#js&mn

[jsamn-20th-anniversary-readalong]

It has been an astonishing 20 YEARS since Susanna Clarke first published her debut novel Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell on 8th September 2004.

To celebrate, we have planned a Readalong for old fans, those who have had it on their TBR pile for a while and haven't managed to get round to it, and for those who maybe haven't even heard of it yet.

The Readalong will start off on 2nd September 2024, with discussions taking place on the official discord for the chapters being each week. We also have groups on StoryGraph and Goodreads for those who would like to keep track in those places, which will be linked to closer to September.

We have broken the book down into chunks of roughly 70 pages per week, in the hopes that this is a fairly gentle reading pace to fit into your lives, as the book is a bit of a beast.

Please follow this blog for more information as we keep you updated!

[occasional-owl]

[kpoluk]

An old sketch of Norrell

[tench]

I'm not winning against artblock

[aktf7wcbh]

I was at the Art Institute of Chicago and when I saw this painting the only thing in my head was Mr Segundus my beloved

(Young Clergyman Reading by Martin Rørbye)

[miserablejester]

"There was a queer insubstantiality about him. He looked like he were painted on the air."

"Behind the stone-and-oak passages of Starecross Hall, a vision of a second house leapt up."

"She sat in the other gloomy, labyrinthine house, dressed in a blood-red evening gown. There were jewels or stars in her dark hair and she regarded him with fury and hatred."

Finally I've been allowed to return to my little illustrations, which means I've done three from one of my favourite chapters!

[liviladoodles]

Lady Pole from Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. Recently celebrated its 20 year anniversary. One of my favourite books. Hands not working, this feels Chris Riddell- ish. Keep going!

[specificpollsaboutbooks]

Fiction Works with Footnotes

Final

Discworld :

Look, I *know* everyone and their mother is going to submit Sir Pterry's works, but it's for good reason. He truly is the footnote king. His footnotes have footnotes. Every single one manages to be absolutely hilarious.

Its Discworld. Thats all the propaganda it needs

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell :

The best book I've ever read with no sequel. Read at your own risk, it is an immaculate novel that will probably never get a follow up. The worldbuilding is some of the finest I've read.

The book is filled with footnotes mimicking academic citations and references to innumerable fake books that really make it feel there is a much wider world out there and the book is only centering on this one period of time

So the book is an in universe academic account and the footntes are basically the watsonian author being salty about historical figures. like what more could you want in a footnote. In terms of the book as a whole, its villain was the inspiration for michael shelley of magnus archives fame so something mustve been done right

[edward-little]

he picked up la maison dieu and examined it, but he said nothing at all.

[slow-burn-sally]

[jsamn-20th-anniversary-readalong]

Week One: Chapters 1-5

Welcome to the start of the Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell 20th Anniversary Readalong!

You can join in with us in a few different ways:

Our Discord server, as linked to in our initial post

Our Goodreads group & challenge

Our The StoryGraph readalong

Here on tumblr! We follow the tag #jsamn 20 readalong, and you can @ us on your posts too!

[occasional-owl]

[kpoluk]

I've accumulated a few sketches on jsmn. Today I'll show you sketches with Childermass

the first picture shows the image that formed after reading (and partially listening to), and the second one after a short acquaintance with the series.

[grntre23]

watched jsmn and then read the whole book in a week so i’m thinking abt segundus - the idea that segundus is a primary johannite on acct of strange’s magic, and his friendship with segundus is so interesting to me because segundus is described as (1) a genuinely good gentleman, (2) an avid lover of magic, and (3) a biographer and close friend of one of the most powerful magicians in 300 years. and i was thinking abt childermass as usual - but what kind of insane post-canon relationship would the two have, when childermass’ egging him on is the reason segundus picks up enough courage to ‘do the magic’??? like strange making summoning dreams was enough to nab segundus the first time - can u imagine the levels of worship this man would secretly cultivate for the 1 dude who like is the face of a new era of magic PLUS the dude who pushed him into actually DOING magic??!

[zant-not-from-zelda]

Obsessed with picturing these two as Frog and Toad

They’re just so whimsical I love them 😭

[gabstherium]

Another "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel" fan art. I need to draw them all, (but I'm afraid that now when I wrote it I'm not gonna draw dem all :l