Mario the lone bookwolf's Reviews > Carpe Jugulum
Carpe Jugulum (Discworld, #23; Witches, #6)
by
by
![78485297](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1588320656p2/78485297.jpg)
Now that´s luckily a bunch of still cultivated, but at least not sparkling, friendly, loving, and melodramatically feeling, vampires.
The allegory of modernization, or social progress, globalization, new branding of a traditional bloody brand, the battle between the traditionalists and innovators, the dangers of failing for both sides by anachronistically fading away or self destruction through far too fast change, and how the transformation of whole, traditional societies could, can, and will change society forever, are driving forces.
Especially social change, often to mostly accompanied by technological and governmental innovations, is something often contrasted in Pratchett´s work by showing a bad before and good after, although the dangers and fallacies of some seemingly positive changes aren´t underrepresented too. Often it looks as if everything has stayed pretty the same, but some small, but important factors or laws have been changed and it´s hard to find a crucial human field of interest that hasn´t been satirized this way in one of his works.
So imagine what might happen if neoliberals, typo, sorry, vampires would like to pimp their reputation, not become really good and friendly of course, because Sauronian mentality is just in their blood, but to hipster their way towards a more trending topic style, always newest fashion hottest defecation. Of course, there has to be a bit of teeny dirtbag dynamic (was this the inspiration for Twilight?), complicated by the fact that vampires don´t age, and inner quarrels included, especially showing the ridiculousness of not really changing or willing to change, but to do as if, to simulate progressivism if it´s impossible because the whole mindset, mentality, race in this case, would have to be changed, not just the packing.
Verence as a ruler has a similar problem, he is nice, good, and extremely modern, but the people aren´t interested in improving any aspects of their lives, because they are conservative and want to have it done as they are used to, thank you. This, sadly very realistic, mentality leads to voters in some real Western democracies, not the people in dictatorships that have no chance, who jay to any destructive, hateful madness and fight progressive, positive change with their lives and souls, depending on which brand of faith owns them.
The switching between the witching and vampirizing plotlines makes it a very dynamic read and there is certainly more hidden depth behind Granny Weatherwax, surprising use of the vampire blood mind control plot device, split personality fun, some of the best philosophical criticism of religion ever written, explanations why some kind of inurement and mental conditioning won´t work, even if one tries as hard as possible, and a bit of witch generation crash, being adult but still not completely wise, and the legacy of the witches is in it too.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
This one is added to all Pratchettian reviews:
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scheibe...
The idea of the dissected motifs rocks, highlighting the main real world inspirational elements of fiction and satire is something usually done with so called higher literature, but a much more interesting field in readable literature, as it offers the joy of reading, subtle criticism, and feeling smart all together.
The allegory of modernization, or social progress, globalization, new branding of a traditional bloody brand, the battle between the traditionalists and innovators, the dangers of failing for both sides by anachronistically fading away or self destruction through far too fast change, and how the transformation of whole, traditional societies could, can, and will change society forever, are driving forces.
Especially social change, often to mostly accompanied by technological and governmental innovations, is something often contrasted in Pratchett´s work by showing a bad before and good after, although the dangers and fallacies of some seemingly positive changes aren´t underrepresented too. Often it looks as if everything has stayed pretty the same, but some small, but important factors or laws have been changed and it´s hard to find a crucial human field of interest that hasn´t been satirized this way in one of his works.
So imagine what might happen if neoliberals, typo, sorry, vampires would like to pimp their reputation, not become really good and friendly of course, because Sauronian mentality is just in their blood, but to hipster their way towards a more trending topic style, always newest fashion hottest defecation. Of course, there has to be a bit of teeny dirtbag dynamic (was this the inspiration for Twilight?), complicated by the fact that vampires don´t age, and inner quarrels included, especially showing the ridiculousness of not really changing or willing to change, but to do as if, to simulate progressivism if it´s impossible because the whole mindset, mentality, race in this case, would have to be changed, not just the packing.
Verence as a ruler has a similar problem, he is nice, good, and extremely modern, but the people aren´t interested in improving any aspects of their lives, because they are conservative and want to have it done as they are used to, thank you. This, sadly very realistic, mentality leads to voters in some real Western democracies, not the people in dictatorships that have no chance, who jay to any destructive, hateful madness and fight progressive, positive change with their lives and souls, depending on which brand of faith owns them.
The switching between the witching and vampirizing plotlines makes it a very dynamic read and there is certainly more hidden depth behind Granny Weatherwax, surprising use of the vampire blood mind control plot device, split personality fun, some of the best philosophical criticism of religion ever written, explanations why some kind of inurement and mental conditioning won´t work, even if one tries as hard as possible, and a bit of witch generation crash, being adult but still not completely wise, and the legacy of the witches is in it too.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
This one is added to all Pratchettian reviews:
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scheibe...
The idea of the dissected motifs rocks, highlighting the main real world inspirational elements of fiction and satire is something usually done with so called higher literature, but a much more interesting field in readable literature, as it offers the joy of reading, subtle criticism, and feeling smart all together.
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Reading Progress
Finished Reading
March 7, 2018
– Shelved