The Annotated Pratchett File, v7a

The Last Continent

+ [title] The Last Continent

The title puns on “The Lost Continent”, a literary phrase associated with vanished worlds, both literal (e.g. Col James Churchward’s 1931 The Lost Continent of Mu) as well as metaphorical (Bill Bryson’s 1990 The Lost Continent, about his rediscovery of and journey through the lesser known parts of his native USA).

+ [p. 9] “[...] one particular planet whose inhabitants watched, with mild interest, huge continent-wrecking slabs of ice slap into another world which was, in astronomical terms, right next door -- *and then did nothing about it* because that sort of thing only happens in Outer Space.”

This is pretty much what happened in 1994 when comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 slammed into Jupiter.

+ [p. 10] “It is a general test of the omnipotence of a god that they can see the fall of a tiny bird.”

Matthew 10:29. Terry has referred to this “test” before, see e.g. the annotation for p. 35 of Hogfather.

+ [p. 11] “The Archchancellor’s Keys!”

This ceremony spoofs a ritual conducted at the Tower of London, where “The Queen’s Keys” are used to lock up every day.

+ [p. 16] “Grubs! That’s what we’re going to eat!”

Witchety grubs, a traditional Aboriginal food. Taste a bit like nuts, apparently.

+ [p. 17] “Strewth!”

Exclamation, archaic in Britain but much more current in Australia.

Shortened form of “God’s truth!”.

+ [p. 19] “Ridcully was to management what King Herod was to the Bethlehem

Playgroup Association.”

Matthew 2:16: “Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise

men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that

were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and

under, [...]”

+ [p. 22] “[...] trying to teach Hex to sing ‘Lydia the Tattooed Lady’,

[...]”
‘Lydia the Tattooed Lady’ is one of Groucho Marx’ most famous songs, originally performed in the 1939 Marx Brothers movie At the Circus. Kermit the Frog did a great cover of ‘Lydia’ on the Connie Stevens episode of The Muppet Show.

“Oh Lydia, oh Lydia, say, have you met Lydia?

Lydia The Tattooed Lady.

She has eyes that folks adore so,

And a torso even more so.
Lydia, oh Lydia, that encyclo-pidia,

Oh Lydia The Queen of Tattoo.

On her back is the Battle of Waterloo.

Beside it, The Wreck of the Hesperus, too. And proudly above waves the red, white, and blue, You can learn a lot from Lydia!”

Teaching artifical intelligences to sing songs, recite poetry, or tell jokes is a well-established science fiction theme, with probably the most famous example being HAL in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey reverting back to his ‘childhood’ and singing ‘Daisy’ for Bowman. Possibly, that scene might not have been quite as poignant had HAL sung ‘Lydia’, instead...

+ [p. 23] “A man sits in some museum somewhere and writes a harmless book

about political economy [...]”

Karl Marx spent a lot of time in the old Reading Room of the British Museum when he was writing Das Kapital.

+ [p. 28] “You see, we think he’s on EcksEcksEcksEcks, Archchancellor,’

said Ponder.”

See the annotation for p. 149/132 of Reaper Man for much more information on why the Last Continent is called ‘Xxxx’.

+ [p. 31] “”Egregious Professor of Cruel and Unusual Geography”,’ he

said.”

‘Egregrious’ originally meant “distinguished, eminent”, but is now a term of abuse. It also puns on the regis (meaning: “sponsored by the crown”) professors at some UK universities.

+ [p. 34] “”Little is known about it save that it is girt by sea.””

One of the few lines of the Australian national anthem that most Australians actually know is “Our home is girt by sea”. Possibly it sticks in the memory because, at the age when kids first learn it, nobody knows what “girt” means. (It means “encircled, enclosed”.)

+ [p. 35] “Sir Roderick Purdeigh spent many years looking for the alleged

continent and was very emphatic that it didn’t exist.”