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Full Description
Regency England was a pivotal time of political uncertainty, with a changing monarchy, the Napoleonic Wars, and a population explosion in London. In Susanna Clarke's fantasy novel Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, the era is also witness to the unexpected return of magic. Locating the consequences of this eruption of magical unreason within the context of England's imperial history, this study examines Merlin and his legacy, the roles of magicians throughout history, the mythology of disenchantment, the racism at work in the character of Stephen Black, the meaning behind the fantasy of magic's return, and the Englishness of English magic itself. Looking at the larger historical context of magic and its links to colonialism, the book offers both a fuller understanding of the ethical visions underlying Clarke's groundbreaking novel of madness intertwined with magic, while challenging readers to rethink connections among national identity, rationality, and power.
Contents
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Preface
Prologue: Merlin's Legacy
A Mystic Robe of Midnight Blue
The Mythological Magician
Merlin's Imperial Legacy
Chapter 1. The Fantasy of a Return
The Modern Fantasy of Return
The Englishness of English Magic
Magic's Persistence
Chapter 2. Writing, Text, Mythology
All the Texts of the World
The Man Who Was Also a Book
Writing History, Writing Fiction
Chapter 3. An Artificial Myth
Dual Perspectives
The English Malady
Mythologies and Evasions
Chapter 4. Through the Looking-Glass
The Paper Mirror
The Monarch and the Mirror
The Nameless Slave
Chapter 5. Imperialism's Magic Helper
Anthropology and Unreason
The Illusionist's Mission
The Magic Helper
Chapter 6. The Reason of Unreason
Magic and Madness
Reason's Double
Reason and Unreason
Epilogue: New Constellations
The Starry Heavens
Endless Night
Beyond Disenchantment
The Sky Speaks
References
Index
