[ SECRET POST #6698 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #6698 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.


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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 12 secrets from Secret Submission Post #957..
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom]

07. https://i.imgur.com/V1SWbNr.png

[(Anonymous)]

I've always enjoyed the quotes I see from his books and the things I've seen make me think he was a pretty cool person, but I have tried several times with different books at different points in my life and I just cannot get into his writing. It is a shame, the community seems fun.

[(Anonymous)]

Pratchett's style is so unique that if it doesn't appeal to you, then the whole series probably won't. That said, IMO his earlier works are not the best so I don't recommend people start there.

Because I love the witches of Lancre, I'd recommend in order: Wyrd Sisters, Witches Abroad, Lords and Ladies, Maskerade, Carpe Jugulum

Maybe because this story arc is full of literary allusions/spoofing, i.e. Hamlet, Cinderella, elves, Phantom of the Opera, vampires in that order.

[(Anonymous)]

I had never heard of him the first time I read one of his books. I didn’t know the book was part of a series, either. But it was really good and I was thrilled to learn he had a whole universe of those books. I was incredibly disappointed whenever I tried to read any of the others. I did eventually give the Death books a try and I like them but I don’t love them. And I can’t stand any others except my first one. And then years later I learned I read what fans call the non-Pratchett Pratchett Book.
It was Small Gods and I really wish the rest of Discworld was half as interesting to me as I thought it would be when I read Small Gods.

[(Anonymous)]

Something about how this is written is slightly irritating to me.

[(Anonymous)]

Yes! I can't put my finger on why but "slightly irritating" is a good way to describe the feeling.

[(Anonymous)]

+1
Although in my case I think it’s because I happened to see the comment secret and it was in close proximity to some troll thread so I kind of married the two in my head.

[iff_and_xor]

For me too.

I think it’s part of something I’ve seen in a number of Pratchett fans: a tendency to portray him as a uniquely insightful and mind-expanding author. At least that’s how some of the praise reads to me.

And I like Pratchett’s writing. I think he was smart and skilled and had a knack for pithy lines about the nature of humanity and the world. I’m just not a Fan like that.

(Admittedly, I wasn’t the right age to have his books be my first introduction to social and societal issues.)

[(Anonymous)]

I agree, but also for a lot of readers he really is the first time they've thought about these issues - either they're very young, very sheltered, or in many cases, extremely self-centered dudebros. And then you get people like this secret author who could be any one of those but also then doesn't know what to do next so just wander around doomscrolling their life.

[iff_and_xor]

I think you’re right and I don’t always appreciate that the fans I see lauding him like that may still be quite young or sheltered. Or just holding on to a really formative reading experience.

I will try to keep that in mind because I think for me there’s also a component of being annoyed at the implication that Pratchett is the last word on serious issues. That if you have his words of wisdom, you don’t need to get bogged down in the real-world specifics and nuances.

That is an understandable take when you’re first coming to some big social realizations. And I should have grace for people still figuring out that actually addressing issues is a lot messier.

[(Anonymous)]

I read most of his books at the exact right age, ie all through high school, which was the late 90s/ early 2000s. I don't remember thinking they held profound truths, but I was definitely introduced to a lot of new ideas, or at least well-articulated, easily digestible ideas.
They were also my onroad to the internet (which was stored on the family computer, and could be accessed when no one was on the phone, and only when we hadn't hit our dial-up price cap) - I was in a Yahoo group dedicated to Discworld fanfic, I spent a lot of time on various forums picking apart various puns and references. I have a lot of affection for them, and I'm glad people are still reading them, but I feel like the myth has maybe overtaken the actual reality of the books.

[(Anonymous)]

I assumed they were referencing something in the books, but still the whole "you are ignorant of anything beyond yourself if you haven't read these books" thing is not a great look.

[(Anonymous)]

+1
“These books were life changing for me” is fine. “You are ignorant and selfish if you haven’t read these” is inflammatory. I just assume it’s a young fan who is new to his works and unaware how selfish it is to crow about how unselfish they are now.

[(Anonymous)]

Same. It'd be different if it just said "reading these books did this to me", but the implication/assumption that everyone is so sheltered that they wouldn't start thinking about the world until they read a specific set of books is what's offputting to me.

[(Anonymous)]

yeaaah, same

[(Anonymous)]

Death's monologue about people needing to believe in little lies before they can believe in the big lies slapped me in the face. I think that's when I first started to lean towards being agnostic.

[thewakokid]

That is one of the greats. The falling angel meets the rising ape.

I also like the Vimes "Would you let a murderer off for a thousand dollars? ... Everything else is just a haggling over the price." speech. That one stuck with me.

And almost every line of monstrous regiment is punch in the stomach that settles into a lesson. "you are my little lads, and I will look after you" makes me misty eyed to this day.

[thewakokid]

Like, 90% of my personal philosophies are in some way an extrapolation of idea's presented in his books.

The barest spark of respect I have for Journalists is because on some level I hope maybe one or two of them are in anyway like William De Worde. I know they're not but you've got to try to believe the odd lie every now and then.

I don't know if I'd align with the man personally, but this secret ain't wrong. He taught me how to look at the world.