This was a well-attended panel discussion under the title of the collection of essays originally published by the Science Fiction Foundation.
US Academic Stacie Hanes stated that criticism should not be negative but illuminate reality. She spoke about how Victorian attitudes to women are reflected in the witches' attitudes to decency, especially underwear. Seamstresses were also common, as shown in census records. Laundrywork often involved unpicking garments and sewing them up again when washed.
Next came Carolin Esser of the University of Winchester, a medievalist who has studied "The Devil from the Bible to Terry Pratchett". After a discussion of concepts of evil, concentrating of 'Eric' and 'Good Omens', Jacqueline Simpson took over to discuss literary merit.
She pointed out that Terry's multiple narrative style goes back to the medieval interlace technique, and was also employed by Dickens and TV soap operas of today. Terry is especially good at the rhetoric of anticlimax, or bathos and writes in lyrical style to celebrate the beauty of the Chalk Downs.
Colin Smythe wound up the discussion by saying that academics have come to Terry late and are trying too hard if their criticism doesn't communicate the fun of reading his books.
Jesca Yates
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