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Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
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Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - Week 8
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This section was a bunch of comedic war shenanigans, reminded me a bit of Monty Python. Moving rivers, using a clay dummy hidden in a coffin to kidnap an enemy, soliciting key information from corpses, etc. It's clear that Strange was spot on in his presumption about the profound impact of magic on the war effort, although prior to living with the soldiers he had no idea what type of magic to offer. It is interesting to see Strange's haphazard attempts at magic, he devises new spells and conjures new feats through trial and error as much as through his memory of magic book excerpts. Upon his return, I felt bad that Strange had to face Mr. Norrell's overly solicitous teaching again. Clearly he found his teacher to be a bit tedious!
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I thought the war section was very funny, with Strange learning ‘on the job’. I found it more memorable than the search for Vinculus’s book, which dragged a bit.
Chapter summaries (with spoilers):
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30. The book of Robert Findhelm
Childermass continues to search for Vinculus and his book. He discovers from Vinculus’s first wife Nan Purvis that he hates his father Clegg, who has just been hanged in York for stealing a book. Childermass discovers that Clegg was entrusted with taking a rare book written by the Raven King to a man in Derbyshire, but was challenged to eat it in a drinking contest. This was shortly before Vinculus was conceived by a servant girl in a Wapping tavern. Clegg was the last man in England to be hanged for book murder. The gentleman with thistle-down hair talks to Stephen, telling him he leaves him in London by day because he is destined to become King of England. Stephen doubts that England would accept a black king, and explains his origins as the son of a slave woman in Jamaica, who died shortly afterwards. The gentleman vows to discover the true name that his mother intended to give him.
31. Seventeen dead Neapolitans
Major Grant, Wellington’s best exploratory officer, is captured by the French. Wellington sends Strange and a guerrilla chieftain to rescue him. While the French are distracted by the guerrillas, Strange swaps Grant with a doll. Later they receive information that some Neapolitans in the French army have killed their colleages and captured 6 cannons, which they are trying to sell. Wellington looks for Neapolitans among the previous day’s prisoners, but they have found 17 Neapolitan corpses. Strange fails to locate the mutineers by magic or find out what they are planning. He resolves to try one of the Raven King’s spells on the Neapolitan dead. He mumbles a spell, cuts his own arm and scatters the blood on the corpses. They wake but speak in a strange language nobody understands. Strange spits into one’s mouth and he starts speaking Neapolitan Italian. They say that the cannons are a few miles north of Salamanca. Strange then fails to undo his spell. On a later occasion the French have a strong position because of a river, and Strange moves the river to assist Wellington. He also moves whole towns. The war is won, In 1814 Napoleon abdicates, and Strange returns to London and his wife almost fails to recognise him. He tells her about the hardships of war. Arabella mentions her meetings with the gentleman with thistle-down hair who she met at Lady Pole’s, who has offered her exotic presents, all of which she rejected. She gives him a letter from Norrell. Strange is not keen to see his master, but agrees to see him. Norrell is very glad to see him and has plenty of plans.
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