Series: Discworld, Book Thirty-One
Publisher: Corgi
Format: Paperback
Published: 1st October 2004
Number of Pages: 496
Book: Bought
Genre: Fantasy,
Humour, Science-Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Action-Adventure, YA, YA-Child
Crossover
Recommended
Age: 12+
Contains: Swearing,
Violence, Alcohol References
No Drug References
It began as a sudden strange fancy…
Polly Perks had to become a boy in a
hurry. Cutting off her hair and wearing
trousers was easy. Learning to fart and
belch in public and walk like an ape took more time…
And now she’s enlisted in the army, and is
searching for her lost brother.
But there’s a war on. There’s always a war on. And Polly and her fellow recruits are
suddenly in the thick of it, without any training, and the enemy is hunting
them.
All they have ontheir side is the most artful
sergeant in the army and a vampire with a lust for coffee. Well… they have the Secret. And as they take the war to the heart of the
enemy, they have to use all the resources of… the Monstrous Regiment.
Review:
I
study A2 sociology. I know what it means when they use the phrase
"gender norms". Basically it's the general belief of what it is
to be a boy and what it is to be a girl. For example, girls get pink
clothes (indeed, one of the references in the book is of the girls having
"pink blankets") and are
expected to be quiet and well behaved whereas boys wear blue and are expected
to be loud and active. Often books conform to this, although now we've
generally moved on. But none the less, we tend to stick to girls being
girls and boys being boys. Yet I get the appeal. Way back when,
girls were meant to sew, be quiet and do round-the-house jobs. That would
drive me freakin' crazy. I can't shut
up. I hate being domestic. I can barely make toast. And the
whole idea of being able to help people more... well, let's face it: you'd have
waaay more freedom as a guy than as a girl. For example, Polly needed to
find her brother, and there was no way she could do that when she was trapped
at home - and trapped in a dress.
Now,
a girl making herself a boy to join the army to defend/protect/save their
family has been done before. Generally, though, they don't tackle the,
um, grosser side of becoming a boy. For example, the "ape-like" walk, the belching and
farting and whatnot. Monstrous Regiment deals with all of those.
And then more.
But
moving onto a question:
What
exactly does it mean to be a boy? What makes boys boys - and what does a girl
have to do to pass off as a boy? This is what Monstrous Regiment tackled - gender norms, stereotypes and
expectations. It also tackles this: when you are raised as a girl and don
men's clothes, even when you’ve planned obsessively and practiced, can you ever
truly pass yourself off as a boy? For Polly and the others this was a
lifestyle choice, not really who they were.
They were girls in men's clothing, being soldiers and trying to fool
everyone around them. Sometimes they
were successful. Other times... not so much. But the difficulties
they faced when passing themselves off as men was a real eye-opener.
Polly planned everything out and yet was still called out. There was
always something that, to the right observer, labelled her a woman. And
yet, ironically, Polly and the others couldn't hide their newfound 'man'
behaviour when they were once more disguised as women....
But
saying this, if you asked me, Polly's personality fit more with the Borogravian
and 'traditional' views of a boy, rather than those of a woman. She was
strong, stubborn, brave and tough, an excellent fighter and marvellously witty.
She could easily hold her own with men. And the way she didn't feel
guilty about her hair, the way she did feel
guilty about being caught in a dress (a real 'wait a minute' moment), how she
said they could "disguise"
themselves as women... all these little things almost made it seem like she was
born for this – for being a soldier, for fighting for what's right, for not
being restricted by all of Nuggan's stupid Women Can't rules. Polly was
her own person and her own person was probably an Abomination to Nuggan but who
cares!
All
the other characters were brilliant - they all had their own individual reasons
for being there, and each had their own personality. One of my favourites
had to be Maladict - he was just so brilliant! And I really liked how he,
when a wee bit on the edge, just mimicked Polly's orders (she always thought of
them first; he protested... and then agreed; hilarious!). Sergeant Jackrum was brilliant too, and was a
good guy, really. I liked how he never treated Polly and the others
differently even though they were women. Hell, he seemed to like them
more because of it!
But
one thing I think Pratchett captured brilliantly was the strength of women. This was a world where women weren't even
allowed to write, let alone go into a war. Hell, to wear a man's clothes
was a blasphemous Abomination! But these women, they were braver than
some of the men. They didn't need to be there: there was no reason for
them to put their lives at risk. And yet they did. Maybe I'm
biased. I'm a feminist. I want equality in all areas. But I
liked the way Pratchett captured all the different personalities on both gender
sides: No one was alike and everyone was represented (there were lesbians
– the most amazing couple, btw – and even a theatrical, cross-dressing man –
albeit only for theatre). I also liked how the characters
themselves acknowledged the strength of women: Jackrum compared women to
lionesses; Blouse listed a number of fierce women throughout history; Vimes...
well, I think he was just intrigued; the soldiers were afraid of them.
Girl power...?!
Another
thing Monstrous Regiment perfectly
captured was the crazy effect religion has on gender norms and expectations.
Maybe I'm thinking with my sociology brain, but when you compare the very
oppressed women in Borogravia to, for example, Sergeant Angua in Ankh-Morpork,
you can see the huge difference the religion has. Girls in Borogravia
could read, but not write: that was an Abomination to Nuggan, the ridiculous
and tetchy god. Also an Abomination: a woman wearing men's clothing.
The other races and their gender expectations were similar: Igorinas
weren't allowed to perform the Great Work, troll women weren't allowed to carry
clubs or wear lichen... I liked something that Polly said: "I suppose men are the same the world over."
This says it all: no matter what or who or where you are, discrimination
and suppression seems to be the same.
But
the sad part about Nuggan and all his rules is that in some cultures
there are rules like this, when women are restricted by the most
insane beliefs and rules. If you ask me, a religion-free world would
eradicate most inequalities (gender, sexual, everything), most wars and
conflicts. Back to the point: Pratchett
takes a lot of things from the real world – which is what makes his books so
ingenious and oddly hard-hitting.
But
what I loved most about Monstrous
Regiment was that it has so many levels. It tackles religion, society,
war, being different and a whole variety of gender issues. The fact that
a girl, who is just as capable as any boy thank you very much, has to wear a
man's clothes to save her own brother. The fact that she needs to hide
what she is to do what she has to do. How very different boys
and girls are…
But
now I make it sound like gender was the biggest thing in this book - like it
was the focus. It wasn't. It was wonderfully subtle - a theme but
not the overbearing, in-your-face kind of a theme. It tackled many other
issues too - bravery, patriotism, uniqueness, religion, reasons for dressing up
as a boy and joining the army... And more than this, it was just an amazing
read. Fun, fast paced, full of laughs and just such an easy and enjoyable
read. You could, like me, obsess over everything - every little detail.
Or you could just enjoy the ride. Either way, it's recommended by
me!
But
here’s a warning from a feminist: Girls can do everything boys can do, so don’t
ever patronise us. Just ask that poor
guy what Polly did to him when he patronised her…
Ouch.
Star Rating:
4½ Out of 5
