| Description |
Magic and reality in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series are difficult to place among well-known fantasy tropes and dichotomies. Defining either magic or reality in his invented world (either as opposed to each other or as different aspects of each other) is nearly impossible. Reality on the Disc is often defined by contradictory elements; both abstract forces, like belief, and physical actuality work with and against each other to form that which the characters in the series experience as "real." As for magic, Pratchett often presents and then complicates different aspects of what Patrick Curry would define as "magic," or a willed change to the Primary World, and what he would instead call "enchantment," or an unbidden experience of wonder in a Secondary World. Ultimately, Pratchett rejects such binaries, showing the danger that exists in extremes in any direction. In Discworld, these dichotomies-between magic/realty, magic/enchantment, or mind/body-frequently lead to a disconnected view of the world which allows one to exploit, dominate, and destroy. What Pratchett advocates for instead is a kind of messy middle ground, a border country between extremes, emphasizing the importance of the mundane and of conviviality and connection. Through his fantasy novels, Pratchett creates an enchanted view of the the ordinary, every day life experienced by people in those messy middle spaces between extremes. |
