The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #133110 Message #3017840
Posted By: McGrath of Harlow
28-Oct-10 - 01:10 PM
Thread Name: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Subject: RE: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
The folklore aspect lies in the stories Susanna Clarke slips in as cod-footnotes - and also in some of the episodes. I imagine sometime there may be an edition with a learned folklorist providing genuine footnotes to these, indicating traditional oral stories which Susanna has used.
And in rather a good set of ballad verses at one point -
Not long, not long my father said
Not long shall you be ours
The Raven King knows all too well
Which are the fairest flowers
The priest was all too worldly
Though he prayed and rang his bell
The Raven King three candles lit
The priest said it was well
Her arms were all too feeble
Though she claimed to love me so
The Raven King stretched out his hand
She sighed and let me go
This land is all too shallow
It is painted on the sky
And trembles like the wind-shook rain
When the Raven King goes by
For always and for always
I pray remember me
Upon the moors, beneath the stars
With the King's wild company.
(I didn't type that out myself - just put the first verse in Google, and up came - this blog by someone enthusing about the book. Saves the fingers.