#jsamn thoughts

[uskglass-mirror-house]

Thoughts about chapter 21: the cards of Marseilles

I have been reading bits and pieces from the book as part of the 20th anniversary read-along. I wanted to join in once it reached chapter 29 (where I left the book on my third re-read), but then I remembered how cool chapter 21 was and went through it and ho boiiii I have so many thoughts. I am definitely going to make a massive breakdown of the fortune-telling and why it is so genius, but now I'm just sharing random thoughts I had while reading. Enjoy (and mind the spoilers)!

The start of the chapter reminded me of my old theory about the author of the book. The first time I read jsamn I had this theory that the author of the book was either a magician or a fairy and when Jonathan Strange met that one fairy in the brugh I became convinced that it was her. I had this impression because of the footnotes and some descriptions, including the one of the ale-house at the start of this chapter. Why? Well, the footnotes can be divided into two categories: the academic ones, which cite specific in-universe texts (or real ones from our world); and the folklore ones, which usually inform us of some magical event, fairy culture, stories from in-universe folklore, and so on. Now, I always assumed that while many scholars would know the former, the latter was mostly the domain of fairy/ magicians that had first knowledge coming from the Otherlands. But the curious thing is that some descriptions within the story are narrated in the same way as the folklore notes, giving me the impression that these places exist at a junction between reality and the Otherlands and also that the knowledge about some specific events was obtained through magical means. Page 197 is a perfect example of this kind of narration.

I love how this is basically a date between Childermass and Vinculus. This is the first convo between the Book and its reader and it went exactly as well as you could imagine.

THE ACTUAL FORTUNE READING IS SO GOOD AND MULTILAYERED AND AAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Childermass copied the card for a sailor and then told him his fortune: "that he would be drowned dead before the year was out." And now I am here wondering... was that a sailor on the Penlaw, the ship that transported Stephen Black and his mother??? That ship also ended up in a shipwreck according to the Gentleman...

I like thinking that the Raven King was watching this whole thing go down in some magical manner. Looking over Childermass' shoulder and being like "bro, you're cooking right now, not gonna lie". Or going "How dramatic." in the most deadpan voice ever when Vinculus changes the cards to look like him.... aaaaa I love Uskglass so much.

It would also be cool if Uskglass followed the events through Childermass' card (since we know that L'Empereur did not go back to look like a regular card but stayed that way). I like to think that this is how Childermass was enchanted when he saved Norrell's life later on. The card acted as a path for Uskglass' magic.

In a similar way, I like thinking that Uskglass was watching over in other scenes like the Genlteman was doing while pestering Strange. It would make it so funny if he were present while Lascelles berates him, or whenever Norrell does. Like imagine:

Norrell: "He abandoned us! He was evil!!"

Uskglass (invisible): "u sure 'bout that? lol"

Norrell: "I foolishly tried to summon him when I was younger..."

Uskglass: "You surely did buddy. Can't say I was impressed, though."

Norrell: "...but it never worked and I think that was fortunate!"

Uskglass: "This is why nobody likes you, Gilbert."

ok, these are all the things that came to mind. For the breakdown of the tarot reading, I'm going to make a separate post one of these days. Definitely going to re-read the whole novel now, my fixation has returned!!!!

[dathen]

Flora Greysteel: Welcome to the Fuck Jonathan Strange support group!

Emma Pole, awkwardly sitting between Arabella and Segundus: I may have misread the name of the group…

[lacnunga]

90K! WE'RE NOWHERE NEAR DONE.

[katabay]

top 5 fandoms?

oooh, okay! so my top 5 to hang out in (which is not necessarily the same as stuff I draw fan art of, but ones where I’ve gone to group meet ups at conventions, attended watch parties/events for, actively seek out the tags for on twitter, etc) are probably

-Kamen Rider

-the bitter Sam fan side of SPN

-DMBJ

-Pacific Rim

-Guardian/Zhen Hun or the Yakuza franchise

[didyousaykfc]

I kept thinking through jsamn that it reminded me of something else and I’ve just realised that something is the once and future witches

[uskglass-mirror-house]

I've always interpreted it as Norrell being paranoid about the harm done through magic and very little else: fairy servants can do great harm via magic and know more than him, ergo dangerous; human servants/ associates are not on his level in terms of magical abilities, ergo they are beneath him and not as dangerous. I think that what illustrates this best is his attitude towards Childermass: he lets him do basically whatever but flips tables when he suspects/ is made aware that he is performing magic and this paranoia is what leads him to choose Lascelles over him in the end.

My theory is that this attitude is connected to the fear of being bested in the one thing he excels at but also to the fact that he relied on Childermass for so long that it doesn't even occur to him that human can harm him in any way.

A thought: Though Mr Norrell is highly aware of the dangers of having fairy-servants, he seems to completely discount the dangers posed by the human beings he chooses to work with (i.e. Drawlight and Lascelles).

[slow-burn-sally]

Thank you @totallysilvergirl for tagging me!

Who am I in fandom?

I'd love this to be tagged for others to participate. I'll include a bulk tagging so others can play if they want :)

Current handle: slow-burn-sally

Other handles: Slow_Burn_Sally on AO3

How do you fandom (fanart, fanfic, cosplay, chat, read fanfic, multiples of these, etc)? I write tons of fic! Typically if I fall hard for a fandom, I'll bang out 5-600,000 words of fic or more during a year to two year writing stretch. I also love making memes and Tumblr posts about my favorite ships.

Where do you post (ie: Tumblr, AO3, FFN, etc)? Tumblr and AO3 almost exclusively with some cross posting to specific Facebook groups. I have accounts on X and Insta but never go on either.

Which current fandoms are you in? Concalve, The Terror, Ted Lasso, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, The Adventures of Tintin, What We Do In The Shadows, BBC Sherlock, BBC Ghosts, The Hobbit, Good Omens and multiple various others!

Do you have past fandoms you aren't active in? I'm not super active in any of them except Conclave and The Terror right now, but I love all of them. Good Omens is probably the fandom I was the most intense about that I'm no longer really involved in. Not because of Neil Gaiman (Fuck him. I'm giving Terry Pratchett posthumous rights to the series). Mostly because the fire died a couple of years ago, but I love that fandom so much!

Do you have fandoms you'd like to explore but haven't yet? Andor! A friend just recommended it and I know @somepallings is a fan, and I see a lot of potential there.

Name your favorite characters. I thought you'd never ask!! I'll just give you my fave Blorbos: John Childermass, John Segundus, Aziraphale, Trent Crimm, Vincent Benitez, Thomas Jopson.

Do you like fandoms set in modern times, historical, or don't have a specific preference? I love historical fandoms! The only thing I don't love is research, but I've still learned so much from being into The Terror and Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. Now, I have a lot of studying about Rome, the Vatican, Catholicism, The Pope. I also love a modern fandom. I just get sucked in by what sucks me in.

What themes attract you most in fandom (ie: hurt/comfort, romance, horror, fluff, etc) I am a total whore for enemies to loves. I also adore fake dating/fake marriage/undercover fake marriage. Slow burns of course, and pretty much anything involving pining and misunderstandings and barriers to love. Please make me pine!

Share!

Favorite fanfics you've read:

So many, but I cannot hunt them down right now. I feel like a heel but I don't read like I used to. I have favorites and favorite authors, but never figured out keeping track. Totallysilvergirl writes fantastic BBC Sherlock fic as does emilycare on AO3. Seekwill and miaugly have written some of the best GO fics I've ever read. For JSAMN Rubyofkukundu has written stunning Johnsquared fid, as has @speakingskies

Links to favorite fanart (do not repost - please link to the original artist's post): I'm bad at links. There's too much amazing fanart out there. I've received such lovely fanart from fans of my fic. Please forgive me for not trying to figure this out. I reblog fanart constantly. Follow me!

If you create, please share some of your work!

Same problem! Not enough spoons. Please peruse my fics! I've written 189 of them!

_____________

This was fun! I tag: @speakingskies, @ohveda, @fol-de-lol @novemberhush, @drlokiren, @keirgreeneyes, @a-study-in-scarlet, @thinkanamelater

[adellagreen]

More book-JSAMN thoughts

The fact that "so Mr Segundus did the magic" wasn't a "poof and result", but at least finding the spoon, bodkin and ribbon as well as acquiring the help from Emma's maid who wasn't in the room, to say nothing of Segundus's anxious thought process of coming up with these tools (which however, probably didn't take long, because he is a magician)

Bueno ❤️

[cliozaur]

JSAMN 20 Readalong. Week 11. Chapters 50–53

It’s remarkable how this novel is as much about books, the obsession with them, and the pursuit of knowledge as it is about magic. Chapter 50 encapsulates this beautifully. Norrell’s war on Strange’s book is yet another example of his attempts to control knowledge and discourse. It’s also fascinating how he assumes the issue of disappearing books is merely a business concern for the publisher, prompting Childermass to offer compensations and explanations. Murray’s indignant reaction to these propositions is incredibly satisfying to witness.

It’s always a pleasure to see how well Susanna Clarke captures her historical context, even in small details like the intensification of travel across Europe after Napoleon’s defeat. Byron travelling in parallel with Strange and setting a precedent for romantic travel is a delightful and thoughtful touch.

The second major theme of this section—alongside books and knowledge—is the interplay between madness and the perception of fairies. On one hand, the mad can see fairies invisible to others. On the other, those who communicate with fairies lose their comprehensibility when trying to convey their experiences, leading others to perceive them as mad, as with Lady Pole. All things considered, Stephen Black is handling it remarkably well.

Strange’s experiments with the mouse and madness bring to mind a biohacker, recklessly exposing his body and mind to dangers with unpredictable consequences. But as he himself noted, there was no one around to reason him out of it.

[setaripendragon]

JSaMN Readalong Liveblog - Chapter 1

Okay, so I've got the entire JSaMN audiobook on my laptop, and I'm going to be listening along for the readalong, and I wanted to try doing a bit of a liveblog and actually write down my thoughts as I'm listening. (And maybe flex some of my analytical skills in a more deliberate fashion than usual? We'll see.) I have read the book before, but that was a very long time ago, and I don't actually remember it very well. (I remember the show much better.) So I may end up making reference to things that come later in the story, though I'll try not to give spoilers.

"He hardly ever spoke of magic, and when he did, it was like a history lesson, and no one could bear to listen to him."

Okay, so, right off the bat, before we even get into chapter one, this just... already sets my brain sparking with curiosity. Almost immediately we get told that magic exists (presumably), but that one of our titular characters talks about it in such a way as to make it boring. That's just... so counter to expectations. Very tasty, and excellent way to start the book, to be honest.

And it's the very first thing we ever learn about Norrell, and it's such an evocative portrait in just a single sentence. There's so much to be drawn out of it; not just Norrell's character, but other people's perception of him.

Chapter 1 - The Library at Hurtfew (Autumn 1806 - January 1807)

The entire opening passage just... immediately sets us up with a system of magic that is treated, in world, in such a... boring, officious manner, and that's just such a fascinating choice. "Long dull papers", "practicioners must pound and wrack their brains to make the least learning go in", and so on. It lays out so clearly that these so-called magicians are... taking the magic out of magic?

(That's a thought I want to poke at more through the readalong. I'm feeling a theme here.)

Aaand then we get our first footnote! Which is a reference to an in-world book. I know that the style of the book, with it being set out as an in-universe history with relevant footnotes and references is, like, Iconic of the book, but I have to mention how much I love it. There's so much opportunity for worldbuilding like this.

It's also, I have to note, our first mention of our other titular character, and I'm vibrating at the choice to introduce both of them in such an off-hand way in the narrative. Without the footnote, Strange doesn't even get named, just called 'a great magician', and Norrell isn't even mentioned in the narrative at all. And the contrasts and parallels!

Strange gets called a great magician right off, whereas Norrell 'hardly ever speaks of magic'. Norrell makes magic sound like a history lesson, and yet Strange is the one who published a book called 'The History and Practice of English Magic'. On the other hand, Strange has published a whole-ass book, whereas Norrell makes magic sound so boring that people don't want to hear what he has to say about it.

Also the contrast between getting to hear what others think about Norrell, whereas with Strange we get to hear what he thinks about other magicians (namely, that they're stupid and quarrelsome).

And! And then there's the contrast of both of them against Segundus, who is, unless I missed something, our very first named character that's actually introduced within the narrative.

"Northern magicians ... had always been better respected than Southern ones." Ooh. I'd never noticed that before, but this is such a lovely little bit of foreshadowing of the whole Raven King backstory stuff.

And then, of course, Segundus asks The Question. And again we get another contrast. We're being told 'there is magic' and 'there is no more magic'; 'magic is a fascinating subject' and 'magic is dull, dry, and boring'; and also here is a learned magician asking this question in a very portentious manner. The narrator tells us three times what he's asking, as though it must be spelled out deliberately, only to be immediately followed up with "It was the most commonplace question in the world."

I honestly love Dr Foxcastle's response, too. It's such a beautiful example of someone twisting facts to suit their argument. (I'm sure there's a name for this sort of... false equivalence in an argument?) "you would not expect ... that astronomers should labour to rearrange the stars" is so poetic and now I really want a story in which that is a thing that happens.

And I know I've said this before, but it keeps coming up and it's such realistic worldbuilding with such an unrealistic aspect of the world that I can't quite get over it; the way that the York Society all but venerates the 'noble' magics of 'long ago' (back in the glory days), and romanticises the whole concept, and yet at the same time absolutely denigrates the reality of magic actually happening as not just a sham or a con, but something that belongs to lesser beings. "A gentleman could not do magic."

(Which also implies that other sorts of magic, done by said 'lessers' is actually still around and possible, for all that the gentlemen deny it being so and call practicioners of lower social classes charlatans. Another weird and interesting contradiction.)

An odd little thing caught my attention in the introduction of Mr Honeyfoot and his family; "...to eat a good dinner in company with Mrs Honeyfoot and her three pretty daughters..." I don't know if this is a convention of the time (I do love how the book plays with language and spelling to give the narrative the feel of something written in the 1800s), but 'her three pretty daughters' jumped out at me as a very peculiar way of phrasing it. Why not 'their'? It probably is just a stylistic choice because Mrs Honeyfoot was the only relevant party mentioned in that part of the sentence, but still.

I also love Mrs Honeyfoot's opinion of Segundus. 'Exactly what a gentleman should be, but ... he would never profit by it, as it was not the fashion to be modest and quiet and kind-hearted.' The contrast there - between the ideal of a gentleman as modest and quiet and kind-hearted that is, despite the elevation in social status of gentlemen, not in fashion - gives proof to the lie of the ideal. (Which feels like it ties in quite nicely with the way magic has been romanticised by men utterly incapable of doing it.)

"...some of whom had gone to the most retired parts of England and Scotland and Ireland, where magic was strongest" There's two things about this bit that grabbed me. The first is the lack of Wales named as an independant place. I don't know my history very well, tbh, but I attribute this to a in-universe attitude that 'Wales' is just a part of 'England', which does fit with the fact that Merlin, iirc, is called an English Magician, despite most probably being Welsh (unless that wasn't such a common part of the lore when the book was published?). The second is the tying of magic to nature, and more specifically the most wild and unpopulated parts of the land. There is such a strong connection drawn between magic and wildness in this book, and it's fascinating.

It ties into the Theme I mentioned at the start, I think, that all this so-called academic debate and 'elevating' magic to 'civilised society' takes something out of it, makes it lesser (to the point of failing entirely (or nearly so) once it's brought into that realm).

Oh, and Norrell's first introduction actually in the narrative is as 'The Other Magician'. Which has so many layers to it. Obviously there is the implication of 'there is the Society of York Magicians' and then 'that other one' (derogatory), and maybe I'm reaching to read more into it, but I can't help but compare it to Strange being 'a great magician' and then Norrell being 'the other magician'.

And then we get told that he lived in "a very retired part of the country". Mere minutes after being told that the Aureates would venture into such places to solve their (presumably magical) problems. Already tying Norrell to a superior magical place and drawing parallels between Segundus and Honeyfoot seeking him out and the year-and-a-day quests that Aureates would go on.

Norrel's letter to Honeyfoot and Segundus is so catty. Segundus notes the sarcasm, of course, but... 'I am at a loss to account for the sudden honour done to me' feels so much like regency speak for 'the fuck you playing at?' followed by his clear disdain for the 'wisdom' of the York Society. I love it.

"What, after all, is the worst that can happen?" Oh, Segundus, honey, no. Don't ever think that when it comes to magic!

Damn, but the descriptions in this book are top tier, chef's kiss, no notes. Just...

"...rain had made long ragged pools in the bare brown fields, wet roofs were like cold stone mirrors, and Mr Honeyfoot's post-chaise travelled through a world that seemed to contain a much higher proportion of chill grey sky and a much smaller one of solid comfortable earth than was usually the case."

I can feel that dream-like quality of the sky opening up around you and the world bending away from that one spot you happen to be standing on. On a more analytical note, I find it fascinating the rhythm that's created by the repeated use of adjective-adjective-noun; 'long ragged pools' and 'bare brown fields' and 'cold stone mirrors' and 'chill grey sky' and 'solid comfortable earth'. Gotta try and keep my ears open for any more instances of this.

The tale of the Manchester Society of Magicians trying to "apply the principles of reason and science to magic" which led them to the conclusion that "there was not now, nor ever had been, any magic in the world" and then the guy who tried to write it down was too depressed to start... Again with the theme of 'taking the magic out of magic'. You try to tame it and it's gone. And followed this time with the implication that this is a devastating thing to have happen.

'Prophecies are great nonsense!' Mr Honeyfoot says, mere moments before enthusiastically wondering if he and Segundus might be the two magicians mentioned in this prophecy. XD

And I'm sure this has been talked to death, but it's so interesting that Vinculus did think Segundus actually might be one of the two magicians, even if he did eventually conclude he wasn't. And then that leading Segundus to Ask The Question that does set off the events of the prophecy. Is that what Vinculus saw in him? That he had a part to play, just not the part?

Also, because we were talking about this in the discord chat at pretty much exactly the same time I was listening to this bit, and wondering What If Honeyfoot and Segundus were the magicians of prophecy:

(I would have put Honeyfoot first the way he was in the book, but we never find out his first name, so the pattern wouldn't fit -sulks-)

Oh, now here's a detail I had forgotten. Segundus says Vinculus made him write down his name, and "looked at it a good long while". There is a similarity between 'Jonathan Strange' and 'John Segundus', and of course the written word does have a certain significance with Vinculus given [Spoilers]. There's some nebulous web of connections here that I can't grasp well enough to put into words, but definitely has the feel of this book's general air of ominous whimsy when it comes to magic and how it works.

In the description of Hurtfew Abbey I'm noticing more adjective-adjective-noun descriptions, though not quite as evocative as the last bit of description. 'ghostly-looking wet trees' and 'fine classical-looking bridge', and I have to not 'handsome and square and solid-looking' even though it doesn't quite fit the pattern. But I'm fascinated by this repeated use of [adjective]-looking as a description here. I'm wondering if this is on purpose and if it's any sort of commentary on appearance over substance. The house is solid-looking not actually solid, the trees are ghostly-looking not actual ghost-trees, the bridge is classical-looking but not actually classical architecture. Or perhaps it's meant to give the whole place an illusory sort of feel, given [Spoilers].

Me being a rather name-obsessed sort of writer/reader, I find the name of Norrell's home - Hurtfew Abbey - absolutely fascinating. It gives these vibes of a place of solace and sanctuary; an Abbey being a place of religious seclusion and hurtfew calling to mind things like feverfew, which reduces fevers; this is a place that reduces pain. And yet, at the same time, we learn that the abbey itself is gone and the name comes from the River Hurt that flows through the place. Hurt flows through Norrell's home. That's some freaking symbolism right there.

Oh, Norrell here is so condescending about Segundus's book. Nitpicking at a self-admitted minor detail, calling it 'your little history', then smiling 'inwardly' to himself as he admits that Segundus couldn't possibly have known about said minor detail because Norrell has the only book it's mentioned in. And it's so... so weaselly, the way he couches it in compliments and 'you're lucky to be so ignorant' type statements.

He's so unpleasant, it's amazing. And even though we were primed for it by the not-an-introduction at the beginning of the book, it's wild to me that the introduction of one of the two titular characters is so, so very negative. He's petty, he's condescending, he's self-congratulatory, he's stand-offish, the best that could be said of him was that he's 'almost gracious' when letting them into the library. Only almost.

I love how disorienting magic is in this book. Again there's a connection to wildness and maybe a sort of 'otherness', that it's unpredictable even to the rules of reality. The description of Norrell leading them to the library being "as if Mr Norrell had discovered some fifth point of the compass" is so evocative, despite describing something entirely impossible.

The distinction made between Books About Magic and Books Of Magic is really interesting to me, given that the latter is implied to have some quality that the former lacks that makes them incredibly valuable. My first impression, given the phrasing, is that Books Of Magic describe how magic is done, whereas Books About Magic describe what magic can do or has done. But given my thoughts this readalong about the notion that trying to delineate or explain magic weakens it's effectiveness/presence/essence/etc, I'm wondering if Books Of Magic do have a sort of magic laid into their pages? Stolen, in a way, from the world by being Written Down. (And perhaps, made lesser for it?)

Coming back to Norrell's character, I've been told that contradiction is one way to create depth in a character, and this scene makes an excellent case for it. Because here he is, clearly a man utterly dedicated to magic, with a magical library magnitudes greater than even other very impressive collections, and yet, every time Segundus or Honeyfoot gushes about the incredible works or compliments one of the books, he's so very negative about it all, so bizarrely disillusioned with the wonders of magic. It immediately engenders the question why? And despite how generally negative Norrell's introduction has been, it does make him an utterly fascinating and engaging character.

"With his long hair as ragged as rain and as black as thunder, he would have looked quite at home upon a windswept moor, or lurking in some pitch-black alleyway, or perhaps in a novel by Mrs Radcliffe."

Admittedly, I was already in love with Childermass by the time I picked up the book thanks to the BBC mini-series, but oh my god do I love this description. Also the fact that just before this, we see him mocking his 'betters' and getting away with it with aplomb, it's yet another absolutely brilliant character introduction. Such a vivid picture painted so elegantly in so few words. (Can you tell who's my favourite character? XD)

I also really like the way that Childermass gets introduced almost as an aside earlier in the scene. (Another introduction that doesn't give any detail until later, like Norrel's and Strange's, although Childermass was at least present in the narrative for his introduction. Vinculus, too, got an intro like Strange and Norrell's, now I think about it.) 'There's a man, his name is Childermass, he works for Norrell, moving on! Here's a decadent and lush description of the library!' And it's only a good while later that we get this description of Childermass as a wild, disreputable, insolent sort with long dark hair.

Th footnote about Martin Pale and Cold Henry. I don't know what I'm thinking about this footnote except something along the lines of: !!!

It's so fucking funny, and yet, at the same time, there's some fascinating worldbuilding going on, what with us being told that "fairies were naturally wicked creatures who did not always know when they were going wrong" and also with yet another example of a magician being extremely pretentious and building a reputation on something of very little substance. (I say, while making grand extracts and interpretations of a text, I am aware of the irony.)

Oh, look another adjective-adjective-noun description. "Then, conscious of time passing and the *queer dark eye* of the man of business upon him..." (-lowers my shipper-goggles down off my forehead- 👀)

And 'a strong cruel-looking knife' which I didn't mark as particularly significant at first (this pattern seems to be something the author just does), but then I thought a little more about how it's another [adjective]-looking description and I wondered perhaps if there is some symbolism going on here with these descriptions. And the place being used to describe its inhabitants; Solid-looking (but actually fragile?), classical-looking (but not actually... antiquated? authentic? A Classic(TM)?), ghostly-looking (but actually... vibrant? vulnerable?). Cruel-looking (but actually kind?).

I'm probably reaching, honestly, but that's the point of this little exercise, so I'm gonna run with it and say that this makes me want to say that that book-binding table was Childermass's, not Norrell's. It fits him slightly better, I think (though kind is not a description that fits either of them particularly easily).

I know that there's other reasons to assume this - it's a form of manual labour which Norrell is unlikely to want or be skilled enough to do, for one - but I think it's interesting that the author took the time to direct our attention to it. Even and especially noting that even the character thought it was Odd, priming us even further to take note of it. And I think, given what I know from the rest of the story, it makes much more sense that it's foreshadowing Childermass's intimate familiarity with Norrell's books, rather than... What? That Norrell binds his own books? I suppose it would make sense with how propriatary he is, but we've already been told that well enough.

And for the end of the chapter, one more delicious parallel. Honeyfoot asks Norrel why magic is no longer done, and Norrell's response? 'It is a wrong question, sir', just like Dr Foxcastle said at the beginning. Except, this time, instead of 'magicians do not do magic', it's 'I myself am quite a tolerable practical magician'. Parallel and contrast! A callback to the beginning of the chapter! A cliff-hanger!Pulling the rug out from under us after spending the whole chapter building up how magic is gone, and then this!

Definitely makes me want to listen to the next chapter immediately XD

Since the readalong is covering the first five chapters in the first week, I was originally going to do one post about all five of them, but, uh, I underestimated exactly how much I'd have to say about the chapter. I might have less to say as time goes on (but I doubt it), so I might end up doubling up some chapters later on, but for now, I think I'm going to make a post a chapter and hope I don't fall behind the readalong, since just this one chapter took me a whole afternoon to get through. If you want to follow along with my liveblog, I'll be tagging each one with 'jsamn liveblog' as well as the 'jsamn 20 readalong' tag, but I won't be linking the liveblogs to each other because I'm already spending enough time on this, and I don't need the extra fuss ^^"

[lacnunga]

I'm gonna be so sad when the jsamn readalong is over ;-;

[jsamn-20th-anniversary-readalong]

Week Four: Chapters 20-22

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!

This week brings us to the end of Volume One of the novel. Make sure to share your thoughts in one (or more if the fancy takes you!) of the above ways.

[owl-by-night]

JSAMN reread - week 5

Minimal notes this week because I’ve been in Uskglass country :)

Segundus is such a gothic heroine at times - prone to headaches, tragically impoverished, terribly sensitive to atmospheres, susceptible to enchantments. Bless Mr Honeyfoot for defending him.

One of my favourite footnotes is the one about Ormskirk and the idea that in this universe the magician’s wife is stock character in comedies and second rare novels. In general I struggle with the footnotes - I know a lot of people love them but I find they just pull me out of the narrative. I get tempted to just skip them but there are too many little gems hidden in them.

I like the difference between the two magicians as writers:

“I have scarcely thought about it. Nichols assured me he did not need it until the Friday after next.”

“A week on Friday and not yet begun!”

I am definitely more Strange than Norrell!

[sleepy-dream]

The Secret History and JSAMN

Finishing The Secret History and I thought to myself it would be amazing to make a crossover work with JSAMN because of my perpetual JSAMN brainrot.

But like these arrogant, snobbish, self-important college kids will fit in with the theoretical magicians in JSAMN perfectly.

[uskglass-mirror-house]

The Wood at Midwinter: an additional theory

I've noticed I've started this tag and now I feel committed to adding to it! I have a new crazy theory about the upcoming book...strap in.

This could be the real story of Margaret Ford.

In jsamn the story of Margaret Ford is told in what could be the longest footnote in the entire book. I haven't counted them, but I do remember that it continues for several pages. It details the story of Margaret Ford and how she was defeated by the daughter of the Master of Nottingham (if I recall correctly). In the footnote, the story positions Margaret and Donata Torrell (the protagonist) as enemies, but right at the end it is specified that there is an alternative version of the myth in which they are part of a sisterhood of witches that the Master of Nottingham tried to destroy. We know that in the end they seek the help of Thomas Godbless, but this second version is not reported in detail in the footnote, just mentioned.

My theory is that The Wood at Midwinter could be the full story of Margaret Ford and Donata Torrell as part of the sisterhood. They send two animal envoys to recruit a new member as the battle against the Master rages. We follow the new magician as she navigates her way through the conflict and eventually joins Godbless. The story could also deal with protecting the wood of the title (either because it's important to the protagonist or because of some magical reason).

The things that led me to think about this are the following:

1) the wood is clearly a protagonist in its own right and we know that Thomas Godbless (and consequently the sisterhood he accepted to protect) was a proponent of a style of magic that heavily relied on connection to nature. It would make sense that a story deeply linked to a wood featured this kind of magic. Moreover, a wood is featured in the footnote as one of the victims of Margaret Ford and it would make sense to provide an alternative version of that (assuming that the second version of the story is the "true" one).

2) this type of story mirrors The Ladies of Grace-Adieu in style and themes; it would make sense for an author to revisit a concept that is dear to them while changing the context a little.

3) the footnote is one of the most prominent ones in the book but for some reason, it was not rewritten as a short story in The Ladies (I could be mistaken on this, it's been a while since I read it, but I don't remember any of the short stories being a retelling of Margaret Ford). This omission would make sense if it was withheld to turn it into a standalone novella.

4) the story lends itself to be turned into an illustrated short story: the footnote itself is already quite long, it has the typical fairy tale structure, it features a sisterhood of magicians, etc.

Well, that's all! This is a bit more out there than the previous theories, I know, but I still wanted to share it. Let me know your own thoughts, we have time to kill until October...

[himbohaggins]

thinking about how in the show, arabella is always wearing a red coat. thinking about how in the book, when thistle is trying to lure the king into the woods, his hat flies off. his red hat. thinking about how strange recalls that red is protection against enchantment, and that it is very important he retrieve the king's hat for him in that moment. thinking about how strange hates to see arabella in black, and how maybe he has suggested she wear red, or even gotten the coat for her. thinking about how when she is whisked away, she is in her nightgown.