History YMMV / MonstrousRegiment

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Tonker and Lofty, our [[spoiler:GirlsLove duo]] have quite of a fandom on their own. Mal is also ''absurdly'' popular with present-day audiences for perfectly understandable reasons: being described as slim and pretty, striking the perfect balance between suave and endearing, and being ''amazingly'' easy to ship with main character Polly, all while [[spoiler:generally having absolutely no concept of the gender binary]].

* LesYay: Aside from Tonker with Lofty, Wazzer and [[spoiler:Maladicta]] get very close with Polly.

* {{Anvilicious}}: Even the book's fans admit it's several hundred pages of "WAR BAD, SEXISM BAD".

* {{Anvilicious}}: Even the book's fans admit it's several hundred pages of "WAR BAD, SEXISM BAD". Its most controversial element is that the characters don't actually ''do'' anything to solve these problems, [[spoiler:and the day is saved with a completely straight, unsubverted, unparodied DeusExMachina]].
* {{Applicability}}: Grab a bowl of popcorn and check out DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything on the main page. Between tiny-but-bellicose Borogravia, ambitious-and-powerful Zlobenia, and meddler-from-afar Ankh-Morpork, you can find a ''lot'' of parallels to Roundworld wars and politics.

* GeniusBonus: Anyone familiar with the quotation which the title refers to will probably figure out that [[spoiler:all the recruits are women]] fairly early on. It refers to a book called ''The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment'' ''[[spoiler:of Women]]'' (in this context, regiment refers to royal rule, not military units).

** On the other hand, while the 'War Bad' aspect is played very straight, soldiers aren't villainised and even Jackrum the career soldier and sincere patriot observes that the soldiers on the other side are pretty much the same as you, and the approach to sexism is a bit more subtle than most, with a detailed examination of [[FemaleMisogynist internalised misogyny]] ([[spoiler:to the point where the third of the High Command that was female was every bit as sexist as their male counterparts, if not more so]]) and an observation by Polly that no, the world would not necessarily be better if women were in charge, because she'd seen a lifetime of older women enforcing oppressive and patriarchal social norms. As for the ending, and solving those problems, it's indicated that that's part of the point - even [[spoiler:a literal DeusExMachina]] can't change social attitudes overnight. While there's ''some'' change, Polly also muses that the squad are turned into mascots with a metaphorical pat on the head, and determines that [[spoiler:unlike Jackrum, who essentially anoints her his successor]] she's going to serve as an openly female Sergeant.

** Actual [[https://www.deviantart.com/agprov/art/Kissing-the-Duchess-Annogovia-215688341 bank notes from the Austro-Hungarian Empire]] show a woman who is in every respect a model for the Grand Duchess Annagovia. This must have been moticed by Terry Pratchett? [[note]]The linked example shows an actual 1913 banknote above and one "adapted" into plausible Discworld currency underneath.[[/note]]

** On the other hand, while the 'War Bad' aspect is played very straight, soldiers aren't villainised and even Jackrum the career soldier and sincere patriot observes that the soldiers on the other side are pretty much the same as you, and the approach to sexism is a bit more subtle than most, with a detailed examination of [[FemaleMisogynist internalised misogyny]] ([[spoiler: to the point where the third of the High Command that was female was every bit as sexist as their male counterparts, if not more so]]) and an observation by Polly that no, the world would not necessarily be better if women were in charge, because she'd seen a lifetime of older women enforcing oppressive and patriarchal social norms. As for the ending, and solving those problems, it's indicated that that's part of the point - even [[spoiler: a literal DeusExMachina]] can't change social attitudes overnight. While there's ''some'' change, Polly also muses that the squad are turned into mascots with a metaphorical pat on the head, and determines that [[spoiler: unlike Jackrum, who essentially anoints her his successor]] she's going to serve as an openly female Sergeant.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Tonker and Lofty, our [[spoiler:GirlsLove duo]] have quite of a fandom on their own. Mal is also ''absurdly'' popular with present-day audiences for perfectly understandable reasons: being described as slim and pretty, striking the perfect balance between suave and endearing, and being ''amazingly'' easy to ship with main character Polly, all while [[spoiler: generally having absolutely no concept of the gender binary]].
* GeniusBonus: Anyone familiar with the quotation which the title refers to will probably figure out that [[spoiler: all the recruits are women]] fairly early on. It refers to a book called ''The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment'' ''[[spoiler:of Women]]'' (in this context, regiment refers to royal rule, not military units).

* LGBTFanbase: Discworld generally enjoys a substantial one, but Monstrous Regiment attracts this the most, with a narrative on gender roles and identity that was way better than FairForItsDay and [[spoiler: a straight-out canon lesbian couple who get a happy ending]].

* TransAudienceInterpretation: It's become common for people to think of Mal as non-binary and Jackrum as [[spoiler:a trans man]]. It's helped by the way Mal is written uncomfortable with [[spoiler:identifying strictly within male and female gender roles]], to which Polly states "you're you", and Jackrum is [[spoiler: almost exclusively described as male, and even during the conversation between Jackrum and Polly after TheReveal, the narration is very careful to avoid pronouns in Jackrum's dialogue and dialogue tags.]]

** On the other hand, while the 'War Bad' aspect is played very straight, soldiers aren't villainised and even Jackrum the career soldier and sincere patriot observes that the soldiers on the other side are pretty much the same as you, and the approach to sexism is a bit more subtle than most, with a detailed examination of [[FemaleMisogynist internalised misogyny]] ([[spoiler: to the point where the third of the High Command that was female was every bit as sexist as their male counterparts, if not more so]]) and an observation by Polly that no, the world would not necessarily be better if women were in charge, because she'd seen a lifetime of older women enforcing oppressive and patriarchal social norms. As for the ending, and solving those problems, it's indicated that that's part of the point - even [[spoiler: a literal DeusExMachina]] [[RealityEnsues can't change social attitudes overnight]]. While there's ''some'' change, Polly also muses that the squad are turned into mascots with a metaphorical pat on the head, and determines that [[spoiler: unlike Jackrum, who essentially anoints her his successor]] she's going to serve as an openly female Sergeant.

* TransAudienceInterpretation: It's become common for people to think of Mal as non-binary and Jackrum as [[spoiler:a trans man]]. It's helped by the way Mal is written uncomfortable with [[spoiler:identifying strictly within male and female gender roles]], to which Polly states "you're you", and Jackrum is [[spoiler: almost exclusively described as male, and even during the conversation between Jackrum and Polly after TheReveal, the narration is very careful to avoid pronouns in Jackrum's dialogue and dialogue tags.]]

* AluminiumChristmasTrees: 'The Cheesemongers' is a silly nickname for a military unit, right? Well, yes, but it also happens to be one of the actual nicknames of the Life Guards; the senior regiment of the British Army. The Life Guards acquired this nickname when the social requirements for officers were lowered, allowing the sons of merchants to become officers, causing some of the older and conservative members to comment that they no longer soldiers but 'cheesemongers'; i.e. tradesmen. As is so often the case, it became an AppropriatedAppellation.

* OneTruePairing: While the book only ever depicts them as close friends and comrades, Polly and Mal have enough chemistry to be one of the most popularly-shipped non-canon couples in the entire franchise.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Is Jackrum a leader and father of men, or a dinosaur, stuck in the old ways of fighting a war?

* TransAudienceInterpretation: It's become common for people to think of Mal as non-binary and Jackrum as [[spoiler:a trans man]]. It's helped by the way Mal is written uncomfortable with [[spoiler:identifying strictly within male and female gender roles]], to which Polly states "you're you."