUMAN. TO BE THE PLACE WHERE THE FALLING ANGEL MEETS THE RISING APE. "Tooth fairies? Hogfathers? Little-" 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!" YOU THINK SO? THEN TAKE THE UNIVERSE AND GRIND IT DOWN TO THE FINEST POWDER AND SIEVE IT THROUGH THE FINEST SIEVE AND THEN SHOW ME ONE ATOM OF JUSTICE, ONE MOLECULE OF MERCY. AND YET-Death waved a hand. AND YET YOU ACT AS IF THERE IS SOME IDEAL ORDER IN THE WORLD, AS IF THERE IS SOME...SOME 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.” ― Terry Pratchett, Hogfather This is one of the sling most profound prices of writing in all of human history. this is why I am a Terry Pratchett and what got me interested in DiscWorld. One passage changed my life as profoundly as any idealogy or religion may have for others. this and J Michael Straczynski three-edged sword hopes me form the philosophy by which I live my life. “Understanding is a three-edged sword: your side, their side, and the truth.” J Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5)
Dom: “My dad is literally a mad scientist.” That makes me think that ‘Dominic’ is an alias and our intrepid reviewer is really called Domination Noble.
Vetinari: "Down there are people who will follow any dragon, worship any god, ignore any iniquity. They accept evil not because they say yes, but because they don't say no." Prachett by all his humor put such profound truths in his books... I miss him so much
Vetinari is a testament to great writing that, even though in every book he definitely has many occasions when he DEFINITELY is caught off guard, you STILL believe that he IS still a Magnificent Bastard, because of how much he is still written as not losing control, despite not necessarily being IN control (ie - every time Vimes starts kicking up, and ready to turn in his badge)
The Discworld books were such a heavy influence in my role play days on AOL. We would use the world of Ankh-Morpork and create guilds inspired by the series. I think Pratchett was one of the funniest writers to ever live; I remember picking up Small Gods in a Barnes and Noble and laughing SO hard at the description of the turtle and the eagle. My personal recommendation is Mort (Guards, Guards a close second!). Thank you for the breakdown and love letter.
My friend in high school made me read Guards! Guards! first, so I is naturally my favorite. I had no idea I would love it so much; it was like a one-in-a-million chance...
Favourite Quote from the entire series: "Things that try to look like things often do look more like things than things. Well known fact" - Granny Weatherwax, Wyrd Sisters.
Oe of my fabourites is "It's like a chance on one million! -Then it's a guaranteed sucess". It demonstrates really well the narrative logic of this world XD
I wish I could remember her speech to Ridcully the Brown on the bridge over Lancre Gorge, when he was getting all wistful and nostalgic, from "Lords & Ladies." I remember finding it both profound and pragmatic -- Classic Granny.
To this day I still really love the fact that dragons, which are usually pretty cool, are basically conceptually stupid animals in Discworld as they tend to self-ignite and explode because of the fact that they can breathe fire. That's damn genius.
@@ClaymooreEOC The dragons contain a mixture of gases in their stomachs that help them spray fire. But it also leads to them self-igniting. For example, hiccups.
@@LunaDragon1000 Apologies if you didnt get the quote. Pratchett uses it in several of the books. It is the discworld equivalent of "Is the pope a catholic and does a bear crap in the woods" saying.
In fairness he was only presciently initialed B.S. Johnson. I believe it was bergholt Stuttley or something. People these days just remember the other name due to his works.
I'm fond of Rincewind, the tired and half-savvy wizard who is constantly terrified but willing to face down the eldritch beings beyond reality with a brick in a sock.
Small Gods is possibly the best book on religion and the relationship between people and gods. It radically shifted how I thought about the divine and what it means to be holy.
Small Gods only has one recurring character from the series, but I personally think it's my choice for the best one. It's about faith and religion, but also funny and moving.
A hundred percent, one of my favorite Discworld novels, if not my favorite. The exploration of religion, what it means, what it should mean, and how we should mean it, is just fascinating and comforting; Pratchett's Humanism is a guiding light throughout the series, but this story particularly shows the heights we can aspire to, and the depths we should avoid.
It was the first discworld book i read, just a week ago and i was completely taken off guard at how much i sobbed at the end. ive had my own issues with faith and religion and this novel just took not prisoner in deconstructing all of them... and then turned it around at the end with a batch of hope ;w;
Terry Pratchett was a stealth humanistic philosopher. He made you laugh, and laugh and laugh and then bang! The philosophy hits you right in the gut, leaves you breathless. A single theory could take a whole book to explain or a whole concept of ideas with a few sentences. He cannot be accused of literature but he sure is a changer of minds.
He could also nail perfectly how sometimes we humans need to get over ourselves: "...it wasn't that the Librarian wasn't aware of the nobility of human struggle, it is that as far as he was concerned you could just stuff it."
Sir Pratchett is sometimes compared to P.G. Wodehouse, an early 1900s humor prose writer. In the front of his own books, even. Rather than accuse him of literature, the fix is in, Pratchett is literature for sure. I've never read something so thoughtful yet witty.
I was the Pratchett dealer in my high school. My dad introduced me to "Soul Music" when I was 14 or 15, and I went around school going, "Have you heard of this author? Do you want to borrow my book?". I got so many classmates hooked!
Sounds like me with ElfQuest, the original series graphic novel(s). One time, I had a bunch of friends over and I started passing issues of the comic around...soon, 5 people were passing them around, out of order, because they were so caught up in the story.
Vimes and Granny Weatherwax are mine and my late husband's favorite characters. Pratchett surely had a gift for writing people that inspire and move the reader. I haven't been able to read any of the novels since my husband died last year, but I look forward to doing so again some day. Perhaps a leopard can change its shorts...
My girlfriend was murdered years ago and I managed to read The Shepard's Crown once... Some day I will read it again, but I know it will destroy me to do so. I'm sorry to read of your loss... Pratchett taught me to look at death differently with this. “In the Ramtop village where they dance the real Morris dance, for example, they believe that no one is finally dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away-until the clock he wound up winds down, until the wine she made has finished its ferment, until the crop they planted is harvested. The span of someone’s life, they say, is only the core of their actual existence.” Reaper Man - Terry Pratchett I hope me quoting it doesn't cause you destress.
@@Sgtshadist I'm sorry for your loss as well, and hope you're okay. That's a beautiful quote, and makes me smile - thinking of the descriptions of Morris Dancing in the novels, especially.
Whilst I think Pratchett would have had a lot to say about the problems with policing in the present day, I will say that re-reading Night Watch last summer still felt incredibly relevant. But then again a lot of issues we face are the old ones with a new coat of paint and he touched on a good number over the years.
I always felt like the Patrician and the Watch are examples of Pratchett's Narativiam. They represent an ideal of this type of institution. The benign Dictator and the competent, earnest, and ethical law enforcement. This is how it's supposed to be, here in round world though, we have no Narativiam to right the wrongs of such institutions.
@@TimeTravelingBunnis Well, the Watch and the legal system could be really corrupt and shitty, Pratchett just chose to make those instances into jokes -- Nobby and Colon taking bribes for protection and to let criminals go, a legal system where you get the death penalty for forgery unless you sell yourself into forced labor, and such.
many of the issues in policing have been present since its inception, but it should be noted that policing is generally not getting worse we are simply seeing more of the crap that usually gets dealt with quietly and internally. its very similar to how people believe the world to be very violent and conflict ridden place thanks to worldwide news, despite this actually being the most peaceful era of human history. I've reread the watch series recently and found that they are still relevant, Vimes struggles so heavily with wanting to beat the criminal classes into a pulp yet he contains himself constantly, he truly does watch the watch.
Agreed, Night Watch (his best work IMO) touches on a lot of issues going on now. To me, his representation of the Watch, and Vimes in particular, is about exploring what the police *should* be, and that applies to any country.
ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XKETYXTyMu8.html For Masquerade, but it should get the algorithm flowing in the right direction for you.
Nobby is interesting because he's consistently shown to be a far, _far_ more complex character than he lets on. Colon is a somewhat well-meaning idiot with surprisingly good survival instincts, but Nobby is actually very good at poking holes into the "a bloke at the pub told me" philosophies his sergeant tends to espouse. He's got very little in the way of book learning, but he's street-smart with an emphasis on the smart bit. He's also probably the least prejudiced character in all the Discworld.
@@GaldirEonai Well, he NEEDS a note vouching for his human status, so most likely the lack of prejudice was learned by experience. Also, he has more success with women when he removes "human" from the trait list (or when that vampire made him pass off as nobility with rights to the throne, but that was a one-off thing that ended quickly).
Lord Vetinari & his maddeningly malicious metropolitan management methods are my very favorite things about the series. Now if you'll excuse me I must go into hiding, as that much alliteration has most likely put a price on my head.
"Everytime i goes looking for trouble it's gone when i show up..." Also our beloved walking rock with a bow that opens the front and backdoor at the same time.
for me, he's the third the first was dr. Seuss (thanks to him I learned to read at all), Robin Williams (I did not understand what imagination was until seeing hook as a very small child.)Sir Terry Pratchett (the man that gave even beath a soul and by so doing should me what it truly means to be human.)
I am tearing up as I write this. I have cried more for that wonderful man than I did for the passing of my own grandparents. But then again, Pratchett has taught me more about life than they ever did.
Among numerous other things, Discworld gave two quotes to live by: "Here and now, we are alive". "You need to believe in things that aren't true. How else can they become?" Regarding favourite characters, I must confess I am in awe of Patrician Vetinari.
My entire final dissertation at university was how the first three books of the Watch managed to pull a bait and switch with traditional police and murder mystery tropes (as defined by Hernest Mandel) and integrate them with fairy tales (as defined by Propp). In particular, I focused a lot on how in discworld a technological weapon was percived as something completely alien, almost possessing an intelligence of its own, whereas a golem (who is definitely intelligent) is considered just a very valuable and unusual commodity.
How lucky! I wanted to write about the influence of nordic mythology in LotR and the teacher wouldn't let me "because fantasy is not real literature" D:
The amount of little characters that wander through between books for continuity and worldbuilding in the Discworld books is always impressive. My favourite desperate salesperson C.M.O.T Dibbler and his foreign counterparts being particularly memorable for me.
Give me a minute. Interesting time, where he's called...Disembowel myself honorably Dibbalah and... Is it sourcery, or small gods? Small gods it would be, since the wiki says he's Omnian : Cut Me Own Hand Off Dblah
To this day, whenever I or my dad purchase a sausage baguette or similar from a small vendor we refer to it as a sausage-inna-bun (and that’s cutting my own throat) without fail.
As someone who is fat and probably never will be anything but fat. I really don't think I agree with you about the fat shaming. Sir Terry managed to make me relate and laugh. I think people who don't struggle with their weight don't realise how healing his very real portraying is. Like you I felt his passing very heavily. His books are the ones I still read over and over again.
I came to the comment section trying to find someone talking about this. I'm not a fat person, but I never got that impression of fat shaming from the books. I wonder how other people feel. I always found it nice how Sybil (who is a cool and interesting character) is described as being very very fat, but also attractive? She is the love interest of the main character, and he's very attracted to her, besides being in a loving relationship with her. I always found that a little different, and worth noticing.
It’s probably a very subjective thing. What one person thinks is clever, funny, or humanizing; another person finds insensitive or cruel. Personally, I found the majority of the moments to be funny and humanizing, with one or two exceptions ( usually when it’s an antagonist and there’s a subtle “they’re fat because they’re bad/they’re bad because they’re fat” undercurrent to them) Like Dom says - not ALWAYS there, but when you see it, it’s uncomfortable.
I've always loved Agnes because of how incredibly relatable she is. As a big girl who only ever gets compliments on her hair, loves singing and went through an emo phrase I quite couldn't pull off as well as I wished I could have, she made me feel seen. Now if I could get a vampire crushing on me, that would be nice.
Sybil's bedroom belonging to someone who'd realized that the pink fluffy romantic life wasn't likely to happen to her, and who decided to not be soppy and just get on with things.
Agnes and Sybil seem very body-positive characters to me. I was surprised at the idea that Pratchett books are fat-shaming. I'm a big lad, but with the white male privilege that it doesn't really cause me much issue in society (that I'm aware of). So I am aware anything problematic in that regard might have just gone over my head.
As a fat teenager Agnes rebelling against her fat-shaming internal monologue and railing against the way that pretty people get extra breaks they havent earned because they're pretty really helped me see that it's up to me to love myself for who I am and gave me permission to do so.
@@reverendsteveii Very well said. None traditional looks are is a trend across most (all?) Pratchett's heroes: Character above aesthetics. Magrat thin, nervous but ultimately a queen. Moist's un-notability is one of his powers. Vimes the grizzled looser past his prime. Beautiful people are usually coasting by on their looks for better or worse.
When my best friend wanted to adopt a rescue ... who was deeply scruffy and, at the time, covered in fleas, I said "I'm on board, but only if you name him Gaspode". She did, and the dog's exactly that much of an @ssh*ole
I feel you missed out Tiffany Aching. For so far into the series it still amazes me how Sir Terry manages to write believable YA books about a girl growing and learning power and responsibility
Wee Free Men was my first real intro to Discworld. I had tried Colour of Magic years prior and not finished it. I loved it so much that I made an audiobook for my kids (with all the voices and such). CRIVENS!
@@femailler22 same. her series hits me hard, especially when she goes away for training - her musings on her identity and her sense of belonging ring very true to my own journey atm. though i've had to pause reading her series for a while cuz it's started touching on the witch trials (or at least the sentiments that fuelled it). that's some heavy shit and i need to be in a better headspace for it. until then, i've just finished Moist von Lipwig's series and have started on the Watch series. They deal with Some Shit but not quite as affecting as the witch trials (even the gender stuff, which surprised me given i'm trans).
@@elfinvale Yes, many of his books touch on prejudice, including the Watch books. His treatment of our innate biases is elegant, making them both obvious and ridiculous, and one comes away with the strong feelings that one does not wish to be like the characters who are so narrow minded. You may wish to read Monstrous Regiment, which is kind of a one-off book. I usually like the books with familiar characters more, and I was surprised how much I enjoyed MR. The discworld emporium website has a list of them in order (I finished book 41 a few weeks ago). Listening to them in order really highlights the growth of the characters. I hope you enjoy. :)
I first read Discworld when I was nine, the same age as Tiffany in The Wee Free Men. Ever since then, I’ve loved the Discworld series. I carry at least two Discworld books whenever I go out of the house and I love them so much. *insert raised eyebrow* “Don’t let me detain you.”
@@criseastman6503 The one about the imperturbable spiny garden dweller, as I believe that comes up in the series more frequently than the one about a male magic scholar's accoutrement.
I discovered Pratchett's books as a child in an abusive home (middle eastern Europe), he saved my life in so many ways and he's still helping me. As an autistic person I often find it hard to get the sense of humour so it is so very precious for me that Pratchett is among very few people who can genuinely make me laugh, such a rare, wonderful experience most people take for granted. Not just that - he can make me experience the whole range of emotions. Whenever I feel I get "too far away", too dissociated, I turn to his books, it's like he makes me more human, both kinder and smarter. GNU
What are your favorite books, or where would you recommend starting? I am also autistic and have wanted to read discworld for a while but don’t know where to start. Thanks :)
I met Terry back in the 90s: he came to my bookstore for a signing before going on to an sff con we'd been part of arranging (and were present at). He and I started an argument about nuclear power facilities that continued on through the entire weekend, punctuated by him stopping to buy me another beer. I, too, was devastated by his illness and demise.
Me too. I know it's somewhat silly and Terry himself probably wouldn't be too pleased, but I just can't pick up that book. It's been standing on my shelf for quite a while now.
and me as well. i got it when it was first released, put it on the bookshelf with the other tiffany books, and there it sits. like simon - it feels like discworld would be over :( and i just can't bear that
I feel that. I did eventually read it, though, mostly because it's literally about the world coming to terms with the death of someone so important you can't imagine life without them. Achingly fitting.
"HUMAN'S NEED TO BELIEVE IN THINGS THAT AREN'T REAL TO BE HUMAN. TO BE WHERE THE FALLING ANGEL MEETS THE RISING APE." I will never stop thinking about that idea.
I've always loved the little asides, small details that have no connection to the story. One I remember concerns the ants of unseen university who have a thriving society and steal sugarlumps to build a pyramid for their queen. I think it's from Equal Rites. It makes me think of the illustrations by Sven Nordqvist, lots of little weird details all over the place.
My favorite footnote is about the importance of good spelling and how poor spelling caused a wish to go wrong such that when the king touched anything it turned to glod. Glod being a dwarf from a far away place who found himself being replicated mercilessly.
"Death comes for us all. When he came for Mort, he offered him a job." -- "Mort", by Terry Pratchett (back cover blurb) For those who want to start reading the Discworld series, I'd recommend "Mort." It is stand-alone, and is a proper example of the author's wit. Don't forget to read the footnotes, and the foot-footnotes!
In a similar vein, I started with Reaper Man, another excellent Death story and it was the tagline that convinced me to read it... "Death is missing, presumed err... gone"
I always liked that the roles of the witches were fluid and change over time as they and their circumstances do. Just as the ancient analogy intends to reflect change. Magrat transitions to motherhood and it turns out Granny Weatherwax can tame unicorns. Leaving Nanny Ogg as….. the other one.
I think it says a lot about the power of Sir Terry's writing that even quick descriptions of his wonderful characters can reduce me to tears. I miss his words so, SO much
I DEEPLY empathize with being overwhelmingly affected by Sir Terry's death. His loss felt to me like the one of a close friend and I still wrestle with it. I simultaneously miss him terribly and feel bad that I'm mourning someone I never met. I don't know where to go from here, but suffice to say I think he's brilliant and he is missed.
Very much the same. "Spoilers" The death of GW in the last book is one of the only times in my life that a piece of media has moved me to tears, it felt as if he was saying goodbye at the same time she was.
It really hit me hard. I woke up on my birthday to a phone call from my mother telling me my brother had been kicked off a bus and I had to chase it up the coast to put him back on. While I was waiting for him I got the news of the passing. The whole 2 hour drive I was numbly processing. When I got rid of him I spent about half an hour flicking through media sources looking for details. I then loaded up the radio drama of Good Omen’s for the drive home and soaked the memories in isolation
I'm pretty much a real-life Agnes Nitt, in that I am overweight, a great singer (though I can't sing with myself in thirds, sadly), remain calm in a crisis, and who has a thin girl desperately wanting out whom I have named. I've never really felt any fat phobia in Discworld. That whole "every fat chick has a thin girl inside and lots of chocolate" isn't meant as an insult, but Sir Terry pointing out how judgemental people are, and how they say that kind of comment by rote, without thinking about how the people they say it about feels. There is an interaction in... I think it's "Carpe Jugulum", where Nanny says, "well, they do say inside every big girl, there's a thin girl-" "And lots of chocolate." Agnes replied wearily. Proving that she's heard it a million times, and is so sick and tired of being judged by her size, instead of by her abilities, merits, talents and intelligence. But hey, that's just the vibe I've gotten. He's not mean to Agnes, he doesn't make her to be a "stereotypical fat person" by having her gorging herself at every opportunity, or being crude the way a lot of films portray fat chicks (I really hate Melissa McCarthy and Rebel Wilson for exactly that reason). Agnes is a fully fleshed-out character who is complex and struggles with who she is physically versus who she wants to be. Magrat is the same, but in reverse. Look at how Magrat is always complaining about how her hair is frizzy and won't stay styled, how she's so skinny that dresses don't look good on her because she has no feminine shape, she has watery eyes and has, I think, a much lower sense of self-esteem and self-confidence than Agnes does. Magrat gets there eventually, but it takes becoming a mother for her to become really strong. Agnes is strong willed from the beginning because she has to deal with so many judgemental bastards. But like I said, that's just my vibe. Vimes is my favourite character, and I too miss our glorious world-creator, Sir Terry Pratchett.
I, as someone who's been an overweight person most of my life, agree with you. All of his characters are always so much more than their physicality even if it is a butt of a joke sometimes.
I'm glad you said this here. I think the other character it affects sometimes is Lady Ramkin, but the comments on her size are admiring from Vimes' point of view - her height and weight adding to the way she can naturally command a room, that sort of thing.
I also never felt that it was fat shaming, it was just a physical characteristic, like Carrot being so tall or Wee Mad Arthur so small, they made it possible to use all the common jokes and then bounce them around and make them work for the story
And I have just realised that the quotation is from Going Postal... I'm sure there's something similar in Reaper Man though, about a person not truly being remember until the ripples they have made in other people's lives have faded away.
Oh my! As a person who read his books only in translation, it hit me just now, what "Don't let me detain you" actually means. Brilliant! I guess I have to read Discworld in original language. 😊
Sir Terry Pratchett changed my life. I picked up "jingo" when I was stuck at a hotel due to a cancelled flight. I laughed out loud for the first time reading a book and couldn't put it down. I read it in one go, it was morning before I noticed and by now I have read his entire oeuvre several times. It's the one writer I am addicted to.
You can admire other authors for their literary skills, the scope of their worlds, the things that they make you feel, but very few are as genuine and decent as Terry seemed. I mean in a very real, very human, very flawed way, he wasn't perfect, but he had a sense of kindness and warmth that I can feel running through his books. He cared about people and reading his books he made me care too. As a very lonely and shut-off little boy, this really helped me.
When I heard about Sir Terry Pratchett's passing, I started crying and folded on the floor (I was alone at home so I could). I don't think I have ever reacted that heavily to any other news of someone dying. I lost the possibility of new adventures with my best friends. 😭💔
Oh fuck, I internalized too much Discworld as a kid, and now I actually believe there's good in people and that I have a duty to contribute toward increasing the amount of good in the world. Equal Rites was my first book, after a friend lent my parents Hogfather and they read it to me
“See this badge? It says I’m supposed to keep the peace! If I kill people to do that then I’m reading the wrong manual!” Although Death is and always will be my favourite Discworld character, I’ve been gradually gaining a deeper understanding of why my brother loves the Watch series so much.
I just finished “Jingo” and it’s terrifying how prescient it still is, in this, Year-of-Our-World 2023. Like… I’m not sure that he wasn’t secretly a time traveler, with some of it.
@@Velvetspoonful I'm still imagining Peter Serafinowicz (from the BBC radio play) when I read the book. But, as a DW and Tennant fan, they did a good job.
@@Velvetspoonful A singer? Interesting. I'm not sure if he could do the acting properly, also he looks perhaps a bit too nice to be Crowley. But if he could get over these obstacles, he's got the visuals, I'll give you that. And I'm not competing - Peter *was* Crowley, albeit in voice only. But - both Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett had cameos in that radio play.
"Some pirates achieved immortality by great deeds of cruelty or derring-do. Some achieved immortality by amassing great wealth. But the captain had long ago decided that he would, on the whole, prefer to achieve immortality by not dying."
His writing touched me in a way so profound, I didn't even realise how much until he died. I still can't talk about it without crying. And then when you read The Shepherd's Crown, you can tell he *knew* what was coming. It reads like a goodbye.
@@seekthevisceral A lovely sentiment, with which I wholeheartedly agree, though yikes, way to throw a spoiler in plain sight for those who've not read those.
I've never been able to bring myself to read that one. Because then I would have to fully acknowledge that it really is all over... 😣 So I just keep starting over instead. 🌷How do we rise up, rise up, rise up?🎶
Love Pratchett, and I feel like Monstrous Regiment is really good for people who don't know him much. It's got the typical Pratchett elements and takes part in Discworld with some cameos but can be read by someone with no knowledge of it.
Monstrous Regiment is my favourite discworld book, I love all the lgbtq representation in what is now a fairly old book (there's a canon lesbian couple and also one or two characters who are heavily implied to be trans or gender non-conforming)
Somehow Vimes ended up as my favorite character. My best friend's is Death, because he likes kittens. We got to meet Sir Terry a few years before he died at NYC Comic Con and he was just the sweetest, although he cheekily flirted with my friend, lol.
Vimes is pretty fantastic. I'd love to see someone build his special shoes, the ones that tell him exactly where he is in the city. Also, he married for love, but ended up being part of royalty. And he's so grumpy about it, I love it!
I've been enjoying rereading Pratchett, and then reading the annotations that people have compiled on L-space. There are so many puns and cultural references that have gone right over my head, but reading other peoples' commentaries really adds to understanding them. www.lspace.org/books/apf/index.html
Favorite character:Granny Weatherwax. I mean, the way she describes the duality and dissonance between seeming good, being good and doing good will always be echoed in my moral compass, and even when she does not still say it as early as in equal rites her inner monologue and observation have a final moral directionality i will forever hold dear.
The thing about Granny Weatherwax's moral compass is, that she wanted to be the evil twin, but her twin sister took that away from her. She feels the obligation to counter her twin sister and she's not happy about it, at least not officially.
I love her interactions with Esme, just the way Esme wants to use magic for everything but then Granny constantly preaching about how the best magic is subtle, headology does most of the work if you're a witch and the few bits of magic you want are mostly just passenger magic. By the end she demonstrates her magic to be really powerful too but that doesn't solve any porblems, which just exemplifies how right she was about the whole thing. Magic is a tool, it needs to be used wisely and like any situation the more tools at your disposal the more likely you are to solve the problem well rather than just cludge something together, and Granny really is the best solver of the problems.
@@scragar I think it was in "equal rites" where she, in her usual blunt fashion, precisely explains this point regarding why wizards are to be considered below witches: "they think their magic is the only one worth using"
I had the great pleasure of meeting him at the book release / on stage discussion of Going Postal here in NZ. He signed my book with my name but spelt it wrong with a K on the end, Dominick. I remarked that he had spelt it wrong with a K to which he recovered by writing “with a K on the end”. Personalised it more for me and is a treasure in my book shelf.
It does sometimes feel like the Tiffany Aching books don't get the love they deserve, perhaps because people write them off as YA works. But I think they are equal parts incredibly amusing and deeply moving, and really more people should read them.
I have to admit, though I love or at least like every discworld book, "The Wee Free Men" was the only one that I didn't enjoy. And I guess that was because of Tiffany Aching. I haven't read the other books because I feared, I wouldn't enjoy them either because of her. I can't put my finger on it why I do and maybe I am looking at her character from an wrong angle. So, would some of you tell me what you enjoyed about these books the most and what kind of impression you got from her character? I'm just looking for some different impressions that maybe let me see this character in a new light.
"Fuck, this is such a good series" - couldn't have said it better myself. Had the privilege of attending a Wyrd Sisters play by a local group a few years ago... It was the best play I've ever seen
@@mollymcdade4031 Or possibly Wincanton (the town in Somerset twinned with Ankh-Morpork). My Aunt was involved in a few productions there when Sir Terry used to visit Bernard at the Cunning Artificer.
A group at my university did Maskerade two years ago. It was awesome. They regullary did Discworld plays, I really hope they will start the theatre company again after Corona.
I'm an American. He was my favorite writer as a kid and shaped my life in ways I can't even imagine. I still own every book he's ever written and spent ungodly amounts of money buying the guide books, maps, and cartoon DVDs that only aired in the UK. Truly a great mind that will be missed.
3 года назад
I love the Tiffany Aching series. I cried when I got the The Sheppard's Crown, the books as it issues, but getting it one year after Sir Terry's passing was plain magic.
Not only did it remind me of Sir Terry's death. Also my grammy died and I bought this book and I wasn't able to stop crying. It helped so much with my grief. And Tiffany's stories lead me to start reading/hearing all the books.
I only read it once. My last Christmas Terry Pritchett. I cried a lot. I still cry lots. Maybe one day I’ll be able to read it again but not now. We lost such a lot with his passing. It’s almost like the Auditors won and a mere ball of flaming gas rose up in the sky.
@@Shchipljeljishchitj I can really understand that. I had the to put the book away for a week myself. But I think you'll find the joy in the rest of the story afterwards
I can't recall which book it was. Someone: "You are an alcoholic!" Vimes: "No. I am not that wealthy. I am just a drunkard" How to summarise complex problems of addiction and it's public awarenes in two sentences... Just brilliant.
There's a similar bit in "The Light Fantastic" where Cohen and Rincewind discuss Twoflower's bizarre behaviour and conclude that, since he has money, he's not "crazy", just "eccentric".
He's not... Really discovered something though, not recently I mean. I mean, unless you count him finding his first book when he was a kid, probably? I've been wanting for him to cover ANYTHING Diskworld for a while.
Now to decide on what order to read them in... (Pratchett's writing is vastly superior after book 4 or so, so maybe save the first three for when you've got a taste of the Discworld)
@@ArrowOdenn I was gonna ask this very thing! Where should we even start? I started reading The Colour of Magic before, but for some reason couldn't get through it (awfully busy period of my life back then), so maybe that might be different this time. The Wyrd Sisters sound very interesting, not gonna lie!
@@D0MiN0ChAn I'd personally recommend Guards Guards as it is set in one city with a set cast but also brings in a lot of what made the later books even better. It's also slightly more grounded with a cast of, somewhat, human characters.
@@rob.3143 yes! Guards! Guards! Is a good starter. I started with The Colour of Magic, which is not representative of the series. These days I advise to leave that one for after you've read at least a handful.
