What did everyone make of Pratchett not using chapters?

[The Big Peat]

I read Discworld young enough that I thought not having chapters was normal, until I started thinking of publishing and realised it was very unusual.

Works fine for me.

 

[Bick]

I very much enjoy the books... but the lack of chapters is a silly affectation and the books would be better off with them.

 

[Pyan]

Would you include all books without chapter headings as "silly affectation", Blick?
Dune? Flowers for Algernon? Wide Sargasso Sea? Mrs Dalloway? Ulysses?

 

[Bick]

Would you include all books without chapter headings as "silly affectation", Blick?
Dune? Flowers for Algernon? Wide Sargasso Sea? Mrs Dalloway? Ulysses?

Umm, I think maybe you missed the central theme of the discussion, Pyan. Discworld books don’t lack only chapter headings, they have no chapters at all.

 

[Pyan]

But they do have line spaces between changes of location or character viewpoint. The just don't have chapter numbers or headings.

 

[Bick]

But they do have line spaces between changes of location or character viewpoint. The just don't have chapter numbers or headings.

A line space is not the same as a new chapter though is it? Most books have chapters and also commonly have line spacing within the chapters. DW books clearly have no chapters (hence the point of the thread, and as acknowledged by all who have commented here) whilst all the books you named obviously do have chapters. I can’t think of any other novels that have no chapters… hence my feeling that it is a rather silly thing. I’m reading one right now (Soul Music), and it’s very enjoyable. But I feel would be slightly better with the usual chapter structure we’re all used to.

 

[Brian G Turner]

Some Pratchett books do at least have chapters, though, don't they? I distinctly remember reading a few where there was an italicized summary at the start of each, but I was wary of reading it in case of spoilers.

 

[The Big Peat]

Some Pratchett books do at least have chapters, though, don't they? I distinctly remember reading a few where there was an italicized summary at the start of each, but I was wary of reading it in case of spoilers.

The Moist von Lipwig books, where he's aping Victorian styles.

Which raises a whole other question of why are we so fiercely anti-spoiler these days? People used to think nothing of telling people exactly what was going to happen in a chapter, or perhaps better to say they thought it would whet the appetite. But these days we try to go in as blind as possible. Is this really the best story experience for us?

 

[Elentarri]

Some Pratchett books do at least have chapters, though, don't they? I distinctly remember reading a few where there was an italicized summary at the start of each, but I was wary of reading it in case of spoilers.

The Tiffany books have chapters, I think with chapter headings too. The publisher insisted because they were kiddies books. The Johnny Maxwell books might have chapters as well, but I don't remember.