A critical deep-drive into conceptions of power and society in Terry Pratchett''s Discworld novels, this book brings together experts in fantasy literature, political sciences, economics, philosophy, history, and journalism to consider the intricate social tapestry of one of the most intricate worlds in modern fantasy. Surveying the Discworld''s institutionalised power structures from government and police to civil services, banks and societies, it explores ideas such as language, translation, humour, crowds, community, justice and coercion in the series'' major works. Featuring analyses of novels such as Men at Arms, Equal Rites, Carpe Jugulum, Guards! Guards!, Jingo, Night Watch, Wyrd Sisters, Witches Abroad and many more, this collection illuminates how Pratchett juxtaposed his narratives with contemporary reflections on social constructs. Broken down into parts looking at social power dynamics, building and destroying worlds and the power of language, the book offers a much-needed corrective to the dearth of scholarship on one of fantasy literature''s worldbuilding titans.>

Autorentext

Justine Breton is Associate Professor in Literature and Cultural Studies at Nancy University, France. She has written books on T. H. White, the Monty Python, and The Witcher and has contributed to several books on fantasy including Dictionnaire de la fantasy (2018), and Fantasy et Moyen Âge (2023).

Inhalt

Table of Contents

List of Figures
List of Contributors
Acknowledgements
Building a Fantasy Civilization. Introducing Power and Society in the Discworld
Justine Breton
Part 1: Social Power Dynamics
Chapter 1: Collective Strength, Collective Weakness: Crowds and their Uses on the Discworld
Bettina Juszak, York University
Chapter 2: Where the Streets Are Paved with Glod: The Role of Civil Society in Ankh-Morpork Community and Civic Life
Jon Dean, Sheffield Hallam University
Chapter 3: Freedom! Truth! and Justice! In the Big Wahoonie: Ankh-Morpork's neo-Victorian Urbanity
Helena Esser, Independent Scholar
Chapter 4: (Imaginary) Genealogies of Power as Utopian Incitement: Reading Pratchett with Graeber (and vice versa)
Jann Kraus, Zurich University of Applied Science
Part 2: Tools for Building, Tools for Destroying
Chapter 5: Maps of the Future: Spatial Revolution in Terry Pratchett's Discworld
Chris Lynch Becherer, University of Glasgow
Chapter 6: A 'Vetinarian' World Order: Diplomacy, Great Powers and Morals in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series
Guilhem Jean, Independent Scholar
Chapter 7: Political Idealism in the Discworld Novels
Ruchira Mandal, Lady Bradbourne College
Chapter 8: King Carrot and Fantasy Tropes: Refusing Power to Build a Better Society
Justine Breton, University of Lorraine
Part 3: The Power of Language
Chapter 9: Greatness and Small Miseries: Journalism in the Discworld Novels
Jean-Christophe Piot, Independent Scholar
Chapter 10: 'People listen to me when I'm screaming': Language and Empowerment in The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents
Anne Hiebert Alton, Central Michigan University
Chapter 11: 'Let him be whoever he thinks he is': Magic Conjuring Truth in Terry Pratchett's Wyrd Sisters
Sarah Richardson, University of London
Chapter 12: The Power of Stories: Narrative Causality and Coercive Narratives in Pratchett's Witches books
Yevheniia Orestivna Kanchura, Zhytomyr Polytechnic State University, and Jane Suzanne Carroll, Trinity College
Index