User:The Millionth One/Tiffany Aching

Tiffany Aching is a fictional character in Terry Pratchet's Discworld book series, first appearing in 2003's The Wee Free Men. Tiffany is the star of five novels, which follow her training and development as a Discworld witch. Initially presented as a nine-year-old girl who wants to be a witch, Tiffany ages over the course of the novels, making her final appearance as roughly nineteen  in Pratchett's last published book, 2015's The Shepherd's Crown. The character is ... Throughout the novels she is assisted by the Nac Mac Feegle, a small blue race of...

Creation
Pratchett has said Tiffany Aching "...started with a girl lying down by a river, on the first page of The Wee Free Men". In his youth, Pratchett was "fascinated" by nearby chalk pit, and like Tiffany knew how to read words before being able to pronounce them. The Wee Free Men features "a lot of [his] past" in its descriptions. A lot of Tiffany's understanding of the world is based on Pratchett's own experiences.

With Tiffany, Pratchett wanted to "restate" the purpose of magic on the Discworld and the relationship between wizards, witches and others. He included ideas of responsibility and "guarding your society" as he felt it drew closer to the reality of witches – that is, "the village herbalist, the midwife, the person who knew things". Pratchett found a young protagonist useful, because when you're young "you have to learn". The name "Tiffany" was chosen for deliberately being poorly evocative of a witch.


 * http://www.seattlechannel.org/BookLust?videoid=x53331 (video, haven't gone through it yet)
 * http://www.lspace.org/about-terry/interviews/wfmpromo.html -- pertinent bit is, "I'm playing with ideas for a sequel to The Wee Free Men, that's certain. And that means the Feegles will be in it along with Tiffany. I'd like to follow her life for a while. But there are so many other things I want to do, too."

Appearances
The character first appeared in The Wee Free Men (2003). After having decided to become a witch in memory of her dead Granny Aching, she encounters a monster in the lake, which she baits with her brother and then hits with a frying pan. When her brother later goes missing, she enlists the help of the Nac Mac Feegle to rescue him from the realm of the Queen the Fairies. Tiffany eventually manages to defeat the queen and rescues her brother along with the Baron's missing son, Roland.

Tiffany appeared again the next year, in A Hat Full of Sky (2004).

Wintersmith (2006)

I Shall Wear Midnight (2010)

The Shepherd's Crown (2015) was Pratchett's final novel, released posthumously.

Character
In Caroline Webb's view, Pratchett has Tiffany redefine "selfishness" as "responsibility". Janet Brennan Croft felt her name, and its Land Under Wave meaning, linked the character to the "living power" of the fossils which make up the chalk downs. Croft recognises Tiffany as having "an incredible thirst for knowledge". By Wintersmith, Tiffany has become "older in many respects" in Pratchett's view.

Abilities
Caroline Webb considers her "First Sight" to allow her to see clearly and resist the negative influences of stories.

Supporting characters
In each novel, Tiffany is assisted by the Nac Mac Feegle... Throughout the series, she has a budding relationship with Roland(?)... She interacts with several other witches, including Discworld mainstays Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg. Weatherwax becomes something of a mentor to Tiffany. Other recurring characters include Petulia...

Themes
Webb believes the Aching novels to "reconsider" the role of the witch in children's novels, critiquing stories' ability to "constrain and confine". Tiffany identifies with the witches in fairy tales rather than the princes or princesses, and her responsibility becomes characteristic of a witch in Pratchett's work. By A Hat Full of Sky, Webb believes the idea of the witch as "outsider" has been rejected, with Tiffany being accepted by her community and Prattchett focusing on "the positive value of the witch".

Reception
Tim Martin of The Telegraph called Tiffany one of Pratchett's ten best Discworld characters, criticising I Shall Wear Midnight but calling the first three Aching novels "some of the best Discworld stuff in years". The Southern Daily Echo listed Tiffany as Pratchett's seventh most greatest character, highlighting her relationship with the Nac Mac Feegle. According to Pratchett, his portrayal of Tiffany led to him being made an honorary Brownie. Prathett has called the Tiffany Aching books "very close to my heart", and has said they are the books he would like to "remembered for".