Intelligent Nonsense

I've just finished reading First Among Sequels (2007) by Jasper Fforde and thought he was a writer worth mentioning. This particular novel is the fifth in a series of 'Thursday Next' books, beginning with The Eyre Affair (2001), which chart Thursday - the heroine - and her adventures through Fforde's imagined version of the UK and through fiction. For more information visit http://www.jasperfforde.com/

Possibly the best thing about these novels is that the more widely you read in fiction - and indeed literature - in general, the more puns (especially on names) and jokes you will understand. Perhaps it's just me feeling smug but every reference to a book I've read, either with a pun or a joke based on the storyline of the book, is twice as funny. It would be possible to enjoy the books on the level of someone who's read little in the 'canon' of English literature as the writing style itself is not at all highbrow and there are many pointed remarks and satires about the UK itself embedded within the characters and politics of Fforde's 'real' world. It might also appeal to fans of fantasy, horror or sci-fi as there are references to all of these genres (for instance in the time travel storylines, brought prominently into the plot in First Among Sequels, and in Thursday's vampire and undead-killing co-worker Spike). Whatever your literary taste there is something amusing for you here.

Thursday herself is an engaging character, 'well-realised' as Fforde puts it, and convincingly human. There are often several plots happening in each book, and in First Among Sequels itself it did become a little overwhelming as I struggled to remember what three or four potentially disastrous conundrums Thursday had yet to solve. After Something Rotten (2004), the fourth book in the series, all the different plots seemed to be tied up so I wasn't expecting a fifth book. Things seem open for a sixth after the cliffhanger ending of First Among Sequels, though!

It's worth pointing out that Fforde has written two other books set in 'BookWorld': The Big Over Easy (2005) and The Fourth Bear (2006), which are in a detective thriller style but with Fforde's usual humour and well-paced storytelling. I've read the first and it was hilarious - Amazon describes the premise as follows: 'Minor baronet Humpty Stuyvesant Van Dumpty III has been found dead--and in pieces--beneath a wall in a less salubrious area of town. The perpetrator would appear to be his ex-wife, but she has shot herself. Detective Inspector Jack Spratt and his colleague Mary Mary are assigned to the case, and soon find themselves knee-deep in money-laundering, bullion smuggling and major problems with beanstalks.'

Overall, I encourage anyone with a passing interest in fiction to get hold of The Eyre Affair and enjoy. Although they are easy to read, I think they bear re-reading as you'll 'get' more of the jokes as you go along. However, if you are at all protective over books and don't like to see 'disrespect' shown to your favourites, stay away: Fforde obviously has a great affection for literature but doesn't mind gently poking fun (for example, Mrs Danvers from Rebecca becomes a character which is cloned and infests BookWorld!).

Also on the 'reading list': I finally finished Ann Radcliffe's The Italian (1797), which is on my reading list for the module I'm studying on literature of the Romantic period. I can't say I particularly enjoyed it but at least I've read it (albeit 2 months after I was supposed to...!). I then read Jane Austen's Persuasion (pub. 1818) which we'll be studying soon, and enjoyed it much more the second time around. I have a tendency to think Austen a little overrated, but I appreciated her elegant style much more this time, and the realistic way Anne reacts to situations and manoeuvres herself in order to gently get what she wants! On the other end of the spectrum I've been reading Christopher Marlowe's Hero and Leander (1593) and some of John Donne's (1572-1631) poetry for my Renaissance literature module - which I've been enjoying much more than Romanticism! I'm sure I'll write about Donne at some point as I love his stuff. Lastly, after loving An Equal Music (1999) and A Suitable Boy (1993), I picked up Vikram Seth's Two Lives (2005) and began reading it before Easter and am loving it. I didn't realise Seth was also a poet, although considering how much of his own stuff is in A Suitable Boy I should have picked up on it, so I'm planning to get hold of some of that as well. I think I've raved about his prose before; I think it's beautiful, and am looking forward to enjoying the rest of Two Lives, an account of the lives of his Indian uncle and German aunt who had a profound impact on his teenage life.