h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I quite agree, I merely wanted to make the point that the difference in the humour is that between the bark-out-load variety of DNA and the chuckle-knowingly-to-yourself of TP. I enjoy both equally as much as each other for their respective differences of style.

I prefer PTerry's books, I find the charecters have more depth, i *know* Vimes and rincewind, where as i probably couldn't identify Arthur Dent in a crowd.

If A'Tuin had laid the eggs, it would be female, but it is not proved that A'Tuin was the one who layed the eggs. Perhaps space turtles do it more like fish, where the male fertilizes the eggs after they are laid, and A'Tuin was fertilizing them.


Drethelin, offering a possibility.

THEY BOTH ROCK.

and that is all i have to say.

~

I agree with what you said, but that is what Arthur Dent was written AS - the only normal being in H2G2 and that is what he is!

Look on page 7 of your copy of TCOM, and you'll see the sentence:

"[...] He stares fixedly at the Destination."

Great A'Tuin is male. So there.

But no-one's ever actually found out for sure.

Maybe Pratchett used the word "he" because he wished to avoid the somewhat clumsy "it", or maybe it was just he forgot.

It's 'He' as in divine... Let's not forget Pratchett gets letters about this kind of thing!

And about how the phrase "Please could you open the window" was last used in a Czechoslovakian play last performed in 1938, etc.

But there's ways to write sentences to avoid having to specify gender. And he didn't use one.

That's why I said, maybe he forgot.

I think A'tuin is a she. Female turtles are the ones who make long journeys.

It becomes an It after 'The Colour of Magic'.

Yes but they also lay eggs then smeg off back into the water... Great A'Tuin's eggs hatch immediately and float along side It, each with their own elephants and discs.

But still, you don't know if Great A'Tuin laid them or not....

Maybe it's a he/she?

But still, you don't know if Great A'Tuin laid them or not....

Maybe it's a he/she?

Yeah, exactly. You can't generalise from what we know on Earth, because it's completely different in the Discworld.

True, you can't generalise. Female intuition, then, as Angua might say. I still think it's a she.

I think it does say (The Light Fantastic) It laid the eggs as they hatch immediately...

I suppose it's whatever Pratchett wants It to be at the time. That's narrativium.

*runs to have a look at Discworld Companion*