Help on a literary question (academics)
So, I'm working on my Candidate's thesis (equivalent of Bachelor's), subject being Narrative Causality in Terry Pratchett's Discworld Books. The slight problem that I have with this is that there is no actual research on narrative causality, so I need to focus on such things as narrative, plot structure, and storytelling. And of course finding useful literature on those subjects is proving to be a pain in the buttsicle.
So if anyone here happens to know any suitable literature on subject (preferrably academic), I would be more than thankful.
I also welcome any useful comments about what I should focus on.
So if anyone here happens to know any suitable literature on subject (preferrably academic), I would be more than thankful.
I also welcome any useful comments about what I should focus on.
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And since I'm in humanities, it's a bit more lax on what the thesis can be on.
I also had a lecture about how to search the databases that our university has, but I'm having a bit trouble trying to find anything related. Not that I'm going to stop trying, but help would be appreciated.
@FinneousPJ, you're not being very helpful, and seem to come of as bit judgmental. Don't know whether it's your intention, just thought I'd let you know.
The intention is to establish that in the context of Discworld, narrative causality is a thing. Maybe in my Master's thesis I could expand it somehow. Not to establish it as a general theory of literature.
Just to reiterate, I'm not looking for a complete bibliography, just a little something extra, seeing as an international community might have access to resources I don't.
I can tell you, however, that professors enjoy it very much when you think it outside the box and assume the more symbolic side of interpretation, like I did with Jane Austen's (which is rife with this sort of thing, and allows you to make bridges out of the periods of her life and each particular opus she wrote) and Clarice Lispector's (acknowledged as the best Brazilian author of her time, and rivaling Machado de Assis for the best of all time, works are too complex to describe here) works.
Knowing what each professor is going to expect from you is also helpful, if only because you can exceed their expectations by introducing an unexpected element into your speech.
If you are able to choose what professors are gooing to evaluate you (like I do because of my impeccable grades and influence due to being a member of a certain society which I had to fight for to earn membership (so no, it is neither freemansory nor the New World Order, which I would not even be able to belong to because I'm black)), look out for the most cynical ones, since they are the ones most unprepared to deal with the unexpected (Discworld), they are likely to be in awe of your work and unable to criticize you simply because they do not have any experience whatsoever in that subject.
Thanks, really need to bear that last sentence in mind. While I can't choose my reviewer (not a Templar/Hell's Angel/MLP fanclub member like you), it is actually encouraged for students to do the thesis on something they like, instead of somethig "serious". Some of the others in my group are doing their's on subjects like swearing on Wire, dragons in modern fantasy, English accents used in teaching materials and so on.
Furthermore, Candidate's thesis is more of a practice Master's thesis, so it doesn't matter as much, at least in the humanities. Most people go for the Master's before leaving University.
Since then, I saw something by Christopher Booker about the seven basic plots (rags to riches, quest, etc)... Might be worth a glance?
I think it's quite brave of Pratchett to address those moments in (most) stories where you just wonder why, oh why didn't the protagonist just... (call the police, tell the right person, admit that they were lying, generally haul ass, etc)... Most writers tend to glide over the issue, or drop in a lazy, makeweight excuse. Discworld openly admits its absurdity, and somehow becomes more true as a result.
One thing to read might be "The hero with a thousand faces" by Joseph Campbell. While Terry Pratchett doesn't always follow the standard Hero's Journey it describes he often references works that do, or subverts elements of it. The book is pretty influential but has generated a bit of a backlash of criticism which could be useful to discuss as well.
It may be worth looking at criticism of authors from outside the sci-fi/fantasy genre too. Early on, Sam Vimes seems heavily based on hardboiled detectives, so looking at critiques of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler could be warranted.
That's what separates Discworld from others, this awareness of stories, and how they work. I don't think I have the space to look at even a dozen particular iterations of stories. The thesis is supposed to about 20-25 pages long, so can't go too deep.
The Guards novels
the Witches
Death & Family
the individual heroic novels (Pyramids, Thief of Time, Small Gods)
Rincewind & the Wizards
the world-building Ankh-Morpork novels (the Truth, Going Postal, Making Money)
He seems to use similar storytelling techniques within each group, for example the Truth & Going Postal which have very similar structures and themes.
His early novels are in strong contrast to later ones, as well. The Colour of Magic & Light Fantastic have zig-zagging highly diverse narratives, aiming at dozens of parodic targets and ending up as picaresque travelogues. His later books are far more focused smaller sets of locations and themes, and more densely plotted.
It could also be worth contrasting Pratchett's older solo work with either Good Omens (written with Neil Gaiman) or his most recent novels which were written with an assistant.