Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
English Magic and Imperial Madness: The Anti-Colonial Politics of Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

English Magic and Imperial Madness: The Anti-Colonial Politics of Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

Mathews, Peter D.
Palumbo, Donald E.
Sullivan III, C. W.

Paperback

Series: Critical Explorations in Science Fiction and Fantasy, Book 78

Literary Criticism

ISBN10: 1476686270
ISBN13: 9781476686271
Publisher: McFarland & Company
Published: Nov 10 2021
Pages: 178
Weight: 0.50
Height: 0.47 Width: 5.83 Depth: 8.74
Language: English

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.

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