eBook - ePub
Power and Society in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld
Building a Fantasy Civilization
- 240 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
About this book
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.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Half Title
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Series Page
- Dedication Page
- Table of Contents
- List of Figures
- List of Contributors
- Acknowledgements
- Building a fantasy civilization: Introducing power and society in the Discworld
- Part One Social Power Dynamics
- 1 Collective strength, collective weakness: Crowds and their uses on the Discworld
- 2 Where the streets are paved with Glod: The role of civil society in Ankh-Morpork community and civic life
- 3 Freedom! Truth! And justice! In The Big Wahoonie: Ankh-Morpork’s neo-Victorian urbanity
- 4 (Imaginary) Genealogies of power as utopian incitement: Reading Pratchett with Graeber (and vice versa)
- Part Two Tools for Building, Tools for Destroying
- 5 Maps of the future: Spatial revolution in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld
- 6 A ‘Vetinarian’ world order: Diplomacy, great powers and morals in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series
- 7 Political idealism in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels
- 8 King Carrot and fantasy tropes: Refusing power to build a better society
- Part Three The Power of Language
- 9 Greatness and small miseries: Journalism in the Discworld novels
- 10 ‘People listen to me when I’m screaming’: Language and empowerment in The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents
- 11 ‘Let him be whoever he thinks he is’: Magic conjuring truth in Terry Pratchett’s Wyrd Sisters
- 12 The power of stories: Narrative causality and coercive narratives in Pratchett’s Witches books
- Index
Trusted by 375,005 students
Access to over 1.5 million titles for a fair monthly price.
Study more efficiently using our study tools.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription
No, books cannot be downloaded as external files, such as PDFs, for use outside of Perlego. However, you can download books within the Perlego app for offline reading on mobile or tablet. Learn how to download books offline
Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.5M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1.5 million books across 990+ topics, we’ve got you covered! Learn about our mission
Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more about Read Aloud
Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS and Android devices to read anytime, anywhere — even offline. Perfect for commutes or when you’re on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app
Yes, you can access Power and Society in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld by Justine Breton in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Literature & English Literary Criticism. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.