Comments on: Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett Review http://www.boomtron.com/2009/10/unseen-academicals-by-terry-pratchett-review/ Fantasy, Mystery, Science Fiction, Comic Books, Horror Book, Television, Movie Reviews, Author Interviews Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:44:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Professor Crazy http://www.boomtron.com/2009/10/unseen-academicals-by-terry-pratchett-review/#comment-7377 Professor Crazy Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:45:12 +0000 http://www.bscreview.com/?p=38531#comment-7377 The phrasse "Poore Boys' Funne," as it's spelled with caps for the initial letters, is not meant to imply that only townspeople, or the poor, can or should play it, though it's been a game that arose from the poorer classes of Ankh-Morpork. It's a synonym for "foot-the-ball," in the will of Archchancellor Bigger. On p. 30, Ponder is reading from the will: Ponder said, 'There is a condition attached to the bequest. It's in the small print, sir.' 'Oh, I never bother with small print, Stibbons!' 'I do, sir. It says: "...and thys shall follow as long as the University shall enter a team in the game of foot-the-ball or Poore Boys' Funne."' Nowhere in the bequest does it state the game must be played against a "local town team," nor is there any stipulation that the game has to be one of "Town versus gown," though that's how it's been played in the past. Also, on p. 227, Vetinari has these comments regarding whom the Unseen Academicals should play against, as Archchancellor Blill Rincewind has come to visit from Bugarup University: 'Play the football for the Hat,' said Vetinari. He looked at their faces. 'Gentlemen. 'Gentlemen. Do take a moment to consider this. The importance of the Hat is enhanced. The means by which wizards strive are not primarily magical. The actual striving and indeed rivalry will, I think, be good for both universities and people will be interested, whereas in the past when wizards have argued they had to hide in the cellars. Please do not answer me too quickly, otherwise I will think you have not thought about this enough.' Vetinari should know about the rules or foot-the-ball--in fact, he's behind the changing and updating of the rules, and being the dictator, he has the final say. Just because the game has been played "Town versus gown," in the past, does not mean that that's the way it has to be to fulfill the bequest. The phrasse “Poore Boys’ Funne,” as it’s spelled with caps for the initial letters, is not meant to imply that only townspeople, or the poor, can or should play it, though it’s been a game that arose from the poorer classes of Ankh-Morpork. It’s a synonym for “foot-the-ball,” in the will of Archchancellor Bigger. On p. 30, Ponder is reading from the will:

Ponder said, ‘There is a condition attached to the bequest. It’s in the small print, sir.’
‘Oh, I never bother with small print, Stibbons!’
‘I do, sir. It says: “…and thys shall follow as long as the University shall enter a team in the game of foot-the-ball or Poore Boys’ Funne.”‘

Nowhere in the bequest does it state the game must be played against a “local town team,” nor is there any stipulation that the game has to be one of “Town versus gown,” though that’s how it’s been played in the past.

Also, on p. 227, Vetinari has these comments regarding whom the Unseen Academicals should play against, as Archchancellor Blill Rincewind has come to visit from Bugarup University:

‘Play the football for the Hat,’ said Vetinari.

He looked at their faces. ‘Gentlemen. ‘Gentlemen. Do take a moment to consider this. The importance of the Hat is enhanced. The means by which wizards strive are not primarily magical. The actual striving and indeed rivalry will, I think, be good for both universities and people will be interested, whereas in the past when wizards have argued they had to hide in the cellars. Please do not answer me too quickly, otherwise I will think you have not thought about this enough.’

Vetinari should know about the rules or foot-the-ball–in fact, he’s behind the changing and updating of the rules, and being the dictator, he has the final say. Just because the game has been played “Town versus gown,” in the past, does not mean that that’s the way it has to be to fulfill the bequest.

]]> By: =Tamar http://www.boomtron.com/2009/10/unseen-academicals-by-terry-pratchett-review/#comment-7363 =Tamar Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:58:15 +0000 http://www.bscreview.com/?p=38531#comment-7363 The game played to retain the bequest must be part of the local Ankh-Morpork "poore boyes funne," so it has to be played against a local town team. A-M-U was intended to be a kind of All-Stars team of townies. "Town versus gown" was a standard riot for centuries. Ankh-Morpork United is the "town" team, versus the Unseen University "gown" team. The game played to retain the bequest must be part of the local Ankh-Morpork “poore boyes funne,” so it has to be played against a local town team. A-M-U was intended to be a kind of All-Stars team of townies. “Town versus gown” was a standard riot for centuries. Ankh-Morpork United is the “town” team, versus the Unseen University “gown” team.

]]> By: Professor Crazy http://www.boomtron.com/2009/10/unseen-academicals-by-terry-pratchett-review/#comment-6691 Professor Crazy Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:17:03 +0000 http://www.bscreview.com/?p=38531#comment-6691 Your points are well taken. The Lord Vetenari versus Vetinari is a typo, but yes, there should be an "i" instead of an "e" before the "n". And, yes, dwarves are the ones who make the micromail, not trolls, and Juliet models for the dwarves. Vetinari does suggest that the two universities play for the Hat. Archchancellor Henry definitely wants a chance to wear the Hat, as a sort of proof he's an Archchancellor of equal, or superior, status to Mustrum, under whom he'd served as a Dean in the past. the team that the Unseen Academicals plays against is called Ankh-Morpork United. I was convinced that though a professor issued a challenge to any team at a banquet Vetinari held for the team captains, that Vetinari's initial idea for the two rival universities to face each other with the Hat as a sort of trophy was still central to the novel, and that Ankh-Morpork United, thus, the other university's team's name. The Ankh-Morpork team was heavily infiltrated by Andy Shank and his cohorts - a very nasty bunch - and they exchange team shirts near the end of the novel. I do think the shift away from Vetinari's idea involving the Hat and the two universities playing to the Unseen Academicals playing the Ankh-Morpork United is a bit hazy. If Vetinari totally dropped the idea involving the Hat, etc., one might ask, "Why bring it up in the first place, other than to make Henry the referee?" By him being the referee, I think the original idea was it was to make sure neither team could use magic to cheat, because his spell would prevent them from doing so. Still, however mistaken or correct I might be in regards to these points, I think the subplots I mentioned are very interesting, as I wrote, and add a lot to the novel. It's a pretty humorous one, like all of the Discworld novels, and it is one which I would highly recommend. If I have misled any potential readers of Unseen Academicals, I apologize for that - but, I was writing what I thought was true at the time as far as the Hat idea and the universities playing each other goes. It's in the novel, Vetinari suggests it, and I that's what I went with, despite the open challenge I mentioned. Your points are well taken. The Lord Vetenari versus Vetinari is a typo, but yes, there should be an “i” instead of an “e” before the “n”. And, yes, dwarves are the ones who make the micromail, not trolls, and Juliet models for the dwarves.
Vetinari does suggest that the two universities play for the Hat. Archchancellor Henry definitely wants a chance to wear the Hat, as a sort of proof he’s an Archchancellor of equal, or superior, status to Mustrum, under whom he’d served as a Dean in the past.
the team that the Unseen Academicals plays against is called Ankh-Morpork United. I was convinced that though a professor issued a challenge to any team at a banquet Vetinari held for the team captains, that Vetinari’s initial idea for the two rival universities to face each other with the Hat as a sort of trophy was still central to the novel, and that Ankh-Morpork United, thus, the other university’s team’s name.
The Ankh-Morpork team was heavily infiltrated by Andy Shank and his cohorts – a very nasty bunch – and they exchange team shirts near the end of the novel.
I do think the shift away from Vetinari’s idea involving the Hat and the two universities playing to the Unseen Academicals playing the Ankh-Morpork United is a bit hazy. If Vetinari totally dropped the idea involving the Hat, etc., one might ask, “Why bring it up in the first place, other than to make Henry the referee?” By him being the referee, I think the original idea was it was to make sure neither team could use magic to cheat, because his spell would prevent them from doing so.
Still, however mistaken or correct I might be in regards to these points, I think the subplots I mentioned are very interesting, as I wrote, and add a lot to the novel. It’s a pretty humorous one, like all of the Discworld novels, and it is one which I would highly recommend. If I have misled any potential readers of Unseen Academicals, I apologize for that – but, I was writing what I thought was true at the time as far as the Hat idea and the universities playing each other goes. It’s in the novel, Vetinari suggests it, and I that’s what I went with, despite the open challenge I mentioned.

]]> By: ogg http://www.boomtron.com/2009/10/unseen-academicals-by-terry-pratchett-review/#comment-6674 ogg Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:33:53 +0000 http://www.bscreview.com/?p=38531#comment-6674 I'ts Vetinari, not Vetenari. Micromail is made by dwarfs, not trolls, Julliet models for the dwarfs,dwarfs have beards. Ank-morpork United is not a team from another university , and they don't play for the hat. I’ts Vetinari, not Vetenari. Micromail is made by dwarfs, not trolls, Julliet models for the dwarfs,dwarfs have beards.
Ank-morpork United is not a team from another university , and they don’t play for the hat.

]]> By: Professor Crazy http://www.boomtron.com/2009/10/unseen-academicals-by-terry-pratchett-review/#comment-6669 Professor Crazy Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:09:47 +0000 http://www.bscreview.com/?p=38531#comment-6669 Thanks for pointing that out about the head librarian, Gary! I definitely don't want to provoke interspecies violence, and I have corrected the error in the review--kudos to you, and I apologize for that error to anyone else who might have noticed it and got somewhat peeved by it. Thanks for pointing that out about the head librarian, Gary! I definitely don’t want to provoke interspecies violence, and I have corrected the error in the review–kudos to you, and I apologize for that error to anyone else who might have noticed it and got somewhat peeved by it.

]]> By: GaryM http://www.boomtron.com/2009/10/unseen-academicals-by-terry-pratchett-review/#comment-6615 GaryM Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:45:02 +0000 http://www.bscreview.com/?p=38531#comment-6615 The Librarian is an orangutan, not a chimpanzee, and misstating the kind of primate he is is the one thing that will provoke him to violence. The Librarian is an orangutan, not a chimpanzee, and misstating the kind of primate he is is the one thing that will provoke him to violence.

]]>