With this, her breakthrough novel published in 2004, British author Susanna Clarke established herself squarely in the middle of the fantasy/magical realism genre. Though the novel's length (782 pages) and breadth of detail has undergone some scrutiny, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is clearly a superior work, blending the genres of history, culture, sorcery, magic and mysticism into a prolific, engaging tale.
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Though the Renaissance and Age of Enlightenment had rendered much medieval superstition obsolete by the year 1800, remnants of the old ways of magic and sorcery still aroused intrigue in select circles. In Britain especially, a country long affected by fascination with the supernatural, persons and groups preoccupied with magic were prevalent.
In 1806, a group in the north of England have formed a society known as The Learned Society of York Magicians. Essentially it involves several men who've accommodated magic (and its Faerie world counterpart) as a topic of scholarship, publishing some quite lengthy though largely unappealing papers derived from texts "on" (but not "of") magic. An intriguing new development occurs when the society discovers a reclusive, mysterious man named Mr. Norrell living a very ordinary life at a nearby abbey. The astounding thing about Mr. Norrell is that he is the proprietor of a library containing many lost and forgotten books, all "of" magic and all holding many strange, wondrous secrets from England's mystical past. Consequently, having absorbed the content of his collection over many years, Mr. Norrell is a real magician.
After meeting with the society (and with some gentle cajoling from its members), Mr. Norrell agrees on a trip to London where, in addition to a number of other fantastical feats, he resurrects a beautiful young woman from the dead. Instantly Mr. Norrell is engaged in service to the government whereby, despite his slight reluctance, he performs some quite astounding military maneuvers in the war with Napoleon. All is well until another magician named Jonathan Strange arrives, attracting favor not only for his equally magisterial conjurations and tricks, but for his refreshingly eager ambition and desire to display both. Though Mr. Norrell is initially pleased to discover another practicing magician, it soon becomes clear that each's ideas of how to use magic are very different. For Mr Norrell, magic is a very delicate matter, something to be undertaken with extreme caution and heed to the potential ramifications. Strange on the other hand sees no reason why magic can't be taken to its most powerful extreme. Their continued opposition soon escalates into a situation beyond the control of either man.
Authentic, sophisticated and scrupulously convincing, Susanna Clarke's masterful novel featuring the interwoven themes of history, magic, enchantment and sorcery is as complete a work on man's confrontations with the mystical realm as may ever be published. Fans of Neil Gaiman will find this awe-inspiring novel a worthy undertaking. Even its length, if viewed by the elongated standards of novels in the early nineteenth century, which in style and approach 'Norrell' closely resembles, can be understood and forgiven.
.Though the Renaissance and Age of Enlightenment had rendered much medieval superstition obsolete by the year 1800, remnants of the old ways of magic and sorcery still aroused intrigue in select circles. In Britain especially, a country long affected by fascination with the supernatural, persons and groups preoccupied with magic were prevalent.
In 1806, a group in the north of England have formed a society known as The Learned Society of York Magicians. Essentially it involves several men who've accommodated magic (and its Faerie world counterpart) as a topic of scholarship, publishing some quite lengthy though largely unappealing papers derived from texts "on" (but not "of") magic. An intriguing new development occurs when the society discovers a reclusive, mysterious man named Mr. Norrell living a very ordinary life at a nearby abbey. The astounding thing about Mr. Norrell is that he is the proprietor of a library containing many lost and forgotten books, all "of" magic and all holding many strange, wondrous secrets from England's mystical past. Consequently, having absorbed the content of his collection over many years, Mr. Norrell is a real magician.
After meeting with the society (and with some gentle cajoling from its members), Mr. Norrell agrees on a trip to London where, in addition to a number of other fantastical feats, he resurrects a beautiful young woman from the dead. Instantly Mr. Norrell is engaged in service to the government whereby, despite his slight reluctance, he performs some quite astounding military maneuvers in the war with Napoleon. All is well until another magician named Jonathan Strange arrives, attracting favor not only for his equally magisterial conjurations and tricks, but for his refreshingly eager ambition and desire to display both. Though Mr. Norrell is initially pleased to discover another practicing magician, it soon becomes clear that each's ideas of how to use magic are very different. For Mr Norrell, magic is a very delicate matter, something to be undertaken with extreme caution and heed to the potential ramifications. Strange on the other hand sees no reason why magic can't be taken to its most powerful extreme. Their continued opposition soon escalates into a situation beyond the control of either man.
Authentic, sophisticated and scrupulously convincing, Susanna Clarke's masterful novel featuring the interwoven themes of history, magic, enchantment and sorcery is as complete a work on man's confrontations with the mystical realm as may ever be published. Fans of Neil Gaiman will find this awe-inspiring novel a worthy undertaking. Even its length, if viewed by the elongated standards of novels in the early nineteenth century, which in style and approach 'Norrell' closely resembles, can be understood and forgiven.
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