Toying with Fantasy: The Postmodern Playground of Terry Pratchett's Discworld Novels

Abstract

Attempts to discover exactly how Terry Pratchett manages to get away with violating the rules of the fantasy tradition laid out in Tolkien’s “On Fairy-stories.” Pratchett consistently revels in the absurdity of Discworld as a concept, breaks the fourth wall, and disrupts Tolkien’s proviso against satirizing magic itself; and yet the Discworld sails on, imperturbable. Pratchett’s concept of narrative imperative is discussed as one of the keys to the success of his invented world.

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