--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Well, basically there are two sorts of…" description: "\"Well, basically there are two sorts of opera,\" said Nanny, who also had the true witch's ability to be confidently expert on the basis of no experience..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c83/terry-pratchett-19_ability_well-basically-there-are-two-sorts-of-op_1794462.jpg" --- # Well, basically there are two sorts of opera," said Nanny… ![“Well, basically there are two sorts of opera," said Nanny, who also had the true witch's ability to be confidently expert on the basis of no experience whatsoever. "There's your heavy opera, where basically people sing foreign and it goes like "Oh oh oh, I am dyin', oh I am dyin', oh oh oh, that's…” quote by Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c83/terry-pratchett-19_ability_well-basically-there-are-two-sorts-of-op_1794462.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c83/terry-pratchett-19_ability_well-basically-there-are-two-sorts-of-op_1794462.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c83/terry-pratchett-19_ability_well-basically-there-are-two-sorts-of-op_1794462.jpg) > “Well, basically there are two sorts of opera," said Nanny, who also had the true witch's ability to be confidently expert on the basis of no experience whatsoever. "There's your heavy opera, where basically people sing foreign and it goes like "Oh oh oh, I am dyin', oh I am dyin', oh oh oh, that's what I'm doin'", and there's your light opera, where they sing in foreign and it basically goes "Beer! Beer! Beer! Beer! I like to drink lots of beer!", although sometimes they drink champagne instead. That's basically all of opera, reely.” [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage humorously classifies opera into exaggerated “heavy” and “light” types, highlighting absurdities in artistic pretensions. **In simple terms:** Opera is mocked as either overly dramatic or trivial. Key Takeaway Recognize satire in cultural critiques. Themes humor art critique absurdity Mood playful ironic Type satirical humorous When to use this quote - discussing music - writing comedy - teaching media literacy Key Concepts satire cultural commentary performance art Questions to Reflect On - What does this satire reveal about our expectations of high art? - How can we appreciate opera beyond these caricatures? A Different Perspective It simplifies a complex art form to stereotypes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Beer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beer/) [Champagne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/champagne/) [Experts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experts/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Nannies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nannies/) [Opera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opera/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Witch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/witch/) ## Related quotes > [Since we're at the Met, we've got some opera that we have to sing. 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