Wyrd Systers isn't one of Pratchett's greatest feats, but it might have been. It
seems all the ingredients are there. The story tries taking in the world of
theater and political influence, Shakespearian drama en large and Macbeth in
detail – materials that should have been quite enough for Pratchett's talent
for parody. He even lays out the foundations drawing from Macbeth – politics
are a play, specifically a play the conclusion of which should be
legitimacy. And yet, the symbolic web
Pratchett so successfully weaves in later Discworld novels (Interesting
Times, Small Gods, The Truth, Going Postal) and the deep parody that shines in
his best are not really there. The Shakespearian drama is swept aside with a
few "Diverse Alarums" and Exeunts , the fight for political
power remains much too theatrical and many plotlines just tumble off the table.
It might be that the attempt at writing a parody for a specific corpus, instead
of focusing on more general narratives and institutions as in The Asian
Monastery, The Press, Who Done It Story or the narrative of the Lost King –
does not play to Pratchett's strengths. This is also evident in Maskerade. When
Pratchett focuses on stylistics the larger scope is lost. The plus side - now I have all of Shakespeare's plays on my Sony
Reader.
אין תגובות:
הוסף רשומת תגובה