JS&MN - Chapters 13-20 (the catch-up edition)
From "The magician of Threadneedle-Street" to "The unlikely milliner".
Mr Norrell is visited in his library by Vinculus, the most famous of the street magicians, and Vinculus delivers a prophecy to a very unwilling Norrell.
Then the next chapter cuts to Laurence Strange--described from a new servant's perspective, and it's one awful picture. His new manservant was late with his sherry and so Laurence forces him to walk through the bramble-filled impassible road on a journey that had no real purpose. But Laurence Strange gets his comeuppance, and we are very briefly introduced to the other half of the title: Jonathan Strange, whose mother died when he was young and who spent his time split between his maternal relatives and under his father.
Lady Pole has risen to celebrity due to her resurrection and is holding her very first party as a married woman, a rather important event in her career. Sir Walter Pole's staff and hers have integrated under the direction of Stephen Black, Pole's butler. But on the evening of the dinner, the servants act strangely; though they are well-trained and steady, they are distracted and afraid, hearing ghostly pipes and people knocking at windows. In fact, the whole household starts hearing strange sounds like trees growing around the house and mournful music, and they become convinced the house is haunted.
In answering the bell for a sudden new location, Lost-Hope, Stephen accidentally steps into the world of the gentleman with the thistle-down hair, who is also hosting a party. The guests are fairy people, who know about England but don't visit the realm, because it's too dull and dreary.
Stephen comes back to England feeling exhausted--he feels he's got the aches of dancing all night without actually dancing. On his way home from Mrs Brandy's, where he's called over the curious appearance of twenty-five extra guineas--guineas that shine and sparkle in very strange ways though no one notices--Piccadilly turns into a magic wood and Stephen ends up back in the House of Lost-Hope. Lady Pole too is affected; she becomes listless again and says she wants to stop dancing. When Norrell is consulted about Lady Pole, he hastily says it's none of his business and then goes home to try to talk to the gentleman with the thistle-down hair.
Stephen, sitting exhausted in the Peep-O'Day-Boys club, suddenly meets the gentleman with the thistle-down hair sitting in the next booth over. Stephen politely requests to stop visiting the House of Lost Hope but the gentleman takes that as rather an insult. The gentleman is very set on freeing Stephen from the wicked Sir Walter and making him king of some sub-kingdom somewhere.
Norrell is somewhat successful in removing magicians from London; most pack up and leave when told they can't practice magic there anymore. Childermass shows up at Vinculus' booth in the shabby disguise of a milliner in order to convince Vinculus to leave, and they depart for a warmer and drier inn to talk about it.
--
I loved the stuff in the gentleman with the thistle-down hair's house. Like the colour of the box, which is "not exactly pale blue and not exactly grey, not precisely lavender and not precisely lilac", made from "the tears of spinsters of good family, who must live long lives of impeccable virtue and die without ever having had a day of true happiness!" (Rather ruthless there, especially in contrast to Stephen's remark.) Gowns of storms, shadows and rain; necklaces of broken promises and regrets. And then in Mrs Brandy's shop--Mercy (deserved), Mercy (undeserved), Ingratitude of Children, etc.
Why do you think Norrell is so adamant at removing all magicians (except him) from England? Is it vanity and the desire to be the only magician (because I mean, once he dies, then magic will be gone!) He's short-sighted, for sure. What do you guys think?
Stephen also seems more tired than just living two lives seems to suggest--he seems to have somehow taken one some of the traits of the fairy world--or at least gained more knowledge. As he walks through the house he thinks distantly that he knows this corridor goes towards the Eastern Armoury etc. And he seems to have the same thoughts of dreariness as the House of Lost Hope itself.
Next week, from chapters 21-25 - unfortunately I did not actually look at the chapter layouts so we're going to do the last two chapters of the first volume and then three of the next, in one week. Oops. From "The cards of Marseilles" into Volume II's "Another magician". Apologies again for the delays!
Crosspost: http://silverflight8.dreamwidth.org/155556.html.
Mr Norrell is visited in his library by Vinculus, the most famous of the street magicians, and Vinculus delivers a prophecy to a very unwilling Norrell.
Then the next chapter cuts to Laurence Strange--described from a new servant's perspective, and it's one awful picture. His new manservant was late with his sherry and so Laurence forces him to walk through the bramble-filled impassible road on a journey that had no real purpose. But Laurence Strange gets his comeuppance, and we are very briefly introduced to the other half of the title: Jonathan Strange, whose mother died when he was young and who spent his time split between his maternal relatives and under his father.
Lady Pole has risen to celebrity due to her resurrection and is holding her very first party as a married woman, a rather important event in her career. Sir Walter Pole's staff and hers have integrated under the direction of Stephen Black, Pole's butler. But on the evening of the dinner, the servants act strangely; though they are well-trained and steady, they are distracted and afraid, hearing ghostly pipes and people knocking at windows. In fact, the whole household starts hearing strange sounds like trees growing around the house and mournful music, and they become convinced the house is haunted.
In answering the bell for a sudden new location, Lost-Hope, Stephen accidentally steps into the world of the gentleman with the thistle-down hair, who is also hosting a party. The guests are fairy people, who know about England but don't visit the realm, because it's too dull and dreary.
Stephen comes back to England feeling exhausted--he feels he's got the aches of dancing all night without actually dancing. On his way home from Mrs Brandy's, where he's called over the curious appearance of twenty-five extra guineas--guineas that shine and sparkle in very strange ways though no one notices--Piccadilly turns into a magic wood and Stephen ends up back in the House of Lost-Hope. Lady Pole too is affected; she becomes listless again and says she wants to stop dancing. When Norrell is consulted about Lady Pole, he hastily says it's none of his business and then goes home to try to talk to the gentleman with the thistle-down hair.
Stephen, sitting exhausted in the Peep-O'Day-Boys club, suddenly meets the gentleman with the thistle-down hair sitting in the next booth over. Stephen politely requests to stop visiting the House of Lost Hope but the gentleman takes that as rather an insult. The gentleman is very set on freeing Stephen from the wicked Sir Walter and making him king of some sub-kingdom somewhere.
Norrell is somewhat successful in removing magicians from London; most pack up and leave when told they can't practice magic there anymore. Childermass shows up at Vinculus' booth in the shabby disguise of a milliner in order to convince Vinculus to leave, and they depart for a warmer and drier inn to talk about it.
--
I loved the stuff in the gentleman with the thistle-down hair's house. Like the colour of the box, which is "not exactly pale blue and not exactly grey, not precisely lavender and not precisely lilac", made from "the tears of spinsters of good family, who must live long lives of impeccable virtue and die without ever having had a day of true happiness!" (Rather ruthless there, especially in contrast to Stephen's remark.) Gowns of storms, shadows and rain; necklaces of broken promises and regrets. And then in Mrs Brandy's shop--Mercy (deserved), Mercy (undeserved), Ingratitude of Children, etc.
Why do you think Norrell is so adamant at removing all magicians (except him) from England? Is it vanity and the desire to be the only magician (because I mean, once he dies, then magic will be gone!) He's short-sighted, for sure. What do you guys think?
Stephen also seems more tired than just living two lives seems to suggest--he seems to have somehow taken one some of the traits of the fairy world--or at least gained more knowledge. As he walks through the house he thinks distantly that he knows this corridor goes towards the Eastern Armoury etc. And he seems to have the same thoughts of dreariness as the House of Lost Hope itself.
Next week, from chapters 21-25 - unfortunately I did not actually look at the chapter layouts so we're going to do the last two chapters of the first volume and then three of the next, in one week. Oops. From "The cards of Marseilles" into Volume II's "Another magician". Apologies again for the delays!
Crosspost: http://silverflight8.dreamwidth.org/155556.html.