Some Liz Thoughts on Discworld

  Motivation of the criminals I think TP deliberately portrays the criminals as each different, each with classic motivations, playing with lists like he likes to do, remember Carpe Jugulum where he works through lots of different types of parenting, and so on. Anyway -  Although it’s impossible to diagnose correctly at a distance and of a fictional character I think TP is trying to portray Teatime (not a Johntom thing to my knowledge, just sounds silly, even worse than rude in children’s eyes maybe) as 2, some of the gang as 1. (see below) The locksmith is portrayed as sane and intelligent, calculating, proud of his skills. The wizard Sideney just needs money to pay his debt.  Banjo and Medium Dave are different again as they care about each other and were brought up in crime. They both have loyalty, MD to Banjo, Banjo to his mum, and a sort of morality that goes with it. Classic Maffia. They would be fun to pseudo psychoanalyse.  I thinkTP intends the distinction t...

  Fan theories and spoilers throughout.  I was chuffed to see someone else enjoying Soul Music recently.  It was one book I didn’t really appreciate until I reread it recently. I liked all the jokes and bad puns and music references, but found it a bit silly. I hadn’t spotted the bitter dark chocolate heart in the middle of the occasionally sickly sweet fun. I was too distracted. I found some amazing writing once I started looking.  1) TP is the FIRST to write orphans or boarding school themes within a short while of us hearing of the situation of the Romanian Orphans which broke in 1990 . Rowling, Pulman, Martin etc all came after TP publishing Soul Music in 1994. It turns out there was a small but growing movement discussing Boarding School Syndrome in the UK in the early 90s too - exposing the fact that children placed too young in institutions, even elite ones, could be damaged by the experience (work of Duffel, Beard, later Shcaverein).  I hadn’t seen the ...