Ah, Tiiaa, it isn’t a language thing — I have ambushed you with a fantasy in-joke. I’m sorry. :>
The Bursar is a character in a series of fantasy books, called the Discworld novels, by author Terry Pratchett. (Obligatory Wikipedia link here.) The Bursar is well-known in these books for being insane, in a nervous, often incoherent, but usually not dangerous sense. He’s so well-known for it that the people of his city start using the term ‘going bursar’ to mean ‘going mad’ or ‘going insane’.
The Bursar’s madness developed over time, so my question in more normal English translates to: In what novel did this fantasy character fully develop his madness?
And if I may ask, what is your native tongue? Your English has been impeccable in all of the posts I’ve seen from you.
‘Moving Pictures’ and ‘Reaper Man’ are the earliest books I can recall the Bursar being… the Bursar. :) By ‘Lords and Ladies’ he was pretty mental. I’d say ‘Lords and Ladies’ contains the first and best examples of the blithely mad Bursar we know and love.
I would have said ‘Moving Pictures’ myself, because as Darthfish mentions it is also where Ridcully first appears. But I can see your point also, Branan — the entire dried frog pills thing, for instance, really hits its stride in ‘Lords and Ladies’. And Jeff is also quite correct that the Bursar’s trademark nervousness is already very much in evidence in ‘Eric’.
And I apologize to those who aren’t familiar with Discworld. I didn’t mean to go deeply off-topic, just to have a bit of fun with a series I’m reading right now.
Don’t have to be sorry, the headline did say Non-WoW Trivia, and I sure hope you don’t stop with things like exactly this, just because some of us couldn’t make the connection.
I didn’t know it was from Discworld, I only tried one book, and it was so confusing and crazy written, I was unable to read it as a whole without going “bursar” (to use the appropriate term *smile*) - Discworld, or better Terry Pratchet as a whole simply is nothing for me, which should not be interpreted as a bad rating for his books at all, just personal preference.
Mania, you sure may ask, my native tongue is German.
Excellent site, by the way.
I’m thinking it was Moving Pictures. I remember he wasn’t completely mental to start with, but the Archchancellor quickly drove him over the edge.
It’s been a while since I reread the series.
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Eric…
He appears in ‘Eric’, but I would argue that he wasn’t *positively* bursar there yet. I think it was another influence that pushed him over the edge.
I belive that it was Moving Pictures, which was also Ridcully’s first appearnace. Coincidence?
Since English is not my native tongue, i have to ask - what exactly does it mean when someone goes “positively bursar”?
Ah, Tiiaa, it isn’t a language thing — I have ambushed you with a fantasy in-joke. I’m sorry. :>
The Bursar is a character in a series of fantasy books, called the Discworld novels, by author Terry Pratchett. (Obligatory Wikipedia link here.) The Bursar is well-known in these books for being insane, in a nervous, often incoherent, but usually not dangerous sense. He’s so well-known for it that the people of his city start using the term ‘going bursar’ to mean ‘going mad’ or ‘going insane’.
The Bursar’s madness developed over time, so my question in more normal English translates to: In what novel did this fantasy character fully develop his madness?
And if I may ask, what is your native tongue? Your English has been impeccable in all of the posts I’ve seen from you.
Cant say i read Discworld.. am likely missing something.. so i cant really comment on it.
‘Moving Pictures’ and ‘Reaper Man’ are the earliest books I can recall the Bursar being… the Bursar. :) By ‘Lords and Ladies’ he was pretty mental. I’d say ‘Lords and Ladies’ contains the first and best examples of the blithely mad Bursar we know and love.
I would have said ‘Moving Pictures’ myself, because as Darthfish mentions it is also where Ridcully first appears. But I can see your point also, Branan — the entire dried frog pills thing, for instance, really hits its stride in ‘Lords and Ladies’. And Jeff is also quite correct that the Bursar’s trademark nervousness is already very much in evidence in ‘Eric’.
And I apologize to those who aren’t familiar with Discworld. I didn’t mean to go deeply off-topic, just to have a bit of fun with a series I’m reading right now.
Don’t have to be sorry, the headline did say Non-WoW Trivia, and I sure hope you don’t stop with things like exactly this, just because some of us couldn’t make the connection.
I didn’t know it was from Discworld, I only tried one book, and it was so confusing and crazy written, I was unable to read it as a whole without going “bursar” (to use the appropriate term *smile*) - Discworld, or better Terry Pratchet as a whole simply is nothing for me, which should not be interpreted as a bad rating for his books at all, just personal preference.
Mania, you sure may ask, my native tongue is German.
“BursAAAAAR!”
Excellent site, by the way.
I’m thinking it was Moving Pictures. I remember he wasn’t completely mental to start with, but the Archchancellor quickly drove him over the edge.
It’s been a while since I reread the series.
Mikoro, if you haven’t read the Discworld books, I would say yes, you’re missing out on some of the funniest books anyone has written.
Good places to start are, still, “Guards, Guards!” and “Wyrd Sisters”. Or if you like stories of hardboiled reporters, maybe “The Truth”.
I’ve been through four copies of “Guards, Guards” because it’s the one I loan out to new readers. :>
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