What I Am Reading: "Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell" by Susanna Clarke

I was in the mood for a light touch of the gothic from having watched the Showtime series Penny Dreadful over the past few weeks, a very fun and over-the-top mashup of classic Victorian characters and modern horror tropes. I wanted to hit up some fiction this month, and was struck by the idea to read Jonathan Strange and Mr [sic] Norrell because, beyond just being one of those books you’ve seen around someplace, it was brought back to (my) cultural consciousness last year when its author, Susanna Clark, published a new novel, Piranesi.

This book is not quite the same late 19th century Victorian gothic as Penny Dreadful; JS & Mr N is set in the earlier part of that century, in the last decade of the Napoleonic Wars and the few years beyond. The book’s style is that of a sort of parodic or modernized version of the 19th century English novel, at least to my understanding. That is a genre and era that I am not particularly familiar with. The writing is very droll, with whimsical descriptions and footnotes, deadpan descriptions and somewhat over-formal dialogue.

The story is about two magicians attempting to restore English magic. Magic is an open and established fact in the story, something that everyone learns a little about in school. However, the golden age of English magic has long since passed; they are not even on the decline at this point, as practical magic has functionally been extinct for centuries. There are only theoretical magicians and historians of magic, though their efforts to expand or continue their studies are usually shut down by Mr. Norrell, a peevish, suspicious country squire who is (unbeknownst to anyone) the country’s only practicing magician, having spent decades in secluded study.

Despite his ruthless gatekeeping of his chosen profession, as the story begins, Norrell has become convinced that the time for the restoration of English magic is at hand, and begins seeking publicity and political support for his efforts. His efforts are on good footing after a few well-timed spells and with some social and backchannel help, and he becomes England’s celebrated new magician, a critical contributor to the war effort. However, Mr. Norrell’s vision for English magic is severely proscribed: he has no intention of sharing his work with students, and keeps close guard over his hoarded library of books of magic. He especially has no use for the old style of magic practiced in the high-medieval era by the quasi-mythical Raven King, John Uskglass, who ruled the northern half of England. Uskglass’ magic was based on communion with Fairies, magical beings from another world, and Norrell considers Fairy magic a crutch stunting the development of an English magic that is able to stand on its own two feet.

Fairies aren’t really part of American folklore, tending to appear as helpful butterfly-people in Disney movies. They are an important part of British folklore, though, and it is a testament to this book and others like Changeling by Matt Wesolowski that I do find fairies to be unsettling, despite having to overcome that hurdle of association with wholesomeness.

After Mr. Norrell has established himself, his pupil Jonathan Strange emerges, an earnest young gentleman who settled on magic as as good a career as any, and who takes quickly to practical magic. Despite their differing temperaments, the two get along; Mr. Norrell finally has someone he can share his thoughts with, but still wants to remain in the catbird seat in the relationship and in English magic. However, the two soon start to drift apart and disagree, especially after Jonathan goes to help Wellington’s army in the peninsular campaign, and starts to conduct research and find applications that Norrell had not considered. The two eventually come to a rupture over the appropriateness of expanding the pool of practicing magicians and over the study of John Uskglass and his Fairy magic. This rivalry turns to hostility when Norrell, his secretiveness, and his toxic circle of political and social advisors cause the empowerment of a fairy nobleman who, having been summoned by one of Norrell’s first big spells, harasses the two magicians and pursues his own insane whims concerning them and their families.

The novel has a complicated and layered plot that is nevertheless very straightforward to follow, and enough interesting characters moving throughout its pages that there aren’t any dull elements to the story. A reader can come to like even characters such as Mr. Childermass, Norrell’s omnicompetent assistant who lurks in the shadows, pursuing first his master’s agenda, then his own. Despite the horrific and gothic elements introduced by malevolent fairy activity, the novel never loses its sense of whimsy, and it is always a pleasure to read a footnote citing a magical tome or relating some well-known event in the history of magic that a character will reference, but have no need to explain to their interlocutor (thus leaving the footnote to explain it to the reader). It does tend to focus heavily on its male characters, but I understand that Clark has published a short story collection set in the same universe that is more woman-focused. I’d definitely consider reading her again.