I don't know where else to post this, so i'll put it in Boardania. Anyway, when did Discworld stop being mostly parody? Somewhere within the first nine, but I can't decide where.
damn good question. The first two are the ones that were the REAL parody books. lacking a strong background in the contemporary fantasy of the day, I don't even realize that some of the jokes are... well... jokes. I've often said that I feel Mort is the first 'real' discworld book. Equal Rites sets up some major elements that we'll see for years and years to come, but Granny in ER isn't the same person as Granny in Wyrd Sisters or Witches Abroad. if you read ER and then skipped to Lords and Ladies, you'd have two distinct characters on your hands (well, probably...) I think that with ER, and especially with Mort, the books take a sharp turn. By the time Guards! Guards! rolls around, we've abandoned the notion of parodying fantasy and whole heartedly embraced the notion of satirizing everything under the sun. You'll still see a bit of fantasy parody from time to time, but it's almost always a passing laugh that doesn't impact the actual plot. I also think the Wizards tend to get used for this role, which might be one reason why people tend to feel the Wizards are their least favorite character set.
mr pratchett himself explains it something like this "it went from parody to irony and sarcasm and is now heading somewhere completely different, though I do not know exactly where" And I kind of agree, you still see hints of parody as well as Pterry critisizing the world in every way, shape and form. But one thing is certain, he's a genre all by himself.
Hmm. I mostly agree with what Garner said, but a lot of G!G! is still parody, it just doesn't stick to the fantasy genre. There are acres of film noir, crime fiction, western and action thriller tropes being mimicked and mocked in there, as in other Watch books.
I'm only just getting around to reading ER, after having read almost all the rest, and it's quite a shock to see Granny being someone totally different, it's really rather creepy, like you've fallen through a wormhole in the space-time continuiuiuiumthingy...
seriously. like that first scene where she comes in bringing the baby, and the wizard goes to pass on his power? no WAY would the Granny from later books not put a big boot in the wizard's chest and say 'it's a girl, ya daft fool'
Yeah- Nanny would be a better fit for that, really- she'd get a kick out of one of her own being a wizard. And also a chance to get the men in UU, to see about the truth of that Wizard's Staff song...
