Detection in the discworld : Terry Pratchett’s crime fiction

Abstract

Terry Pratchett, the author of the satirical Discworld fantasy series, is typically considered an author of comic Fantasy, but in this dissertation it is argued that, in at least some of his Discworld novels, Pratchett uses tropes and techniques more usually associated with Crime fiction. Using close reading and genre theory, the novels Men at Arms (1994) and Night Watch (2002) are examined for elements conventionally associated with the Crime fiction genre. The focus then shifts to how Pratchett adopts the methods of Detective fiction. Close attention is paid to the way in which Pratchett treats the murder victims his detectives encounter, which treatment leads the researcher to conclude that Pratchett adds to the Crime fiction genre by using both semiotic and sacrificial deaths at the same time. Vimes, the head of the night watch, is positioned as a Noir detective in contrast to Corporal Carrot, who is presented more as a juvenile detective. In addition to Pratchett drawing on these conventions, he is shown to deliberately challenges some of the norms of Crime fiction, especially in relation to his treatment of technological advances, his portrayal of Angua, a female werewolf and member of the Watch, who flouts gender roles traditionally assigned to women in Crime fiction, and the way in which certain crimes in Ankh-Morpork are semi-legalised and controlled by guilds. In conclusion, it is argued that Pratchett displays real familiarity with the conventions of Crime fiction and that he uses these to enhance his satirical purpose by encouraging readers to think carefully about the role and function of law enforcement in our own world. It is also suggested that by applying generic categories too strictly to works of popular fiction, a critic may fail to appreciate fully the complex and nuanced ways in which genre informs such works.