Monstrous Regiment A book by Terry Pratchett, HarperCollins 2003 Review by Diane S Frank

If you’re not already a Terry Pratchett fan, Monstrous Regiment is a good introduction to his Discworld series. Discworld, the set for Pratchett’s brand of comedy of manners is really flat and circular, with the seas falling off the edges. This world is supported on the back of 4 huge elephants, which are in turn standing on the back of an even larger turtle that swims through space, going slowly somewhere. With some 30 titles already in this series, there is something to amuse everyone, whether it’s earthy feminist witches, growley police Inspectors following the Scotland Yard motif and with vampires, werewolfs, dwarves, trolls, golems, "Igors" or inept wizards. - Diane

"To promote a woman to bear rule, superiority, dominion or empire above any realm, nation, or city is repugnant to nature, contumely to God, and the subversion of good order, of all equity and justice."

John Knox -The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women.- 1558

Regiment of Women by Thomas Berger was a satirical largely anti-feminist somewhat science fiction book from the 1970’s that depicted a dystopia where men and women totally changed social places and costume. Monstrous Regiment, another Discworld story by Terry Pratchett on the other hand finds not only a regiment but a whole army infiltrated by crossdressed women. And while Pratchett follows his general genial satirical mode, his women are heroes. They save the day, rescue their little country and overturn worship of a demented god. They do so at peril of actually becoming "men" in the sense of losing themselves in the masculine military world, whereas they supposedly have better sense about some things as women. But Pratchett does hold to the general literary and cultural expectation that women crossdress for serious reasons, like economic, social and political opportunity, while men do it for essentially silly reasons. (See the article, Men in Skirts posted in the webmistress selects section, as well as the large section on female to male crossdressing.)

The two identifiably crossdressed men are as expected figures of fun. In one scene, a male captain in a dress manages to infiltrate an enemy held castle by using the theatrical skills gained in an all-boys school to impersonate a washer woman. (Shades of Toad escaping from prison disguised as washer woman in Wind in the Willows). Later his female-impersonating-male soldiers don dresses in an attempt to rescue him. They have been impersonating an uncouth idea of male soldiers for so long that their mannerisms remain when they are back in skirts. As they attempt to get the gate, they are instantly "recognized" as men-in-dresses, until one of them (pregnant) lifts her skirts, and another one collapses in tears.

Succeeding as social satire, a parable on the sexes, and as just good fun, "Monstrous Regiment" should be added to your reading list.