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Skipped booklogging the last couple weeks because I didn't do much reading (combination of lower energy and spent more time on puzzles) and most of that was French JS&MN. One day I will read something else, but for today this is still a short post focused on the one book.
Jonathan Strange et Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke, translated by Isabelle Delord-Philippe (whose initials I keep thinking should be NdT, but no, that stands for "note du traducteur"). I made it to Waterloo! Which did not actually have much footnoting by the translator, I assume because the French already know all about Waterloo. (This time it's been long enough since I read Les Mis that I wasn't really comparing it, perhaps I should also read Vanity Fair to see if it also influenced this chapter.)
Also, I seem to be seeing Northanger Abbey everywhere, but the description of Jonathan Strange's country house as the sort of place where a gothic novel could happen does remind me of that -- and Jonathan Strange, like Henry Tilney, had a terrible father who made his mother miserable before her early death. Also this description occurs in a section of the book that is very much Austenian comedy of manners, but is very shortly going to take a right turn into horror.
Also: I admire Susanna Clarke for having the nerve to insert multiple page-long footnotes into one of the most pivotal and emotionally intense scenes of the book.
Translator's footnotes have been less interesting, on the whole, though the translator did feel the need to footnote a mention of Oberon to remind us of A Midsummer Night's Dream, and let us know that she thinks it's great -- though John Uskglass being an human adopted by Oberon is an interesting parallel with Midsummer, I'm not sure I'd seen that.
I have just made it to the Byronic Italy section of the book, which I generally find a bit of a slog, we'll see how it goes. I don't think it had previously registered on me that Jonathan Strange first crosses paths with Byron and co. in Geneva, Mary Shelley is around and writing Frankenstein. I wish the author told us about her reaction to Strange!
Jonathan Strange et Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke, translated by Isabelle Delord-Philippe (whose initials I keep thinking should be NdT, but no, that stands for "note du traducteur"). I made it to Waterloo! Which did not actually have much footnoting by the translator, I assume because the French already know all about Waterloo. (This time it's been long enough since I read Les Mis that I wasn't really comparing it, perhaps I should also read Vanity Fair to see if it also influenced this chapter.)
Also, I seem to be seeing Northanger Abbey everywhere, but the description of Jonathan Strange's country house as the sort of place where a gothic novel could happen does remind me of that -- and Jonathan Strange, like Henry Tilney, had a terrible father who made his mother miserable before her early death. Also this description occurs in a section of the book that is very much Austenian comedy of manners, but is very shortly going to take a right turn into horror.
Also: I admire Susanna Clarke for having the nerve to insert multiple page-long footnotes into one of the most pivotal and emotionally intense scenes of the book.
Translator's footnotes have been less interesting, on the whole, though the translator did feel the need to footnote a mention of Oberon to remind us of A Midsummer Night's Dream, and let us know that she thinks it's great -- though John Uskglass being an human adopted by Oberon is an interesting parallel with Midsummer, I'm not sure I'd seen that.
I have just made it to the Byronic Italy section of the book, which I generally find a bit of a slog, we'll see how it goes. I don't think it had previously registered on me that Jonathan Strange first crosses paths with Byron and co. in Geneva, Mary Shelley is around and writing Frankenstein. I wish the author told us about her reaction to Strange!