Farewell Ladies and Gents!

Aw, the semester is over.

It's not that I'm not glad to run frolicking back to Birmingham where I can start packing to go to Ireland or anything...

BUT I am sad to see this class go.

Y'all were a lot of fun, and I had a great time this semester!
So, thanks, everyone!

I hope everyone is fairing well during exam week, and that everyone's papers came out fabulously. Keep on truckin'! You're almost finished for the year!

Anyway...

Catch y'all on the flip side.

-Laurie

i just wanted to inform the General public that i have to write a paper about an enGlish maGician and enGlish maGic and john uskGlass and Gilbert norrell and jonathan stranGe and the G key on my computer is GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGone. oh, did i mention the raven and fisher kinGGGGs???
ThouGht you Guys miGht Get a lauGh out of that....I know finals week is stressful....

Yay Music

Thanks for making all these cool playlists guys! My iTunes is a little on the lacking side so I am always needing good music references. Anyways, last class today, yay!! This class has really introduced me to a lot of cool new authors. I am definitely a new Kelly Link convert. And since everyone seems to love him so much I think I will pick up a few more Pratchett novels too. Since we all posted playlists, we should all recommend an author too!!

Andy is wikipedia famous

Hey Andy your wikipedia famous these days.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Duncan_(writer)

We need to spruce the place up a bit. Got a picture to upload Andy? Or should we come up with our own ;-)

Musics

So, I searched through my playlist and didn't come up with a whole bunch, although there were entire soundtracks on there that are worth mentioning.

I think somebody already said Harry Potter, and I love all that music. Also worth mentioning are all three of the Lord of the Rings soundtracks. I am an absolute sucker for every single track (a total of 56 songs in my playlist), and being a band geek and an absolute music freak, including classical, it gives me goosebumps every time. (Currently listening to -- "The Breaking of the Fellowship".) Also, Pirates of the Caribbean. Because you know what, those pirates can inspire fantasies for me any day of the week. ;)

Other than that, there's also some good stuff from Shrek (more of a fairytale, but I think it qualifies) - "My Beloved Monster" by Eels, I think they have a track on Shrek 2 also... if the movie and lyrics aren't enough to sway you, listen to the guitar riffs in the middle of "Monster". They are absolutely otherworldly.

I can't say too much for the rest of my playlist...it's all classic rock, 90's stuff, and classical. I will, however, say this: being in the Million Dollar Band last year and having to perform "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" so many times made me LOATHE that song, so for everyone that suggested it...I bite my thumb at you. :)

My Song List

I really do hate technology. I had an entire play list typed in AND "Save Now"'ed and it's gone. The internet went wacky and it's gone. So I have to be creative ALL over again ( not easy) and here's the second one, not nearly as good as the first.
And they're not in any particular order...

-RESPECT (for Monstrous Regiment)
-Do You Believe in Magic?
- This Magic Moment
- Hedwig's Theme / (any Harry Potter music by John Williams will do really...)
- Puff the Magic Dragon
- Zombie Jamboree
- Magic Carpet Ride
-Bitch (...for Monstrous Regiment)
- Night on Bald Mountain ( because it's just spooky)
-Mummer's Dance
-Dragostea Din Tei (because it's just plain weird)
-Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

:)

My songs...

So, I just looked through my entire iTunes library to find some songs for you. I'm a little disappointed that I just looked down and saw one of the songs I found, but I'll list it anyway. P.S. I don't know how to do the cute little link thing so that you can click and listen on here, sorry.

1. The Devil Went Down to Georgia - The Charlie Daniels Band
2. Fairytale - Sara Bareilles
3. Genie in a Bottle - Christina Aguilera....lol.
4. If You're Going Through Hell - Rodney Atkins....maybe.
5. Keep Holding On (From "Eragon") - Avril Lavigne....good book, disappointing movie.
6. Kryptonite - 3 Doors Down
7. My Alien - Simple Plan
8. What's it Feel Like To Be A Ghost - Taking Back Sunday
9. Zombie - Cranberries


So....yeah...out of 2626 songs in my library, I found 9. That's the best I could do.

Help : )

Hey ya'll! Since we are all in the process of writing our papers or nearly finished. I was wondering if any of you all may have stumbled upon any pages that would help me with my paper topic in exploring the use of the raven in the novel. I have already used the chapter with the army of Daoine Sidhe. And I am looking at the end of the novel now with Strange and Norrell in the dark. Any other references would be most helpful. Oh yeah, thanks for the reference of Morrigan. Her stories are pretty neat!

The Question of Fairies and Magicians

Hey all,

I don't think I'll have much room in my paper to discuss this, but I was wondering what everyone thought about the fairies' ties with magicians?

The first time the gentleman speaks to Norrell, he offers advice and all the information he could want, but once spurned he decides he hates English magicians. The gentleman seems to have a lot of personal power in that he can travel long distances, knows where objects of power are, has lots of information, apparently good ties to the unnamed forces responsible for the Darkness, and other abilities, yet he seems deathly afraid of Jonathan. Moreover for all of the gentleman's powers, he always has to come when summoned even if he doesn't show himself. Which then brings up the question of why the gentleman is the only fairy ever summoned despite the existence of other fairies?

As a side note, what do you think happened to Stephan Black? The book mentions in a footnote that there have been many fairy rulers that were human before as faeries don't like to govern. Does he remain human or does his position now give him fairy-like powers?

Screenplay/ Script

Hullo, all!

I was wondering if anyone knows where I could obtain the scripts for Pan's and The Devil's Backbone? Or am I just going to be stuck watching the movies with my finger on the rewind button and a notepad in my hand? (Susan, I'm sure this would be useful for you, as well) Thanks!

Playlist!

So, here is my actual playlist for the fantasy class. Enjoy!! (I know that some of the songs might not seem like fantasy on the surface, but dig deeper! Some are blatantly fantasy, though...)

So, for some weird reason it won't work, but if you click the stand alone player you can listen to the songs. If any of you know what's wrong, let me know! I am definitely not good at this computer stuff...

Because it won't work, here is the song list:

1. Welcome Home- Coheed and Cambria
2. I Will Follow You into the Dark- Death Cab for Cutie
3. Hero/Heroine- Boys Like Girls
4. Dozing Green- Dir En Grey
5. Pagan Purity- Elvenking
6. Imaginary- Evanescence
7. 1000 Words- Jade (Final Fantasy)
8. Sir Robin- Monty Python
9. This is Sparta- Funtastic Power! (this is just funny...)
10. Dante's Inferno- Iced Earth
11. Ten Thousand Strong
12. May it Be- Enya
13. Master of Puppets- Metallica
14. Vampires Will Never Hurt You- My Chemical Romance
15. The Dragon Boy- from the movie "Spirited Away"
16. Nemo- Nightwish
17. White Night Fantasy- Nightwish
18. The Devil Went Down to Georgia- The Charlie Daniels Band
19. Iron Man- Black Sabbath
20. Dragula- Rob Zombie
21. *~Asterisk~- Orange Range
22. Enter Sandman- Metallica
23. I.V.- X Japan

My "edit" button is disappeared!

Okay, I am well aware that you can edit. But my edit button is definitely not where I left it. Sad day. I also wanted to add "Skeletons and Spirits" by Allison Crowe, as well as "What's This?" and "Jack's Obsession" by Danny Elfman (my hero) from The Nightmare Before Christmas.

(Plus, for some reason, my ability to embed youtube vids has completely escaped me...)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-chj9NcHgA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SVK0NwEDck

You Gotta KnowThis Song.

I adore Rasputina. This song IS what embodies fantasy to me. They have many, many others, but this one is my favorite. (Even an image of a big, black crow in the lyrics!!!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrWvbInYoF4

Playlist

Music is my Imaginary Friend

*a cool-cat radio voice* So here's a Decemberist-heavy playlist for all you indie fans out there. All right. Let's get the smooth jams on.

Yankee Bayonet (I will be home then)- The Decemberists
Here we've got a ghost ballad about a dead soldier and the sweetheart he left behind

Beast and the Harlot- Avenged Sevenfold
A heavy rock song dealing with the Revelations book in the Bible

Dr. Bones- Cherry Poppin’ Daddies
A voodoo man deals some bad mojo

Opera Singer- Cake
An immortal artist pontificates on Opera

Eli, the Barrow Boy- The Decemberists
Another rhythmic ballad featuring ghosts, mystery and love

The Mariner’s Revenge- The Decemberists
A mariner encounters his mother's ex-lover in the belly of a whale

Coin-Operated Boy- The Dresden Dolls
Maybe more Sci-Fi than Fantasy, but the Dresden Dolls are worth the genre blur. And wouldn't we all like a Coin-Operated Boy?

(You’re the) Devil in Disguise- Elvis Presley
The King of Rock and Roll unmasks a wicked lover

Superhero Girl- Eve 6
C'mon. She's a Superhero girl!

Death Valley Queen- Flogging Molly
A commoner loves a queen from afar

Tears to Shed- Helena Bonham Carter (Corpse Bride)
Here's a new take on Zombies. This one has feelings!

Autumngirlsoup- Kirsty McColl
London has a melancholy witch and some new spells

Us Amazonians- Kirsty McColl
Since we've been looking at some Amazonian societies this semester, here's a vibrant, empowering tune to make you feel like a natural woman.

Re: Brains- Jonathon Coulton
Another new take on Zombies. If you find ONE song on my playlist to listen to, please let it be this one.

Holland, 1945- Neutral Milk Hotel
The singer chronicles his lover's various rebirths

Still Alive- Glados and Jonathon Coulton
A homicidal AI kills everyone in a lab. And such a kicky tune!

I feel so 1990 for not having a workable playlist like Laurie (great touch, b t dubs) How do you get one of those high-tech thingamabobs operational? I'd love to have one on my post. Does it cost anything or can I just sign up? Will the government repossess ma house?

Me again....

Okay, so this is in response to the comment Susan left on my previous post, but I decided do make in an all new post so that if anyone else has any ideas they could leave them on this one....

So.... Susan: I'm going to be using psychological disorders to explain the obsessive behavior we see in JSMN and in Pan's (perhaps some others too). So I guess what i'm looking for is a 'list' of sorts, of disorders that initially present symptoms related to over obsession and a singular focus and eventually worsen to a life altering disorder. Does that make any sense?

Playlist

Well, this is not my ideal playlist, but it's still fun. The first three songs are not really that great, but their humor merited passing along...

1.) "The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins" - Leonard Nimoy
2.) "I Am A Wizard" - Harry and the Potters
3.) "D and D" - Stephen Lynch
4.) "I Was Born (A Unicorn)" - The Unicorns
5.) "The Sad Witch" - Hefner
6.) "Noah's Ark" - Coco Rosie (*I swear this relates to fantasy!)
7.) "Bridges and Balloons" - Joanna Newsom (*A Narnia reference makes this fair game)
8.) "Spook House" - Clear Tigers (*Reminds me of "Botch Town")
9.) "Dead Man's Party" - Oingo Boingo
10.) "They Are Night Zombies! They Are Neighbors!" - Sufjan Stevens
11.) "Monster" - The Automatic

Hope you like it.

The Hobbit

Del Toro is directing the hobbit! Check it out. http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/news/guillermo-del-toro-comes-out-of-the-hobbit-closet.php

just real quick like....

I haven't begun my research for my paper yet (about the psych issues) but I just wanted to know if anyone has a background in psych (major perhaps) or just has watched a lot of t.v. shows (Law and Order anyone?) and had any specific disorders right off hand that I should check out first. If not, not a problem. Just thought I'd see. Thanks a ton.

BTW.... How was the movie? Totally frightening? Is it a good thing I didn't watch??

CD

Andy, I just wanted to say thanks for the cd.... I listened to the whole thing twice on my way to and from bhm yesterday, and I love it!!! Especially the songs in the first half. The mermaid song (track 4), over the rainbow, the david bowie song, and i forgot the other 2 names were amazing. i kept playing them over and over since they were so catchy. ooh! the enchanted working song was pretty cool, too.

P.S.

I'm sad I missed the del Toro viewing. For some reason I thought that was happening over the weekend.

yay I'm posting!

"When I was growing up my best friend was a unicorn," by Peter, Paul, and Mary. I don't know what the actual title of the song is, but that's part of the chorus. It's amazing!!

In praise of "the little girl in the garden"

Develomental psychologist Alison Gopnik tells New Scientist that Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass changed her life:

For children, theorising and imagining are intense activities: they spend every minute learning and pretending. Charles Dodgson, shy Oxford don and mathematical logician, and Lewis Carroll, wild, uninhibited master of nonsense and imagination, were united in the little girl in the garden.

I think every scientist and every child is the grave, wide-eyed little girl who fearlessly follows evidence and logic wherever it leads –- even through the looking glass and down the rabbit hole.

Watch this movie!!

So, if you have time ever, you should watch this movie! It is so amazing! And it counts as a fantasy. Truly, it's the best anime/manga that I've seen in a long time, and the live action is also amazing! So give Death Note a chance! L will change your life!

http://www.surfthechannel.com/info/Movies/45283/Death+Note.html#

Fantasy Music

If you want fantasy music go straight to the source. I have heard the songs from the LOTR book actually sung in the movies and in other places. I tried to find some to follow the youtube theme or to even find a big composer who has put these various songs and poems to music. I came up empty though. Maybe someone else knows a free place to find this kind of thing? I always liked to hear what before I was only able to read.

Ha! I was running around on YouTube, when I remembered the Leningrad Cowboys! They are definitely fantastical as they dress like something out of a Dr. Seuss book. To top it all off, one of their song is a cover of "Sweet Home Alabama" which they performed with the Red Army Choir. Those crazy Finns!



This video isn't of the highest quality, but it gets the point across. :)

Because I Can!

Yea for tight pants!! I don't care what you say, I love David Bowie! Also, the flying baby in this video? Amazing, especially since it's obviously fake! Plus, the little mischievous creatures that move the tiles? So cute!!

Party at the Hizzouse!

I wonder if that's spelled right at all. Oh, well. So, this week so far has been ca-rappy. And the crappiness seems to go *on* until summer hits and I end the school year with a fantastic 14-hour drive back to Texas. As I peer at my fellow classmates' posts, it seems many would agree about the crappiness-abound. Perfect time for a break from school and a bit o' relaxation while being scared out of our minds. Not quite a party per se, but considering it is us... Anyway, open invitation for anyone who wants to watch The Devil's Backbone with me at my dorm!

Time: 7 work okay? I know Amy has a lab, so I hope this works. I'll be ordering a couple pizzas and having other various refreshments (veggie tray!) for yas, so if anything, go ahead and come for the free snackage.

Place: El casa de Susan, otherwise known as my dorm at Lakeside. Room [number deleted], and I can let anyone in who needs it. You can give me a call at [phone number deleted] when you arrive. If you're considering coming, could you please go ahead an leave a comment/text? Just to give me an idea of how to prepare :)

I'm excited! See you people then!

Prelude to a Playlist

Ok, so I'm way too excited about making a fantasy themed playlist... but whatever.

Unfortunately, I don't have time to make one up right now!
So, I'm going to post things that are slightly musically related and interesting before I construct a "Magic For Beginner's" playlist on my iPod.

Moving on to the goods...
Fantasy Themed Music Videos!

1.) "Safety Dance" - Men Without Hats (a classic fantasy setting and amusingly serious singing combined with *ridiculous* lyrics makes for a funtime music video! "Everybody look at your hands")



2.) "El Mañana" - Gorillaz (I've always thought the weird Fantasy World of the Gorillaz's videos is awesomely striking and fabulous.)



3.) "La bonne étoile" -M- (Mathieu Chédid's videos are always weird and can often be fantasy oriented, but I think this one is especially interesting...)



4.) "Short Stacks" - The Ditty Bops (are an amazing folk band! But this video is also about a little ghost girl. While you're at it, watch the video for "Wishful Thinking" because it's just awesome.)



5.) "Electric Surfin' Go Go" - Polysics (Thought I'd throw in a Sci-Fi one just for good measure... And because I'm obsessed with this crazy band and their crazy videos. Robots, cats, dopplegangers, etc. Please watch "I My Me Mine" if you have time, because it's also amazing.)



There.

Yes, my music taste is... eclectic...

Hope you all get a kick out of it!

owwwie

Hi everybody! My empty sockets are starting to bother me again =( but anyhow, I'm glad I got to eat with most of you last night. I had fun, talking about the future costume class we're having (right Andy?) and about how to avoid rude dancers in the club/party. lol. My lemonade never came out quite alright, but eh, I tried. On to the paper... I think I'm going to stick with the fairytule rules apparent in Pan's. With all these exams, surgeries, and papers, I think I need a life that seems to have more meaning than my common one. I'm going to try to get candy for today's class... hopefully I make it to the store in time.

If My Life Were a Fantasy Novel..

...there would be no stupid tests all the stupid time with stupid people asking stupid questions. My superhero power would be to eat whatever I want and not gain an ounce and of course my hair would always look perfect. Ok, I'm just kidding. Well, kinda anyways! Think about it though. In all of the short stories/novels we read in class, the protagonists always seem to get IT and but 'it' I mean the more important aspects of life. Running out of toilet paper of looking like an idiot in front of a cute boy never cross these people's mind. Instead, they swoop in and use their innate wonderfulness to save the day. This post sounds flippant but I think it's really neat to embrace the idea of living life in a big way, like the little girl in Pan's. Maybe I'll do that today. After all, I am innately wonderful I just can't do any magic. But really, neither could Batman and it all worked out for him.

A redeeming post

On a happier note, I recently bought and devoured SMALL FAVORS by Jim Butcher and THE BORN QUEEN by Greg Keyes. Both are from fantasy series I've been following for years now. Just thought I would throw myself out there as an example for how rabid people get over sequential novels.

Yet another paper topic

First of all, I'm feeling quite blasse at the moment, so I apologize for any untoward or unfunny sentences I might force on you. It's been one of those days.

Second of all, I'm so sorry I didn't make it to Applebees. My favorite teacher in the English department is being let go for no good reason and I was co-leading a protest group all day at Morgan. To be self indulgent for just a second, I'm feeling rather tired, depressed and antisocial. Also, I would have gotten there quite late. I'm an awful student and friend and I beg your forgiveness.

Thirdly of all, since paper topics seem to be on the menu (a weak pun, I know, but I'm recovering), I figure I'll dish mine out. Like Susan, I'm very interested in the parallels between The Devil's Backbone and Pan's Labyrinth. I found a Del Toro statement about the two movies, and I plan to use it as a jumping off point for a paper. I hope it will be interesting having two people writing about the same material, but if this isn't kosher please let me know so I can come up with something else to jabber about.

Hey guys...

Sorry for the late notice, but I'm not going to be able to make Applebees tonight. Is there a plan for people to meet for lunch or anything tomorrow?

The suckiest week before dead week ever

So, since I can't seem to be able to extract anything interesting out of JSAMN to write a paper on, I might just have to go back and look into the year's best. I'm pretty sure I can find something there...I hope.

I'm not creative at all when it comes to paper topics. I am, however, very good at following a set of clear-cut instructions. Curse you, lack of imagination!

Yummy Applebee's!

Okay, the votes are in and we are going to Applebee's at 7pm on Tuesday! It will be the Applebee's in the University Mall (if only because I don't know where the others are and this one is convenient!). So everyone show up if you can and get ready for a yummy dinner!

Superhero-themed exhibition

This may not be strictly related to this class, but I thought there might be some people who would find it interesting:

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is hosting:

Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy

Here's a brief quote from this article about it:

"The exhibition, in the Museum's first-floor special exhibition galleries, will include movie costumes as well as radical fashions that literally and figuratively reference superhero iconography, including Bernhard Willhelm's 2006 royal blue dress emblazoned with Superman's red-and-yellow "S-shield," a 1996 Walter van Beirendonck pink vinyl inflatable jacket, and a Thierry Mugler motorcycle bustier with polychrome handlebars and side-view mirrors. A long leather Balenciaga jacket with articulated bronze leggings evokes Iron Man's metallic skin, while a Jean Paul Gaultier second-skin bodysuit shares The Flash's streamlined aerodynamics."

Might as well, indeed.

Everyone posted their paper topics, it seems. I'll go ahead and give a really quick preliminary look while I'm not studying for that dumb Organic exam. Umkay so, as Amy decided for me long ago, I'm thinking pretty heavily on drawing thematic parallels between The Devil's Backbone and Pan's Labyrinth. The thing is that I own neither, so I'm taking out a Blockbuster membership tonight to grab the only copy of "Backbone." Haven't seen it in a while, and covered my eyes for a lot of it (I. am. a. dork.), so it oughta be interesting. I would be more than willing to watch it with anyone else looking for a break from school (and would protect me from the ghosties...). Maybe later on in the week or weekend. That way new and interesting ideas in discussion would be brought up, as well :)

Invincible Ravens?

Invincible Ravens. Catchy title huh? We talked today in class about Ravens a little bit. I got to thinking later that some of the awe for ravens may come from their seemingly invincibility. Here you have a bird that comes in only one color. You kill one there will be a thousand more that look just like it. The bird will always win too. If you die in battle no matter whether your side wins or not the raven is the ultimate winner because he gets your eyeballs. You can't beat em. This bird is pretty fitting then for the Raven King because he doesn't lose. He conquers most of England without much effort at all. When everyone thinks he has gone away he just pops up again and takes over.

A few notes on zombies

George A. Romero, creator (40 years ago) of the Zombie As We Know It, on the topicality of his horror movies:

I see something shitty happening in the world, and I slap some zombies on it.

That line is quoted by Peter Travers in his Rolling Stone review of Romero's fifth zombie movie, Diary of the Dead (2007). Later, Travers notes:

When I mentioned to Romero that universal cremation could put him out of the zombie business, he laughed like hell.

There's your ultimate zombie contingency plan: mandatory universal cremation.

In the meantime, maybe what Tuscaloosa needs is a good zombie walk.

In other news, my 2004 story "Zora and the Zombie," which is about Zombies pre-Romero (and with a capital Z), will be reprinted later this year in The Living Dead, edited by John Joseph Adams for Night Shade Books. The table of contents includes such fine stories as Link's "Some Zombie Contingency Plans," Dale Bailey's "Death and Suffrage" (which inspired the Masters of Horror episode Homecoming), Joe Hill's "Bobby Conroy Comes Back from the Dead" (about a romance that blossoms in Pittsburgh during the filming of Dawn of the Dead) and Scott Edelman's recent Stoker Award nominee "Almost the Last Story by Almost the Last Man" -- along with stories by Sherman Alexie, Clive Barker, Poppy Z. Brite, Harlan Ellison, Neil Gaiman, Laurell K. Hamilton, Stephen King, George R.R. Martin, Robert Silverberg, Dan Simmons, Michael Swanwick, our own Jeffrey Ford, etc. I'm honored.

Fantasy costumes

At Candy Apple Costumes, the online store of Party Makers in downtown Tuscaloosa, note the many costumes with fantasy motifs. On the "Best Sellers" menu, for example, click on "Storybook & Fairy" and "Gothic & Scary." Would Susanna Clarke's gentleman, or the narrator of Kelly Link's "The Faery Handbag," recognize any of these fairies?

Dinner with Andy!

Okay, friends, this is where we will vote for our dinner location. As of now the time is set at 7 pm because 3 of us have a test before then. If that isn't convenient for everyone, we can push it back, but I feel like 7 is the perfect dinner time.

Two suggestions have been made so far for dinner, at least in my hearing range. Right now we have Applebees and Ruby Tuesdays as possible choices. If anyone has any other suggestions, put them on the comments. Everyone write in the comment where we want to go. If the vote is close, we can take the highest two choices and vote again. If you are going, please vote! Otherwise we will decide and you will have to deal with where we decide.

Crow goddess for Crystal!

I thought I'd go ahead and post this while I'm still thinking of it. Morrigan is the name of the goddess we were trying to remember last week who took the form of a crow and was associated with battles.

The article I've linked above, says this about her to start:

"The Morrigan is a goddess of battle, strife, and fertility. Her name translates as either "Great Queen" or "Phantom Queen," and both epithets are entirely appropriate for her. The Morrigan appears as both a single goddess and a trio of goddesses. The other deities who form the trio are Badb ("Crow"), and either Macha (also connotes "Crow") or Nemain ("Frenzy"). The Morrigan frequently appears in the ornithological guise of a hooded crow. She is one of the Tuatha Dé Danann ("Tribe of the goddess Danu") and she helped defeat the Firbolg at the First Battle of Mag Tuireadh and the Fomorians at the Second Battle of Mag Tuireadh."

Might as well jump on the bandwagon :)

So... I think I'm in a similar situation to a number of people who have already posted where I have something I want to write about, but I'm not sure it's suitable. Or even if it was, how I would structure it.

I'm interested in writing about how magic functions in JSAMN. I'm not sure if I should contrast it with another world (story) or just delve into this book. For example, there doesn't seem to be any innate ability involved with magicians, merely study. So people aren't born with magical gifts but learn how to use them. This then brings up the subject of what are the limits of magic. In JSAMN it seems to be the amount of knowledge they have as opposed to some inner threshold. There's also the matter of how magic is performed. It seems with a couple of exceptions (silver bowl for locating) that JSAMN magic is based mostly on words. Even in Pan's Labyrinth the magic of the mandrake root was tied with blood and a physical object (the root). Those are just a couple of ideas, what do you all think? Does it seem weird because I wouldn't really be advocating any point merely defining magic as it is used in the book.

Paper Topics...

As I read everyone's post about their paper topic, I am beginning to realize that I have no idea whatsoever what I would like to write about. I'm thinking, like we had talked about in class, about doing something with the footnotes/actual story in JS...but I do not know yet what that might be...parallels, not parallels, importance/ lack thereof.... any thoughts would be much appreciated.

labyrinths in pan

is anybody doing labyrinths in pan's labyrinth? If so, I found some interesting stuff. The labyrinth could be compared with the war's confusing path. You never know where you could end up and it's obscure. Hope it helps!

fairytales in pan's labyrinth

I enjoyed JS and Mr.N, but enough to write a paper on it. Pan's Labyrinth, on the other hand, was phenomenal. I laughed and cried with the little girl, and even though her rebellious nature often led her to chaos, I often wished I could have accompanied her on her adventures. I think that's what I want to write on: the fairytale part of the movie. I want to compare common fairytales and rules to the structure of her mystical adventures. For example, hansel and gretel's destitute background with Ofelia's surroundings, the rules of not eating or drinking when she's performing her duties, etc. What do you guys think? I haven't heard anybody else talking about this, but in case I missed it, let me know!! and I'll change topics.

Anti-Hero vs. the Hero *Maybe my paper topic?*

I keep trying to make all of the character's into anti-heroes but I don't know if that is really the case, but I'd love to hear everyone's opinions on it. In fact (continuing on our male pair theme from earlier), throughout the novel I kept trying to put together heroes vs. antiheroes with a couple of villians thrown in. The character's who play the more minor roles fit into the categories much easier. Wellington is definitely a hero- handsome, dashing, and intelligent he basically wins the war with one arm tied behind his back. Vinculous is an anti-hero all the way. As for Strange, I keep finding support to put him in both categories. He is ironic and self-effacing like an anti-hero but he chooses to use his magical talents to help his country like a hero would. Someone help me out on this one. I like the idea of the Byronic hero that Casey published in an earlier comment. Now, I know some people in our class want to make him the villain but I would also argue to put the Gentleman in the anti-hero category. Stephen is totally the text-book hero, rising against the odds of society blah blah blah. As for Norrell, well, I guess if I had to I'd call him a hero for the same reason as Strange is but I daresay he's look nearly as good in tights and a cape!
I might try to stretch this into a paper. Everyone else has already picked their topics so I'll jump on the bandwagon. We'll see..

Here come the papers...

...and I'm not sure what to do about a topic. I think it might be worthwhile for me to look into the Year's best collection, but I can't just leave JS & Mr. N by the wayside. It was a really good book, and I feel like I need to acknowledge it somehow. I thought about what interested me about the story, and I guess what I came up with is the history aspect of the story in conjunction with the footnotes (see last post). My problem is, how do I turn something like that into a paper? And is it even possible? If anybody has any ideas, they would be much appreciated.

Andy, I was reading your comment on my last post, and it intrigued me. I would love to write about it. The only thing is, it seems like it would be very opinion-oriented. Do you get this vibe also? If so, is that an okay thing to do?

God in the Machine

This is past off-topic, but I felt it worth sharing. Over the past few days I have spent time at an undergraduate researchers' conference in Salisbury. Maryland, where I had the greatest pleasure of meeting Dr. Anne Foerst. I'm not sure if anyone from last semester's science-fiction class knows anything of her, but she is one of the world's top minds in designing robots and advancing them toward the ultimate goal of Arifitcial Intelligence.
She has some very interesting ideas, being a theologian, cognitive reseacher, and roboticist. She is really cool, and an excellent speaker, as she also gave her views in a seminar about what it means to be human. From her biblical studies, she has gathered that "being made in God's image" implies that it is our duty as well to create beings (a throwback to self-replicating automatons in Chiang's "Seventy-Two Letters"). That is why people are supposed to create robots. Foerst describes how God made Man imperfect, knowingly, and so nothing perfect will ever be able to come from our hands. However, in our attempts that lead us down the long, long road to creating A.I., we will come to full realization of what it means to be human, and so our differences may possibly be settled (no racism etc.) Man's hate for each other, Foerst explained, stems from a garbled definition of what makes a *person* and what makes a *human*. Fascinating stuff.
She is currently an advisor to those at MIT who have built the famous robots Cog and Kismet. Just wondering if Andy knew anything of her?

And the Word was the Raven King

So, here's a funny thought. We haven't really discussed the topic of Vinculus's 'bookish' nature, so to say. I'm very interested (once again) in the religious overtones I picked up here. The Raven King, to my mind, can easily be taken as a God figure. He is omnipresent, omniscient, omni-etc. to the nth degree. He hangs out in England, not in physical form, but rather saturating the ether with his presence. (I'm sort of reminded of Moby Dick in that way. Only no one is trying to kill the Raven King. Except Norrell, I guess, and he falls faaar short of the mark to be an Ahab). The Raven King's 'book' is a living, breathing being, a person who is certainly imperfect and somewhat of a charlatan, and it is subject to change. It even changes by his own hand. I thought that this was possibly a symbolic stance on how religious texts should be interpreted: loosely, and with myriad grains of salt. Last but certainly not least, we have the Childermass, the Reader, the man who teaches based on his understanding of the Book. Slap me if I'm going to far, but does this sound like some sort of preacher? I'm probably just nuts (I tend to see religious allusion EVERYWHERE) but it seemed obvious to me.

Speaking of Childermass...since names are so meaningful in this fine little pocket novel...how about these apples:

The commemoration of the massacre of the "Holy Innocents"(the children put to death by Herod)—considered by some Christians as the first martyrs for Christ^[17]—first appears as a feast of the western church in the Leonine Sacramentary, dating from about 485. The feast is also called Childermas, Children's Mass or Holy Innocents' Day, and is celebrated on different dates by different traditions: the West Syrians (Syriac Orthodox Church, Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, and Maronite Church) and East Syrians (Chaldeans and Syro-Malabar Catholic Church) commemorate this feast on December 27; the Roman Catholic Church (using red vestments on this day since 1961, and violet or red with older missals), the Church of England and the Lutheran Church commemorate the slaughtered children on December 28; and the Eastern Orthodox Church commemorates this feast on December 29 (using the Julian calendar).


At least this little blurb ties Childermass to the whole 'Raven King as Christ/God' thing I've got going.

OH! And it turns out that a 'vinculum' is a bond or a tie. Isn't that an odd coincidence, since Vinculus links England with the Raven King?

I think I see a connection!!!!!

Since we are throwing out our ideas for paper topics I thought that I would go ahead and put mine out there! I must admit that I got a little excited when the idea of my topic popped into my head. Are you ready...? Here it goes... Examination of mythological interpretations of the Raven in (ancient) societies and its connection to the appearances of the raven (Raven King) in JS & Mr. N! I was actually looking up symbolic meanings of the raven just out of curiousity, when I noticed that there is a little more to these creatures than just having a dark reputation. A number of societies view the raven as having such mystical implications. Therefore, it would only seem logical to be able to pull some of these meaning out of Clarke's novel. If it all goes according to plan, my paper should be able to link this mystical (fairy) world that the ravens are associated with and our perceived world (the world of JS and Mr. N) while possibly exploring reasons why the use of the "Raven" King was the perfect medium (I think that was a run on sentence...please forgive me! : ). So feel free to chime in with any ideas that could help me get off to a rolling start? Yea for paper topic!!!!

Some Words and Some Goth

Ok,

So, I checked out the OED, and it turns out that "labyrinthial" is a word, and so is "dyscalculia." So, although we didn't make up new words... we did use some obscure ones. Huzzah.

If you're on campus, you can check out the definitions by clicking here and here.
Labyrinthial's entry is especially uninteresting. Poor adjective.

Also, in regards to Mr. Norrell and Jonathan Strange as a Gothic novel:

Dr. Burke (my 499 professor) always goes on about how the Gothic (the lovechild of Romance and Horror) has to do with secrets and the supernatural. The "secret" theme can come out in the form of secret passage ways/doors (big with the Gothic architecture thing), familial secrets, secret identities, secret hobbies (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde), etc. The supernatural element is usually some sort of undead or creepy superhuman ability, but can certainly (in my opinion) encompass fairies, fantastic creatures, and magic. I mean, if vampires can count...

Right. We also have that lovely element of architecture--where it all began. Throughout N&S, the reader encounters numerous examples of buildings that aren't exactly what they appear to be. I would, in fact, argue that almost every home/building the reader encounters within the novel either has a rather tenuous hold on English soil, or holds any number of secrets. Lady Pole's home, for instance, was probably built on some electromagnetic faerie-indian-burial-ground-pet-cemetery for all the world switching and dead raising that goes on there. Also, Mr. Norrell's homes always contain a number of his vast collections of books (which he keeps locked away from prying eyes--secrets), and the first time we see Mr. Strange perform magic is within a creepy, rotting house known for its "eccentricities." It's everywhere!

We even have that wonderful "sins of the Father" theme that likes to crop up in Southern Gothic (ala Faulkner) with Vinculus's father committing book murder.

AND we have the Gothic "doubles" theme HARDCORE (think Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dorian Grey, etc). The very title of the book gives the reader double magicians, and many of the main characters could be read as doubles of each other. Lady Pole and Arabella could easily be linked together; I would like to link Vinculus and the Gentleman together; the Raven King and King George could probably be linked; etc.

It's good stuff, I tell you!

If I didn't think this would take me a year to write properly... I would climb inside the novel and "make myself a living space" and write this paper... maybe I'll write the smaller version?

Ta-da!

Hello All!!!

Okay...so you might have noticed that I happened to not be in class last Wednesday. Well this is only because of the most obvious reason...I wasnt quite finished. I just couldnt bare to go to class and have the end of the book revealed to me!!!! I would have been crushed. Especially since that girl at Olive Garden told me that the ending was amazing (last post). I have to admit that she was right! I loved the end! It did make me sad I must admit. I almost cried : ( I hate to get to the end of a really good book because I always feel that it cant really be the end. I wonder will Strange and Norrell ever be able to get out of the darkness? It didnt seem like Arabella really cared. She was just living it up with the Greysteels when Strange was gone. That kinda bothered me a little : (

Oh, I have to admit that the mad King and the pineapples were the most hilarious parts to me. When I read about the King dancing about and playing his little flute I got the most vivid scene of it in mind head. I also couldnt stop laughing when Strange had gone mad and wouldnt allow any more pineapples to go into the city. Wow! That was great! Well before I keep rambling on I will simply say that I thoroughly enjoyed the book!

Paper Topic

Ok, again (with everyone else), I know we're not talking about paper topics yet...
but apparently we *are* because everyone else is...

Anyway.

I was just wondering what everyone (anyone who might have read this) thought about doing a comparative paper between the characters of the gentleman with the thistledown hair and the Wintersmith from Terry Pratchett's Tiffany Aching books? Anyone read Wintersmith?

Both characters are supernatural men let into our world by the blundering of an inexperienced human sorcerer. These supernatural men then become enchanted (fall in love?) with humans, and cause all kinds of trouble in pursuing their obsession. In the end, they must be destroyed by someone "more powerful" or by some special something... etc.

It could be cool!

It's rough, but there you are.

Help?

Fun links

I found some interesting links that some of you might want to read. They're from a seminar series about JSAMN. The link is: http://crookedtimber.org/category/susanna-clarke-seminar/

Here's one on the lady magician theory: http://crookedtimber.org/2005/11/29/who-is-the-narrator-of-jonathan-strange-and-mr-norrell-and-where-are-the-lady-magicians/#more-4076 written by Belle Waring

There's also one specifically posted by Clarke where she answers a good number of very interesting questions: http://crookedtimber.org/2005/11/29/women-and-men-servants-and-masters-england-and-the-english/#more-4074

My favorite part is when she says this on being the author:

The author has left the building. She left when the book was finished. I’m just the person who remains now she is gone. I may be able to help you because I seem to have a pile of her memories over here—also lots of her notes and stuff. But, while some of the memories are crystal sharp, others are fuzzy and quite a lot are missing. Ditto the notes and stuff. As for what she intended by writing this or that, in many cases she wouldn’t have been able to answer anyway. She never gave it any thought. I’ll do my best to reconstruct what I can. In fact I shall pretend I’m her, by saying “I” and “me”.

Have fun!

By the by...

So, while we are starting the paper topic moment, I figure that I should put mine out there, so you all may discuss and give me ideas. I actually first thought of this while Andy and I were talking about the queerness in this book in class on Wednesday. Later, Casey and I started talking about it and it all sort of evolved. I was struck by the relationships of Strange/Norrell, and also the gentleman/Stephen. I figure I will discuss these man couples (sorry Janessa) and compare them to the relationships of Strange and Arabella, along with the gentleman and the ladies that he steals. I think that Clarke is trying to make a point about relationships and the importance male relationships. Truthfully, the relationship between Strange and Norrell is much stronger than the one between Strange and Arabella, and I would like to analyze why I think that Clarke is making that point and what it means. So, yeah, somewhat vague, but it's easier to think it in my head than type it out. But I promise that the paper sounds amazing in my head! Okay, catch you kids later. Let me know what you think!

The Odd Couple

I didn't notice this as much when I was reading the novel at first because I get all caught up in the plot but looking back the male relationships are very striking. I'm pretty sure this is what I would like to do my paper on. First, we have the obvious Strange and Norrell who appear to be exact opposites in every way, but as we now know appearances are misleading. But there are so many- Drawlight and Lascelles and my favorite male duo of the Gentleman and Steven. I think it is very interesting how Clark purposefully had all of the women play lesser, background roles so that these male relationships were ever more accessible and important. Heck, the whole first half of the novel is Norrell doing everything possible to impress Sir Walter.
And continuing on a slightly related tangent, did anyone notice how really the only interesting women were talked about in the footnotes? Like the Margaret Ford/Master's Daughter story? I already commented on Susan's post but maybe the footnotes were written by a female magician at a later date...maybe...

Finally, after having (almost) fully digested all 846 pages...

So, I realize this is a little late, but I really wanted to be able to get through the whole book (which I finally finished during class last Wednesday) and be able to let it sit in my mind for a while before spitting out any half-formed opinions I may have had. So, apart from the extreme length of the book and the ten thousand characters that I attempted to keep track of before I finally realized that they were not to be mentioned again anywhere, I really liked the book. It wasn't so overflowing with weird fantasy stuff that it made me roll my eyes. I was actually able to get into it and take it seriously. I also really liked the history aspect of it. It kind of reminded me of Harry Potter, sort of a parallel to all the books in the Hogwarts library that tell of magical history and theory. The footnotes were of particular interest to me, and I'm excited to be able to discuss them. I can see where people are coming from when they say that they might have been written by a woman, but I'm a bit more inclined to take on the view that they were written by somebody like Mr. Segundus; somebody close to the story, but not directly in the meat of it, like Norrell or Strange.

I'm sure I'll have more ideas as the discussions roll along, but for now, that's all I got.

Footnotes Speculation

In class we wondered who could have written the footnotes. What were some of the suggestions, again? I honestly can't remember any at the moment. Going on little sleep and little sanity at the moment. But I had been wondering why we couldn't simply imagine an historian of the female persuasion, perhaps Susanna Clarke herself (from the 19th century) as the writer? At first I thought really long about the other males characters of the story, but none of them seemed to fit. And then Kalen's post and the subsequent comments pointed out that one could argue they were written to point out the footnotes can arguably lean toward women, ever so subtly. Prime example Kalen gave: the tale of Margaret Ford concluded as a cover-up. Other footnotes include little things such the controversey of correspondence, sympathizing with the Raven King's daughters, etc. And yet the language of the footnotes matches that of the book, including pseduo-traditional spellings of words (i.e. shewed). So this wasn't someone who would be looking for feminist statements or cover-ups at the time if it were a male writer, correct? Just some wondering out-loud. Anyone else wondered about that?

the high school analogy expanded

I think it's Courtney who compares the book as a whole to high school. I kinda understand what she's saying. Now that I look at it that way, every single detail in the book made a difference later on, even though we didn't think so. I know we kept complaining that the whole book could have been written in like half the volume, and probably have been better. But, at the end of the book, you feel like you know each character so well, and like you actually understand their feelings in response to the events going on around them. The book doesn't tell you... you just know because you have seen these characters grow up and change, like your classmates in high school. Leaving those people at the end is so much painful when you have done just that. This is probably what the author intended. She wanted us to get attached to the characters and to mourn the end of the book.

Women and Susanna Clark

We talked in class a little about the small role that the women in this story played. I have been thinking that the reasons for this small role may be that this story is written in the same style as the other magical histories described in Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. I got the feel as I read through this novel, especially from the footnotes, that this was intended to be a modern magical history telling of Strange Norrell's rise and fall. These same footnotes also contain a few stories about women and magic. Two especially come to mind. There was one where they described the controversy over whether or not the correspondence of some magician was a man or a woman. The footnote went on to mention that many were unwilling to accept a woman as a magician. There was also the detailed story of the woman who went to retrieve the magic ring. At the end of this footnote, it was revealed that this story was really a cover up for a ring of female magicians. From these stories I get the idea that the magical histories often downplayed or hid the role of women magicians. If this story is indeed a magical history perhaps this was the idea that Clark was trying to convey. What do yall think?

Paper Topic

I know that we're not discussing paper topics for two more weeks, but I have 3 other papers due before the end of the semester (which my lab TA has not given us the due dates for) and I wanted to get a head start so that I can actually sleep at some point during finals week. I was thinking about writing something about "Lionflower Hedge" and discussing how it relates to childhood and adulthood, something along those lines. Does anyone have any suggestions for that topic? Or know of any other stories that I could relate to that or add in? I'm having trouble figuring out exactly what I want to do with it, so any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

No more waiting until the last minute...

I wish I had a writing prompt...

So, since I'm not really sure what to talk about, I think I'm going to talk about my favorite part of the story. This way, everyone can comment and tell me their favorite part - class interaction.

Here goes...

My favorite part was definitely the point at which Jonathan is surrounded by the darkness. I just think it's so funny. Everyone is trying to make him leave or make the darkness go away, but there's nothing he can do about it because he wasn't the one who created it. The end was even better when both of them get stuck in the curse, but I'm a little disappointed in the state of magic if they couldn't figure out how to get rid of the curse. Aren't they supposed to be the best magicians of the time?

The whole time I was reading this part of the book, I was thinking about some cartoon where the character is followed around by the dark rain cloud, and that made the whole thing even more funny. I had the idea that Jonathan would be trying to run away from it while it followed him everywhere he went...haha.

A Tale of Woe

Okay, the title has nothing to do with the post. So, in accordance to popular demand, here is the list of authors that I would like Andy to stalk for an autograph. Alrighty, you don't have to stalk them if you don't want to, but if you know any of these people, let me know!! These are the authors of my childhood (that I still read, of course) and some that are more recent but I love them just as much.

Mercedes Lackey (if you have to stalk her, please! She was my favorite author in middle school and I still love her books!! Actually, she is still my favorite author of all time! I mean, really, Magic's Pawn? I cry every time I read it. Every time! It's crazy because it takes a lot to make me cry while reading. And the Joust series? Pure genius! Genius, I tell you!)
Tamora Pierce (another childhood favorite-I know she is technically young adult, but she is my hero! The Trickster's series and Terrier are amazing! Read them!)
Tanya Huff
Diana Wynne Jones (Please! I have to have Howl's Moving Castle signed!! Best book ever!)
Shannon Hale (a new favorite- read her if you love fairy tales!)
Sherrilyn Kenyon
Laurell K Hamilton
Raymond Feist (King of Foxes is perhaps one of my favorite books ever. It has a Count of Monte Cristo theme going on. Love the drama!)
P.C. Cast
Amelia Atwater-Rhodes (she basically rocks my socks)
Piers Anthony (what can I say, I love puns!)
Stephen King (he lived down the road from my grandparents for a while, but that was before I started reading the Dark Towers series, so I missed out on my chance!!)
Philip Pullman (I mean, really, do I even have to explain? This man is a genius!!)
Brian Jacques (his Redwall series kept me very entertained as a child- c'mon, talking animals! So cool! Can you tell that I still love his books?)
Susan Cooper (I love her books! And I rail against the people who raped an amazing book, The Dark is Rising, in that stupid movie, The Seeker! Shenanigans! )
Frederic S Durbin (I don't care that he isn't well known! Dragonfly is awesome and it should be made into a movie. A good movie! Although, i think he's in Japan right now, so this might be impossible. No pressure!)


There are quite a few more I could mention, but, well, some of them are dead, which doesn't work out. These are my absolute favorites. (Also, I would love J.K. Rowling's autograph (unlikely), but I won't put you under any pressure. I have a feeling that it would be nearly impossible to obtain.)

Also, if you ever see Eve Forward and Joanne Bertin, tell them to finish their series!! They were both supposed to have trilogies!! And they both left me hanging!!! Tell them to finish! Please!!

Okay, so back on track, just let me know if you know any of these authors well enough to bug them for an autograph for one of your darling students....or if you think they would be good natured about being stalked...

Okay, see you all tomorrow!!

Disclaimer: I was really tired while writing this, so place no importance on the crack comments included in this post.
-also, look up the cow fair episode of south park for the meaning behind calling shenanigans!

Mirror, Mirror...

Clarke's near constant use of mirrors is one of my favorite quirks in this novel. There's just something so suggestive about stepping into a reflective surface in order to enter a new realm. Alice Through the Looking Glass, anyone? Everything Alice encounters there is arguably a creation of her own imagination, and the mirror trope really brings this out. I mean, the doorway to the world she explores is a MIRROR...something that reflects your own image. I think that characters moving through mirrors are moving into themselves, their subconscious selves, if you will. Jonathan Strange does the exact same thing. He can only enter Fairy by entering his own image. Meaningful? Hmmm....

I know that the whole mirror-as-portal thing is prominent in lots of fantasy, but it seems like it shows up more in Victorian settings. Alice, the proper little Victorian girl...Jonathan, the pristine Victorian gentleman...Personally, I blame the repression of the period. There's no magic in the society, so you have to find it in yourself. You have to unlock your own personality! Search within! Fight the power!

As a whole...

So, this is a little late, but honestly I still had a few more pages that I didn't finish before class due to exams and what not, and I wanted to finish before I posted or read anyone else's posts for that matter, even though some of the things were spoiled by our in class discussions anyway.

So, I thought that the book was a little boring and really slow until around page 600 (of 1006), and that is still pushing it. I didn't really get into it until the last 200 pages. With that said, I now feel that I really enjoyed the book as a whole. It's like one of those things that you look back on and remember that you were miserable the whole way through, but you really got a lot of good from the whole experience. Does that make sense? It's a little like high school to me. I hated high school....I thought it was a big waste of time, and that I could have learned all of the information that we were supposed to know in half the time because of all of the horsing around that everyone did, and all of the dead space where I was forced to sit and do nothing like watch a G-rated movie. I was miserable, but now that I look back, I realized that a lot of the things that happened that had nothing to do with learning really made an impact in my life. So this is how I think it relates to Clarke. I think that she provided us with a lot of little stories and went off on tangents that really could have been left out, but when I got to the end, I appreciated them. I can't think of any specific examples at the moment, but I just really feel better for having read all of it and not just reading the "fun stuff." I don't really know if that makes any sense at all. I'm going to think about that, and try to make sense of what I mean.

All in all, I liked it.

Just wanted to point out...

That my paper theme from earlier this semester about "stories" circling back on themselves was present in this novel as well...


It was when Lascelles took the Faerie road and met up with that Knight guy. After he killed him and strung him up on the tree, another rider approaches and Lascelles begins to recite old dude's speech about protecting the princess or whatever because he is now the new Knight guy....

I thought that was pretty cool.

Thank God for British humor

Yeah... so about the only thing that got me through the first half of the book was the occasional glint of British humor. I'd say on the whole this book has a lot of humor in it which saves it a lot from the tedium of reading the account of every bit of half-way interesting minutiae. It takes her so long to get to the point.

I have to congratulate her on the awesomeness of her world-building, but this really feels like the original story and then a later released companion that had been condensed into a single novel. You know how when some authors are just so awesome that you want to read more? There's lots of publicity on it and then the author releases a companion that details many of the minor exploits of the other characters? Or in movies where you can look at the deleted scenes (and even add them in the original story)? That is how this book felt to me.

It's a very well-crafted and meticulous novel, but in many ways in feels excessive. The last 200 pages were by far the best, while the rest of the book was good yet occasionally tedious.

It took a while but...

I thought that this novel was amazing. That said, Susan Clarke took at LEAST 397 pages to set the story line up. I think that is slightly excessive, but after slugging my way through the first half of the book, I was hooked. Couldn't put it down. I thought that she did an amazing job of creating a world that was familiar, but which had its own complete history. I thought that her footnotes, even though at times they were difficult to follow, contributed a great deal to the realistic quality of the work. Each one was a story itself. I was completely drawn in by Johnathan Strange and just about hated Norrell for a while there. Both characters were very convincing. I'm glad that this is another cautiously optimistic ending. I think I would have been pretty disappointed if Strange had gone through all that for nothing. All in all I just really enjoyed reading this novel...at least the last 450 pages :)

Ok, so here´s the deal...

...I love big books. Its a problem I have had for years. Robert Jordan´s Wheel of Time series, 10 books at about 400-500 pages a pop? Freakin' Christmas to me! So, needless to say, I am a pleasantly surprised fan of JS & Mr N (anyone else notice how there's no . after Mr the entire novel?- my OCD was not happy).
Anyways, yes I agree the first 100 or so pages could have accomplished the same thing in, eh, three paragraphs. The whole Magician's of York Society and the introducing of Mr Norrell was veeerrryyy drawn out. Which I think was probably just a clever ploy by Susanna Clarke. At first you are so bored that you're automatically enchanted by whatever else she writes next. I did think it is odd that she chose to have Mr Norrell be such unlikeable little man. I am sure she has some reasoning for making him so dull but I couldn't figure it out. I wanted him to be captivating like the fairy. But then again, I also could see how maybe she was trying to introduce a whole new perspective on what magic really entails. We all have to romanticized views of characters like the Raven King and mystical, malevolent woods growing out of nowhere that Mr Norrell's complete scholarly dullness made me open my eyes a little bit.
I'm not going to lie, at first I was a little resentful as I lugged this massive tome with me on the flight home for Spring Break as I thought about how terrible the first 50 pages I read in the airport were and how I had 800 more to go. In the end, this book got me though. I got so wrapped up in the characters (I love you Stephen Black!) that I didn't mind reading so much about them. The footnotes should have been separated into their own novel considering how they were a little excessive.Yet, some of the little side stories I thoroughly enjoyed, especially the one about Laurence Strange's new manservant. Off the wall I know, but it stayed with me the whole book. I like the idea of just rewards. Speaking of which, what was with the prophecies? They did not work out at all like I thought they were going to.
Anyways, I'm pulling a Clarke and writing forever and we've got three weeks to talk about this so I'll contain myself. Bottom line: thumbs up!

Irony in Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell

I cant stop thinking of the irony within this book since I finished it last week. In most fairy tales the things that fairies foretell wind up boding very ill for the person they mention. In this story the reverse is true. The prophecy is that Stephen will become a king and the wizards will fail to bring magic back to England. In the end, Stephen does indeed become a king but this time prophecy turned out pretty badly for the fairy instead of the human. Also instead of failing to bring magic back to England I think the wizards actually succeeded except it was not entirely their doing but that of the raven king.

Also on a slightly different topic did anyone else notice the reference to Link when in one of enemies dreams he saw a bunch of funny men on rabbit's backs preparing to go to war? I thought it was pretty cool to pick up on that one. Anyway more later in class.

Dropkick a Finch

Okay, so I figure that I should post even though I haven't read the book yet, if only to tell you that I meant it 2 weeks ago when I said that I wouldn't be reading the book until the night before. I read about 100 pgs over spring break, so I am about to being a 900 page journey in to this book. I'm not gonna lie, I'm not so impressed right about now. So far, I agree with Casey that so many things could have been left out, and that's in the first 100 pages! So, I will post again when I have finished the book. My estimated time is at the latest, midnight (it's about 7pm now), but I feel that I might finish before that. Hopefully my opinion of this book will get better by the time I am done.


****Okay, I have now finished the novel, so I figured I would write a post-reading moment. So, I actually ended up enjoying the book, except for the fact that it took me more than half the way into it to get hooked. I really didn't get interested in the story until the Strange starts his madness. However, after that point, my expectations were definitely met. I wonder, though, if all the stuff in the beginning was really necessary. Now, I'll admit to enjoying some of the stories about Strange doing magic, but there was a lot of stuff mentioned that I really didn't care about. However, the ending made up for the first half of the book being silly. I adored Stephen, and I was so glad that he became the new King. I was definitely rooting for him the entire story. Also, as much as I didn't care for Norrell, Strange is a fascinating character. I rather enjoyed reading about his exploits. I was really happy that everyone got a happy ending (except for the gentleman, of course, but I feel that he deserved his end). I hate sad endings. They always make me angry that I read the book. I guess I figure that if I want sad endings, then I can watch the news or something. So, yea for happy endings! Sad endings are a cop out! And yea for Strange and Norrell finally being able to study magic in peace, together. It was very heartwarming!

So I was basically very content with the ending of this novel. So, overall, my rating would be about a 7. The beginning was long and drawn out and it took me way to long to get emotionally involved with this book. However, once exciting things started to happen, I really enjoyed reading the end. So, see everyone later today. Oh, and it took me longer than I thought to finish the book. I finished at around 1:00 am, which is an hour behind what I had figured. But no hassle, I often stay up late reading, much to my regret the next morning in class (when I fall asleep...). Okay, my rambling is done for the day. See you all in about 13 hours!!

Is Neil Gaiman full of hot air??? * WARNING* SPOILERS

According to Wikipedia, Neil Gaiman said that this monolithic tome is "unquestionably the finest English novel of the fantastic written in the last seventy years." I'm a bit worried about this statement. As a general rule, I trust Mr. Gaiman. I acknowledge his fantasy brilliance and I appreciate his skill for writing plain novels as well as the graphic kind. But now I have to wonder...is the man off his rocker? Don't get me wrong. I 'enjoyed' JS and MR N, but I would not have lavished upon it so many awards. A hugo? 2004's Book of the Year? These achievements seem like misguided panegyric (this is such a fun word! Look it up for giggles!).

For one, I never really understood what 'magic' was in this world. If you're a David Eddings fan (and if you aren't- WHY AREN'T YOU???), then you'll recognize the 'will and the word' method of magic. With Harry Potter it was the wand thing. But just what is English Magic? I get that there are two basic versions: Enlightenment (Norrell and his books) and Romantic (The Raven King and his nature), but come on. I couldn't even figure out which spells would be hard or dangerous and which were basic child's play. It frustrates me when I can't understand the rules of a VERY practical book. Something confounding like Kelly Link, you just go with the flow. But a Victorian parody that doesn't fully explicate something? Seriously. Frustrated me. This is probably just a personal thing, but I figured I would throw it out there.

I agree with the myriad of people who have said that this book could be seriously condensed into a much more user-friendly version. I don't think I'm about to buy that every single bit of this novel was necessary. I'm pretty sure Clark isn't the next British Melville. (Don't even get me STARTED on the people who was to omit chapters from MOBY DICK. ANGER.)

And what on earth is up with Childermass? Honestly, he was my favorite character, and even he drove me to madness sometimes. Was he just going along with previously-forseen-Tarot-esque prophecy by staying with Mr. Norrel? Or was he just being incredibly stupid?

To sum it all up, in my opinion books either need to be deep, meaningful or interesting. For my first read-through, this novel acquired three strikes. I'm hoping, though, that it will not strike out. Perhaps in class my clouded and unfocused eyes will be opened by insights offered from my brilliant peers! : D

Big Books Aren't So Bad!!!!

Okay so this is the second time that I have accidentally pressed enter before I finished writing my title! Why my pinkie has a mind of its own, I just dont know!?!? Anywho, I have to admit that I am not quite finished reading yet myself. However, this book is seriously too good to put down once you get into it (and it did take me a minute). Before I continue I have to tell ya'll my spring break story. So my birthday just happened to be the thursday of spring break and I decided that my family and I would have lunch at Olive Garden. So of course I had my handy dandy bible sized version of Mr Norrell and Jonathan Strange so conveniently with me in my lap while we were wanting to be seated. All of a sudden this hostess comes up to me and says, "Wow, that is the best book ever! Are you reading it now?" and of course I say yes. In casual conversation about the book I happen to ask her how long it took her to finish it (trying to give myself hope) and she said 2 months!!!! My mind was saying...Noooo...! That was definitely not the answer that I was looking for. She told me that the ending was great so I am definitely looking forward to it. Oh, one last quick note. I have to say I found it hilarious when Strange was helping in the war and he brought those corpses back from Hell. When they were screaming the hell language (before he spit in their mouth...totally gross), it didnt freak Wellington out that Strange had conjured dead men up from hell. He was more impressed that they learned the language of hell from only being dead for three days! Hahaha...it was funny! More to come...

Those two wizarding peoples...

Oh, this book...

First of all, every time someone asks, "Laurie, what is the giant piece of literature weighing down your lap?" I get the title all mixed up! For some reason, Mr. Norrell's name always comes first in my rendition. Either that or I say "Mr. Strange and Jonathan Norrell." Uhg. Why?

Second of all, I spilt orange gatorade all over the last half of the book. The pages are crinkly, damp, and sticky. But I'm fighting through it.

What I'm saying is--this book has been a journey.
I'm with Jessie. I feel like this books has taken a lifetime to read, and I don't know why!

Now, when I throw myself into it, I *really* enjoy it. Clarke's characters are extremely well rendered, and I love her historical world! As an English major, I keep recognizing her references to authors of the time period whose novels I've read! I just read Radcliffe's The Italian last month! Dorky? Yes. Do I care? No.

The footnotes, however, I could do without. While they are interesting at times, I don't feel that one needs three pages of foot note. I must confess, after the first ten, I stopped reading the ones that weren't directly connected to the plot. Great for world building (and interesting for sure!), but I just didn't have the time to peruse each one.

Anyway, I'm not finished yet, so I can't make truly informed arguments.
More to come when I close the back cover...

JS and Mr.N

Before I begin, I have to tell my cute story. I went on a vacation with my family over spring break, including my 5-yr old kid brother. He's learning to read (words like cat, dog, mom, you, etc.), so when he would see me reading the book at night, he would come and try to read the title. It was soooo cute! He got Jonathan after sounding it out, but kept saying stranger afterwards, instead of strange. And then, he would peek into the pages from behind me, and squeal and point out words he knew, like "the" and "you," lol. Sorry, I just had to tell yall.

Anyways... I'm finally into the story, and I can actually say I like it now. It's not that packed with action, but its kind of cute. I like the vast differences in characters' personalities and the occasional jokes Clark hides in her massive elaboration. I CANT STAND MR NORRELL right now. He's a selfish and rude little man.

more to come as i read on .....

The Devil's Backbone

I saw Del Toro's 'spiritual prequel to PAN'S LABYRINTH' over the break, and I just have to rave about it. If you haven't seen it yet- RUN don't walk to the nearest foreign films section and rent it. It is absolutely divine. There are so many parallels between these two masterpieces and it is SO much fun to discuss them (maybe only if you're a nerd, but STILL!). The mother figures from each respective movie are both named Carmen, and the villains are both stuck in time, as it were. The heroes are both absolutely awesome children dealing with very adult matters. Even the beginnings of the movies are eerily alike. I would love to talk with people, via comments, about WHY this movie is a 'spiritual prequel.' There are, of course, many ideas that repeat in both movies, but what is it, exactly, that links them in a thematically sequential way?

ALSO! For anyone who hasn't heard, Del Toro will be directing a production of THE HOBBIT, scheduled to hit theaters in 2010 (I think). Are you excited? Me too!

ALSO! Has anyone seen Del Toro's latest film, THE ORPHANAGE? It was in theaters in December, but I didn't even know it existed until the break when I was actively engaged in Del Toro research.

Like a turtle...

Maybe it's just me, but good gravy has J.S. & Mr. N been a slow read. I'm not quite finished, but I feel like I've been reading this novel forever. I'm not sure why either. The plot points are interesting and the world is so incredibly involved. Nevertheless, I feel I only started reading at my average rate after Mr. Strange's loss, which is two-thirds through the narrative. Jeez! Well, I feel better after sharing that. Otherwise, I'd like to note my appreciation for how Clarke hasn't aggrandized the wizards or made them anywhere near perfect. Their human qualities make them a bit more entertaining than your typical all-knowing, wise man type wizard. (No offense to my homie Gandalf, of course). Even those characters which seem more in the know than others, such as Childermass or the Lord of Lost-Hope, have their flaws. I'm also enjoying the mini-battle between intuitive, natural magic and book-learned, rationalized magic. I feel there are lots of parallels being made between the magical movement in the narrative and the Enlightenment vs. Romanticism movement that occurred in the "real world". That said, I can tell I'm missing a lot of the historical significance or relations in the plot, especially in regards to the war. I would probably get more out of it if I knew anything about the Napoleonic wars. Oh well. At this point in time, I suppose all I can say is, "If Jonathan doesn't realize there's a frikkin fairy plotting around him within the next fifty pages this book is going out the window!!!"

Match It for Pratchett

Terry Pratchett has donated $1 million to Alzheimer's research in the United Kingdom, as reported here by the BBC. "I intend to scream and harangue while there is time," he told a conference of dementia experts. And now there's a fan movement to help the cause, called Match It for Pratchett, first suggested in a March 13 Livejournal post by science-fiction writer Pat Cadigan.

Another personification of Death ...

... which Amy's paper has got me thinking about, is the protagonist of Christopher Moore's 2006 novel A Dirty Job.

Also

I thought I would mention it, since several people seem to have their share of blogging troubles, that it is possible to edit posts after you've posted them (for example, if you press enter too early). Just click on New Post, and one of the tabs under Posting includes Edit Posts. Also, after you click Publish Post, the subsequent page with the View Blog link also has an edit blog prompt. Hopefully this will be helpful and not a statement on something everyone already knows about.

Reconsideration

With our review of Lionflower Hedge in class, I've decided that the story is not so much under-developed as over-restricted. While the plot points were sparse, I feel there is actually a lot of suggestive history and emotions behind them. Yet, the story is so short that one reaches the end before having a chance to consider all the implications or build the interest to do so. The kids apparently grew up under the care of governesses (who made them fear the Hedge). As adults they seemed to have little sentimental attachment to their childhood home, which they were preparing to sell. They hardly have a strong attachment to each other as they ultimately plan to disperse to their respective families and, so it seemed, rarely communicate with one another. So, there is something to the fact that their governess kept them from unleashing their imaginations within the mysterious confines of the hedge. They may never have been given the chance to run wild as children, since they apparently come from a wealthy family. If so, it makes sense that they could hear their own childhood fun being had, even when they were children. I was also struck, even during my first reading, by how tender the mother seemed as she plants a kiss on the girl's cheek. She asks, "You were good, weren't you, while I was gone?" Safe in their beds, the children perhaps get to then relive their childhood, not with disinterested governesses, but with a warm, affectionate mother. Unlike the Narnia kids, these characters didn't achieve greatness during adulthood, only a sense of jaded disinterest, but perhaps they can achieve happiness as children.

Make illegal U-turn. Distance: 0.2 mi

So, I read "Directions" to my boyfriend (since it is such an awesome little story), and he said it sounded like Mapquest, that is to say, Mapquest gone horribly wrong, which is to say, Mapquest the way it always is. HAH!

Sorry to any faithful Mapquesters. I just thought that might be good for a laugh. Tee hee.

Take a look, it's in a book...

If you finished that title in your head (singing it), we should high-five when we see each other next. The titles in this anthology are amazing! True artistry if one can create a title to a short fantasy that makes a student *want* to read for fun. I read "A Fearful Symmetry" when I first got the book, before any other one. I enjoyed the short story, even though it didn't explore any type of new plot that hadn't already been well-mapped out. Again, we have the story within a story within a story, if not incredibly concise. And again we have the "words give life" motif, no all too common to me. I enjoyed most the *reasoning* the narrator gave behind his opinions/actions. I get my thrills through thought-processes in stories. If they are absent I usually have to substitute my own, which is only so much fun when it gets redundant. Here, the narrator allows the audience to see why a so-so plotted story is actually important to consider. He begins by saying he was drawn to the "symmetry" of the story. So that tells a lot about him, like that he is very logically inclined, etc. So he goes beyond the simple elements of the story to discuss the story itself. His emphasis in this short short tale is on the fact that it remained unfinished by a long shot, and that is where he came in, to bring it to completion. The reader, in Kang's world, plays just as important a role as the storyteller. Whether, it's our job to complete an unfinished story, perpetuate it, or simply wrap our minds around it to breathe life into it, readers are the ultimate endpoint of a story, and their importance should be made known. I like that we shouldn't just except ghost stories as they are, but rather become a part of them by laying the spirits to rest. Yay!

Hello All!!!!!

Okay...so who thought the "Winkie" was going to be a cute little story about some monster under a little girls bed that had big eyes and blinked a lot????? Well I have to admit that this story kind of freaked me out...just a little. I said, "This story doesnt sound like it will be to scary. I think I'll read it before I go to bed." Big mistake! Winkie was a baby eater with no eyelids!!!!!! That can really screw up your childhood! The worst part was that the mother just seemed so la-tee-da about it. She was like "yeah, I told them where they could find you." I would be like, well thanks a lot mom! You should of just told me who Winkie was in the first place and maybe I wouldnt have gone flouncing around at night for he to snatch me up and steal my eyelids!!!!

On another note, I love ghost stories!!!!!! I find it interesting to find out why the ghosts tend to linger around instead of passing on to the afterlife. This of course is why I loved Pol Pots Daughter and Fearful Symmetry. I liked at the end of Fearful Symmetry how the author incorporated the reader and the end. For Pol Pots Daughter, I have to say that I did almost cry at the end when the voices of the ghosts said, "We adopt you." Awww........ I actually heard the voices as I read...well I suppose that it was my own voice but I still felt touched. GREAT STORY!!!!

How to Know The Blog (and Life) Hates You...

...It magically (haha magically- get it?) deletes your comments every time you try to post them. You retype them numerous times only to have them eaten again. It freezes in the middle of your post so you frantically highlight and copy your words so they don't become payment to the God Devouring CyberSubmissions (yes saving is a wonderful concept, but when I get going...). And then it takes an extra 5 hours to load each page. Okay, rant done. I get it Oh god of the Internet! You are angry... :)
For real now. After reading everyone's previous posts i found myself doing my usual head nodding and shaking. Yes, Winkie was entirely off-kilter and a little creepy (thanks Andy, I live ALONE!). However, I really disliked Pol Pot that story just did not mesh with me at all even though it seems to be the class favorite. But no one has even mentioned the one I liked: A Fearful Symmetry. It read like a classic. I am really glad though that the intro said "gentle fable involving a ghost" because after Muldoon I have created a screening process as to which stories I will read late at night, by myself, cowering and waiting for mean ghosts to burst through the door. But with Symmetry we have one of the ghost stories I loved as a child where ghosts are not something to be feared but just another extension of humanity, and sometimes, well most of the time, they need help. When I was younger I read a book about a ghost cadet and a watch lost in a tree and by the end of stories like that one and this one I really find myself sympathizing with their ghostly problems. Weird, I know. I think the root of it is that I am in actuality terrified!! of ghosts and I keep trying to find ways to get over my phobia. Anyways, Symmetry is written as a story within a story which worked really well for the author, Minsoo Kang. He was able to explore so much range by doing this. And it made his ghost even that much more striking, that after all of these generations she was still weeping. I really liked it! At the end, I just wanted her to be at peace minus the creepy way that the author says something like "She will live on, she lives in you dun dun duuuuuuuuuunn".
Have an amazing Spring Break everyone!!!

a little disappointed

Pol Pot's story was definitely my favorite one, followed by the map one. The others couldn't really keep my attention; they were either too confusing or not descriptive enough. Lionflower Hedge seemed incomplete and Winkie was weiiiird, in a not so good way. I couldn't picture the story quite clearly in my mind.

I had no idea Sith was real! He kept denying the reality of every fact in his story. He probably did that so people could google them up and learn more about them (like a couple kids i know, hehe). It scared the bejesus out of me as I read the story. The part where the little robotic dog first starts talking to her, and the tv shows those videos... eeek! I thought much more violence was going to come out of that. I almost wanted to hide under the covers. The map story fascinated me since "barbarians" and "academics" had their religions inverted. Instead of barbarians usually being characterized as the superstitious ones, who perform rituals for their gods, it was the academics instead who fit this profile. Why did they destroy their lake? I didn't quite catch what the mappers were doing out there, or what they were supposed to do. A longer version of this story would be super interesting.

New and improved...coming soon!

I promise, everyone, I am alive. Really. I know it can seem otherwise, but I really have not forgotten about the blog. I'm here, and uber super blogs are coming in the very near future, ie tonight (if I have time) or possibly tomorrow later in the day. That's when I'll be free! Anyway, nobody send a search party. I love everyone and I have not forgotten.

Bloggityblog

Lionflower Hedge. I have NO idea what that story is about. Aside from Link, who sort of made sense in a strange, zombie-riddled way, this short story is by far the most incomprehensible one I've read. Are they still little kids? Or is this a memory that happened a long time ago? Is the hedge a type of portal to the past...or to the future? We've talked about portals in class...but this one (to me at least) doesn't begin to make a distinction as to whether they were going or coming. Why write this story? If there's a lesson or a deeper meaning in those 9 paragraphs I haven't found it. Nor did I find it a particularly imaginative or interesting story. Where's the fantasy? It could all be a daydream or a nightmare (dispose of the estate= dead parents?) the kids had, or even too much alcohol in the adults. Is the "lionflower" significant? Why lionflower? What is a lionflower? I googled it and found "dandelion" and "lion's tail" but no lionflower. And what kind of punishment is being "sent into the hedge" anyway? Apparently this story really got to me, and not in a good way.

Another Word for Science is Faith

I loved the reasoning behind this story. I took an Intro to Religious Studies class my freshman year and all we talked about was how just about anything could be considered a religion. While I consider football (except Alabama's) to be a bit of a stretch as far as religions go, science and academia is not that far of a stretch. We have professors that teach facts they believe to be true based upon the literature. The students must have faith in the professors and the authors of those papers when learning the material. Those that do not accept the material are removed from the group in some way. I think I smell a paper topic in this somewhere.

Comments from Renee

Hey, so I had a weird feeling of beig transported back to the science fiction version of this class while reading "Another Word for Map is Faith". But you know, it made me wonder how exactly the world shifted by degrees. Do the people there start to believe that that earth is really shaped a different way or what? And I was a little disappointed that they didn't have villagers chasing after them for taking away their lake at the end. It was all just kind of like 'tada' but without an exclamation mark.

I kind of wonder if the driver was going to be eaten at the end of "Directions", but other than that it was a little too short for me to get very involved with it.