Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
By Susanna Clarke
Reviewed by Ted Gioia
Remember that ridiculously long novel on magicians in a
fantastical England that came out in 2004? Who would have
thought that a supersized work of imaginative fiction—almost
900 pages long!—would find such
an enthusiastic audience? That
British lady certainly deserved her
Hugo Award for best novel, no?
What’s that you say? Harry Potter?
Hogwarts? I don’t know what
you're talking about. I’m referring
to Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell,
that exemplary 2004 fiction by
Susanna Clarke.
Let’s make this clear from the start:
Clarke was no J.K. Rowling imitator.
She began work on Jonathan Strange
& Mr Norrell back in 1993, four years before the publication
of the first Harry Potter novel. No less an authority than Neil
Gaiman backs up this chronology—and let’s allow Mr.
Gaiman to continue the story. "For the next decade, people
would ask me who my favourite authors were," Gaiman has
recalled, "and I would place Susanna Clarke on any lists I
made, explaining that she had written short stories, only a
handful but that each was a gem, that she was working on a
novel, and that one day everyone would have heard of her."
Gaiman’s prediction was finally validated when Clarke
completed the massive manuscript. Editors at Bloomsbury
had so much confidence in the book’s success that they
offered a £1 million advance for Jonathan Strange & Mr.
Norrell—but only after two other publishers turned it down
as unmarketable. The book climbed as high as number
three on the New York Times bestseller list and won a half-
dozen prestigious awards.
Certainly Pottermania helped pave the way for this novel's
commercial success. But in many ways, Clarke delivered a
far more peculiar and daring book than any of Rowling's
behemoths. Even classifying this novel presents issues.
Certainly it is a work of high fantasy and magical realism, but
it is also, in some degree, a historical novel as well as an
alternate history. It is also a bit of an anachronism: not only
is Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell set in the early 19th
century, but it reads like a novel written during that
same time period. Fantasy fiction fans beware: there’s
more Jane Austen and William Thackeray in this novel than
Middle-earth and Narnia.
Clarke’s approach to characterization, pacing and plotting all
show deep roots in the literary conventions of the Georgian
and Victorian eras. Even her word choices, turns of phrase
and allusions share this pedigree. "Davey was so liberally
coated in snow that one might have supposed that someone
had ordered a wax-works model of him and the plaster
mould was being prepared." An author today would hardly
think of comparing someone to a waxworks model, but
Madame Tussaud's wax figures were the sensation of
London during the period in which Clarke's novel is set,
and in the context of this novel the description is perfectly
apt. Here’s another telltale passage, the opening of chapter
nine, which could very well come out of a book that mixed
Jane Austen with zombies:
"It has been remarked (by a lady infinitely cleverer than the
present author) how kindly disposed the world in general
feels to young people who either die or marry. Imagine then
the interest that surrounded Miss Wintertowne! No young
lady had such advantages before: for she died upon the
Tuesday, was raised to life in the early hours of Wednesday
morning, and was married upon the Thursday; which some
people thought too much excitement for one week."
Clarke’s story begins in 1806, when magic is in a sad state of
decline throughout Britain. Magicians can still be found in
every city, but they are all theoretical magicians—who
merely study the history of magic and are not capable of
practicing it. They look back with nostalgia at the golden or
Aureate age when spells had not lost their efficacy. They
speak with reverence of Martin Pale, Ralph Stokesey,
Catherine of Winchester, Thomas Godbless and, above all, of
the Raven King—the master magicians of centuries past.
The tradition is dead and only the memory of former
greatness lingers on—yet many are still inspired to study the
surviving spell books and dream of a revival of wizardry.
In the midst of this age of diminished expectations, a new
magician with remarkable powers appears on the scene.
Gilbert Norrell, who lives in seclusion in Yorkshire, has
amassed the largest collection of magical books and
manuscripts in England. But Norrell claims that he is more
than a mere scholar, but a true practicing magician. When his
skills are put to the test, he stuns the gathered onlookers by
making all the statues in York Cathedral briefly come to life.
In the aftermath of this extraordinary demonstration, Norrell
moves to London and begins advising the government on the
use of magic in domestic affairs and the ongoing war against
Napoleon.
But Norrell overreaches when he attempts to bring the dead
fiancée of a government minister back to life. He enters into
a compact with a devious fairy, only to find that his dealings
have led to the bewitching of the resurrected young lady.
Eventually a host of unintended consequences result from
this misguided endeavor, setting up conflicts and com-
plications that continue throughout the duration of the novel.
A rival magician soon appears on the scene, a brash young
man named Jonathan Strange. Strange lacks Norrell’s
erudition and extensive library, but possesses a powerful
innate capacity for magic. The two wizards enter into an
uneasy partnership, with Norrell offering to tutor the
younger Strange—but only in the most cautious manner.
Norrell is drawn to Strange, finding in him a kindred spirit.
Despite this emotional connection, he remains a stubborn,
elusive teacher, and keeps the bulk of his library of magical
books out of Strange’s hands.
These two main plots—the rivalry between the two
magicians and the enchantments practiced by the sly fairy—
serve as the core stories that propel the novel forward over
the course of 850 pages. But much of the fun in this book
comes from the subplots and throwaway tales that Clarke
liberally provides. Often these show up in footnotes—there
are close to 200 in this book, some of them stand alone
stories in their own right. Other interludes bring our key
characters into contact with historic personages and
momentous events. Strange is enlisted to treat the madness
of King George III and assist the Duke of Wellington at the
battle of Waterloo. Lord Byron appears as an occasional
character, and even draws inspiration from Jonathan
Strange for his dramatic poem Manfred.
As Clarke’s meandering narrative moves towards its
conclusion, the tone becomes darker and the plot takes a
macabre turn. More characters fall under the spell of the
malevolent fairy, and both Norrell and Strange realize that
they may have let loose forces beyond their ability to contain
or control. By this point, the charming Potter-esque
qualities of Clarke’s novel have been subsumed by a
tormented Faustian theme. Perhaps the theoretical
magicians had it right in the first place: magic may well be
too dangerous for mere mortals to practice.
But even if spells are suspect, don't underestimate the spell
Susanna Clarke casts on her readers over the course of this
momentous book. By any measure, she has delivered one of
the great fantasy works of the modern day. Even so,
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell strikes me as a one-of-kind
work, quirky and unprecedented—creating its drama and
effects by following a formula that other authors imitate at
their own peril. Yet that, too, may be a measure of its
greatness.
By Susanna Clarke
Reviewed by Ted Gioia
Remember that ridiculously long novel on magicians in a
fantastical England that came out in 2004? Who would have
thought that a supersized work of imaginative fiction—almost
900 pages long!—would find such
an enthusiastic audience? That
British lady certainly deserved her
Hugo Award for best novel, no?
What’s that you say? Harry Potter?
Hogwarts? I don’t know what
you're talking about. I’m referring
to Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell,
that exemplary 2004 fiction by
Susanna Clarke.
Let’s make this clear from the start:
Clarke was no J.K. Rowling imitator.
She began work on Jonathan Strange
& Mr Norrell back in 1993, four years before the publication
of the first Harry Potter novel. No less an authority than Neil
Gaiman backs up this chronology—and let’s allow Mr.
Gaiman to continue the story. "For the next decade, people
would ask me who my favourite authors were," Gaiman has
recalled, "and I would place Susanna Clarke on any lists I
made, explaining that she had written short stories, only a
handful but that each was a gem, that she was working on a
novel, and that one day everyone would have heard of her."
Gaiman’s prediction was finally validated when Clarke
completed the massive manuscript. Editors at Bloomsbury
had so much confidence in the book’s success that they
offered a £1 million advance for Jonathan Strange & Mr.
Norrell—but only after two other publishers turned it down
as unmarketable. The book climbed as high as number
three on the New York Times bestseller list and won a half-
dozen prestigious awards.
Certainly Pottermania helped pave the way for this novel's
commercial success. But in many ways, Clarke delivered a
far more peculiar and daring book than any of Rowling's
behemoths. Even classifying this novel presents issues.
Certainly it is a work of high fantasy and magical realism, but
it is also, in some degree, a historical novel as well as an
alternate history. It is also a bit of an anachronism: not only
is Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell set in the early 19th
century, but it reads like a novel written during that
same time period. Fantasy fiction fans beware: there’s
more Jane Austen and William Thackeray in this novel than
Middle-earth and Narnia.
Clarke’s approach to characterization, pacing and plotting all
show deep roots in the literary conventions of the Georgian
and Victorian eras. Even her word choices, turns of phrase
and allusions share this pedigree. "Davey was so liberally
coated in snow that one might have supposed that someone
had ordered a wax-works model of him and the plaster
mould was being prepared." An author today would hardly
think of comparing someone to a waxworks model, but
Madame Tussaud's wax figures were the sensation of
London during the period in which Clarke's novel is set,
and in the context of this novel the description is perfectly
apt. Here’s another telltale passage, the opening of chapter
nine, which could very well come out of a book that mixed
Jane Austen with zombies:
"It has been remarked (by a lady infinitely cleverer than the
present author) how kindly disposed the world in general
feels to young people who either die or marry. Imagine then
the interest that surrounded Miss Wintertowne! No young
lady had such advantages before: for she died upon the
Tuesday, was raised to life in the early hours of Wednesday
morning, and was married upon the Thursday; which some
people thought too much excitement for one week."
Clarke’s story begins in 1806, when magic is in a sad state of
decline throughout Britain. Magicians can still be found in
every city, but they are all theoretical magicians—who
merely study the history of magic and are not capable of
practicing it. They look back with nostalgia at the golden or
Aureate age when spells had not lost their efficacy. They
speak with reverence of Martin Pale, Ralph Stokesey,
Catherine of Winchester, Thomas Godbless and, above all, of
the Raven King—the master magicians of centuries past.
The tradition is dead and only the memory of former
greatness lingers on—yet many are still inspired to study the
surviving spell books and dream of a revival of wizardry.
In the midst of this age of diminished expectations, a new
magician with remarkable powers appears on the scene.
Gilbert Norrell, who lives in seclusion in Yorkshire, has
amassed the largest collection of magical books and
manuscripts in England. But Norrell claims that he is more
than a mere scholar, but a true practicing magician. When his
skills are put to the test, he stuns the gathered onlookers by
making all the statues in York Cathedral briefly come to life.
In the aftermath of this extraordinary demonstration, Norrell
moves to London and begins advising the government on the
use of magic in domestic affairs and the ongoing war against
Napoleon.
But Norrell overreaches when he attempts to bring the dead
fiancée of a government minister back to life. He enters into
a compact with a devious fairy, only to find that his dealings
have led to the bewitching of the resurrected young lady.
Eventually a host of unintended consequences result from
this misguided endeavor, setting up conflicts and com-
plications that continue throughout the duration of the novel.
A rival magician soon appears on the scene, a brash young
man named Jonathan Strange. Strange lacks Norrell’s
erudition and extensive library, but possesses a powerful
innate capacity for magic. The two wizards enter into an
uneasy partnership, with Norrell offering to tutor the
younger Strange—but only in the most cautious manner.
Norrell is drawn to Strange, finding in him a kindred spirit.
Despite this emotional connection, he remains a stubborn,
elusive teacher, and keeps the bulk of his library of magical
books out of Strange’s hands.
These two main plots—the rivalry between the two
magicians and the enchantments practiced by the sly fairy—
serve as the core stories that propel the novel forward over
the course of 850 pages. But much of the fun in this book
comes from the subplots and throwaway tales that Clarke
liberally provides. Often these show up in footnotes—there
are close to 200 in this book, some of them stand alone
stories in their own right. Other interludes bring our key
characters into contact with historic personages and
momentous events. Strange is enlisted to treat the madness
of King George III and assist the Duke of Wellington at the
battle of Waterloo. Lord Byron appears as an occasional
character, and even draws inspiration from Jonathan
Strange for his dramatic poem Manfred.
As Clarke’s meandering narrative moves towards its
conclusion, the tone becomes darker and the plot takes a
macabre turn. More characters fall under the spell of the
malevolent fairy, and both Norrell and Strange realize that
they may have let loose forces beyond their ability to contain
or control. By this point, the charming Potter-esque
qualities of Clarke’s novel have been subsumed by a
tormented Faustian theme. Perhaps the theoretical
magicians had it right in the first place: magic may well be
too dangerous for mere mortals to practice.
But even if spells are suspect, don't underestimate the spell
Susanna Clarke casts on her readers over the course of this
momentous book. By any measure, she has delivered one of
the great fantasy works of the modern day. Even so,
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell strikes me as a one-of-kind
work, quirky and unprecedented—creating its drama and
effects by following a formula that other authors imitate at
their own peril. Yet that, too, may be a measure of its
greatness.
| conceptual fiction |
Follow Ted Gioia on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/tedgioia
Conceptual Fiction:
A Reading List
(with links to reviews)
Home Page
Abbott, Edwin A.
Flatland
Adams, Douglas
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Amis, Martin
Time's Arrow
Asimov, Isaac
The Foundation Trilogy
Asimov, Isaac
I, Robot
Atwood, Margaret
The Handmaid's Tale
Banks, Iain M.
The State of the Art
Ballard, J.G.
Crash
Ballard, J.G.
The Crystal World
Bester, Alfred
The Demolished Man
Bradbury, Ray
Dandelion Wine
Bradbury, Ray
Fahrenheit 451
Bradbury, Ray
The Illustrated Man
Bradbury, Ray
The Martian Chronicles
Bradbury, Ray
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Burgess, Anthony
A Clockwork Orange
Card, Orson Scott
Ender's Game
Chabon, Michael
The Yiddish Policemen's Union
Chiang, Ted
Stories of Your Life and Others
Clarke, Arthur C.
Childhood's End
Clarke, Arthur C.
A Fall of Moondust
Clarke, Arthur C.
2001: A Space Odyssey
Clarke, Susanna
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Danielewski, Mark Z.
House of Leaves
Dick, Philip K.
Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said
Dick, Philip K.
The Man in the High Castle
Dick, Philip K.
Ubik
Doctorow, Cory
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom
Gaiman, Neil
American Gods
Gibson, William
Burning Chrome
Gibson, William
Neuromancer
Haldeman, Joe
The Forever War
Hall, Steven
The Raw Shark Texts
Harrison, M. John
Light
Heinlein, Robert
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
Heinlein, Robert:
Stranger in a Strange Land
Heinlein, Robert
Time Enough for Love
Herbert, Frank
Dune
Huxley, Aldous
Brave New World
Le Guin, Ursula K.
The Lathe of Heaven
Le Guin, Ursula K.
The Left Hand of Darkness
Leiber, Fritz
The Big Time
Leiber, Fritz
Conjure Wife
Leiber, Fritz
Swords & Deviltry
Leiber, Fritz
The Wanderer
Lem, Stanislaw
His Master's Voice
Lem, Stanislaw
Solaris
Lethem, Jonathan
The Fortress of Solitude
Lewis, C. S.
The Chronicles of Narnia
Márquez, Gabriel García
100 Years of Solitude
McCarthy, Cormac
The Road
Miéville, China
Perdido Street Station
Miller, Jr., Walter M.
A Canticle for Leibowitz
Mitchell, David
Cloud Atlas
Niffenegger, Audrey
The Time Traveler's Wife
Niven, Larry
Ringworld
Noon, Jeff
Vurt
Okri, Ben
The Famished Road
Pohl, Frederik
Gateway
Pynchon, Thomas
Gravity's Rainbow
Robinson, Kim Stanley
Red Mars
Rowling, J.K.
Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone
Saramago, José
Blindness
Shelley, Mary
Frankenstein
Silverberg, Robert
Dying Inside
Silverberg, Robert
Nightwings
Simak, Clifford
City
Simak, Clifford
The Trouble with Tycho
Smith, Cordwainer
Norstrilia
Smith, Cordwainer
The Rediscovery of Man
Stephenson, Neal
Snow Crash
Stross, Charles
Glasshouse
Sturgeon, Theodore
More Than Human
Sturgeon, Theodore
Some of Your Blood
Van Vogt, A.E.
The World of Null A
Verne, Jules:
Around the Moon
Verne, Jules:
From the Earth to the Moon
Verne, Jules:
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Wallace, David Foster
Infinite Jest
Wells, H.G.
The First Men in the Moon
Wells, H.G.
The Island of Dr. Moreau
Wells, H.G.
The Time Machine
Zelazny, Roger
Lord of Light
Special Features
Notes on Conceptual Fiction
Ray Bradbury: A Tribute
Remembering Fritz Leiber
Curse You, Neil Armstrong!
Robert Heinlein at 100
Links to related sites
The New Canon
Great Books Guide
Postmodern Mystery
Ted Gioia's web site
SF Site
io9
Graeme's Fantasy Book Review
Los Angeles Review of Books
Jospeh Peschel
The Misread City
Reviews and Responses
SF Signal
True Science Fiction
Disclosure: Conceptual Fiction and its
sister sites may receive review copies
and promotional materials from
publishers, authors, publicists or other
parties.
www.twitter.com/tedgioia
Conceptual Fiction:
A Reading List
(with links to reviews)
Home Page
Abbott, Edwin A.
Flatland
Adams, Douglas
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Amis, Martin
Time's Arrow
Asimov, Isaac
The Foundation Trilogy
Asimov, Isaac
I, Robot
Atwood, Margaret
The Handmaid's Tale
Banks, Iain M.
The State of the Art
Ballard, J.G.
Crash
Ballard, J.G.
The Crystal World
Bester, Alfred
The Demolished Man
Bradbury, Ray
Dandelion Wine
Bradbury, Ray
Fahrenheit 451
Bradbury, Ray
The Illustrated Man
Bradbury, Ray
The Martian Chronicles
Bradbury, Ray
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Burgess, Anthony
A Clockwork Orange
Card, Orson Scott
Ender's Game
Chabon, Michael
The Yiddish Policemen's Union
Chiang, Ted
Stories of Your Life and Others
Clarke, Arthur C.
Childhood's End
Clarke, Arthur C.
A Fall of Moondust
Clarke, Arthur C.
2001: A Space Odyssey
Clarke, Susanna
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Danielewski, Mark Z.
House of Leaves
Dick, Philip K.
Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said
Dick, Philip K.
The Man in the High Castle
Dick, Philip K.
Ubik
Doctorow, Cory
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom
Gaiman, Neil
American Gods
Gibson, William
Burning Chrome
Gibson, William
Neuromancer
Haldeman, Joe
The Forever War
Hall, Steven
The Raw Shark Texts
Harrison, M. John
Light
Heinlein, Robert
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
Heinlein, Robert:
Stranger in a Strange Land
Heinlein, Robert
Time Enough for Love
Herbert, Frank
Dune
Huxley, Aldous
Brave New World
Le Guin, Ursula K.
The Lathe of Heaven
Le Guin, Ursula K.
The Left Hand of Darkness
Leiber, Fritz
The Big Time
Leiber, Fritz
Conjure Wife
Leiber, Fritz
Swords & Deviltry
Leiber, Fritz
The Wanderer
Lem, Stanislaw
His Master's Voice
Lem, Stanislaw
Solaris
Lethem, Jonathan
The Fortress of Solitude
Lewis, C. S.
The Chronicles of Narnia
Márquez, Gabriel García
100 Years of Solitude
McCarthy, Cormac
The Road
Miéville, China
Perdido Street Station
Miller, Jr., Walter M.
A Canticle for Leibowitz
Mitchell, David
Cloud Atlas
Niffenegger, Audrey
The Time Traveler's Wife
Niven, Larry
Ringworld
Noon, Jeff
Vurt
Okri, Ben
The Famished Road
Pohl, Frederik
Gateway
Pynchon, Thomas
Gravity's Rainbow
Robinson, Kim Stanley
Red Mars
Rowling, J.K.
Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone
Saramago, José
Blindness
Shelley, Mary
Frankenstein
Silverberg, Robert
Dying Inside
Silverberg, Robert
Nightwings
Simak, Clifford
City
Simak, Clifford
The Trouble with Tycho
Smith, Cordwainer
Norstrilia
Smith, Cordwainer
The Rediscovery of Man
Stephenson, Neal
Snow Crash
Stross, Charles
Glasshouse
Sturgeon, Theodore
More Than Human
Sturgeon, Theodore
Some of Your Blood
Van Vogt, A.E.
The World of Null A
Verne, Jules:
Around the Moon
Verne, Jules:
From the Earth to the Moon
Verne, Jules:
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Wallace, David Foster
Infinite Jest
Wells, H.G.
The First Men in the Moon
Wells, H.G.
The Island of Dr. Moreau
Wells, H.G.
The Time Machine
Zelazny, Roger
Lord of Light
Special Features
Notes on Conceptual Fiction
Ray Bradbury: A Tribute
Remembering Fritz Leiber
Curse You, Neil Armstrong!
Robert Heinlein at 100
Links to related sites
The New Canon
Great Books Guide
Postmodern Mystery
Ted Gioia's web site
SF Site
io9
Graeme's Fantasy Book Review
Los Angeles Review of Books
Jospeh Peschel
The Misread City
Reviews and Responses
SF Signal
True Science Fiction
Disclosure: Conceptual Fiction and its
sister sites may receive review copies
and promotional materials from
publishers, authors, publicists or other
parties.