Pratchett's Entish Bow

[Lalwendë]

I'm watching/listening to an interview with Pratchett on BBC4 and he has just admitted that when he was young he wrote a parody of Lord of the Rings, mixed up with the world of Jane Austen. Apparently it had the Orcs attacking the vicarage. Alas, it is a long lost work as he misplaced it and wishes he could find it now. :(

He also mentioned that he always preferred the Orcs and Trolls to the Elves, and how he felt sorry for them as they had 'no redemption'. He says he always felt the Elves 'were up to something'.

[lathspell]

Well... it explains why the Elves are such bastards in his books. in 'Lords and Ladies' they are evil. And in other books such as 'A hat full of sky' the enemy is quite elvish.

Another note:
Pratchett has made a lot of direct or indirect comments about Tolkien's works. Names of people the principals in the story come across or simply a copied sentence. And sometimes a remark that's somewhat deeper, but does have a connection to Tolkien's works.

It's good reading them both

lathspell

[Bêthberry]

I'm watching/listening to an interview with Pratchett on BBC4 and he has just admitted that when he was young he wrote a parody of Lord of the Rings, mixed up with the world of Jane Austen. Apparently it had the Orcs attacking the vicarage. Alas, it is a long lost work as he misplaced it and wishes he could find it now. :(

He also mentioned that he always preferred the Orcs and Trolls to the Elves, and how he felt sorry for them as they had 'no redemption'. He says he always felt the Elves 'were up to something'.

You know, it would be just like Pratchett to set up a practical joke where we all think there is a missing text out there somewhere, especially one as full of potential as this one. I mean, Tolkien and Austen, there can't be better material for parody than that. Bronte it is easy to parody and George Eliot, a bore. But Tolkien and Austen! Why, you could have scenes of women with absolutely no men in it at all, and scenes of men with absolutely no women at all and viscious high teas. Scones becoming deadly weapons. Miss Bates and Ioreth holding great sway.

There's no end to attacks on earnestness that comic writers can come up with. ;)


Pratchett has made a lot of direct or indirect comments about Tolkien's works. Names of people the principals in the story come across or simply a copied sentence. And sometimes a remark that's somewhat deeper, but does have a connection to Tolkien's works.


Very true. I wonder if it would be worth it to compile lists and examples of them. As you say, they are sprinkled throughout Pratchett's stories. Is he trying to attract Tolkien's readers for his readership or is he latching onto the coat tails of the great one or is he subtly providing his own criticism of The Professor? Or is he just having sport?

[Child of the 7th Age]

Lalwende,

Thanks for that information. Orcs attacking the vicarage sounds very plausible.

I believe there is an existing fanfiction which sets up Austen's world as the home turf of the hobbits. (That sounds different from what you've broght forward, but it does show how parody seems to thrive in this context.) I'm not sure if that story is on this site or I read it somewhere else. I've always felt there were certain humorous similarities between Tolkien's Shire and Austen's shire both in terms of human/hobbit foibles and the general tone of things.

I hate to admit it but I am one of those people who reread at least one Jane Austen annually. If I remember correctly, Bb is not crazy about Miss Austen so she might be cheering on the orcs when they make that attack!

[Bêthberry]

[I believe there is an existing fanfiction which sets up Austen's world as the home turf of the hobbits. (That sounds different from what you've broght forward, but it does show how parody seems to thrive in this context.) I'm not sure if that story is on this site or I read it somewhere else. I've always felt there were certain humorous similarities between Tolkien's Shire and Austen's shire both in terms of human/hobbit foibles and the general tone of things.

I hate to admit it but I am one of those people who reread at least one Jane Austen annually. If I remember correctly, Bb is not crazy about Miss Austen so she might be cheering on the orcs when they make that attack!

Sort of at sixes and sevens about Austen. Her humour and irony are spot on and loads of fun--and Northhanger Abby is a hoot--but one wishes her targets were a bit wider afield sometimes. All that wit and cleverness expended upon high tea!
I would love to have seen her sink her nib into targets more akin to Melkor and even orcs! On the other hand, I'd love to hand out her novels as awards to those who focus solely on Mary and Gary Sues.

Still, to consider her England and The Shire is intriguing. She objected to the "improvements" of the English countryside and the expenditure of land to the growing of pineapples, so it's not such a fanciful consideration. Certainly she's got more in common with Tolkien than, say, Fielding, and he was a moralist too.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Child, there was an excellent - one of the best I've read! - crossover fan fiction combining Pride and Prejudice and LotR on the original BD fan fiction pages. Unfortunately, they no longer exist, and I don't know if the author has posted that story elsewhere. I don't remember author name nor story title for searching, alas!


I am, of course, strictly against parodies. :p

(...and highly amused over Lal's choice of title for this thread.)


Late edit: I think I found the story I referred to several years ago: A Hobbit's Tale (http://www.tolkientrail.com/rivendell/hobbitstale1.shtml)