# Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, the novel: Does it ever get interesting?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-strange-mr-norrell-the-novel-does-it-ever-get-interesting/724526>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [July 7, 2015, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-strange-mr-norrell-the-novel-does-it-ever-get-interesting/724526 "2015-07-07T23:41:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 5

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**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\
**Post date:** [February 14, 2017, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-strange-mr-norrell-the-novel-does-it-ever-get-interesting/724526/81 "2017-02-14T18:50:50Z")

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> [@Sunny\_Daze](#):
>
> But there are other magicians that arrive after them: Part of their purpose is return magic.
> 
> Also - there is one part of the ending that doesn’t make sense to me at.
> 
> The death of the Gentleman with the Thistledown Hair undoes all of his works except the Darkness around Strange (and Norrell). Why? This does not compute.

[spoiler]The other works were generally based on his position as King. He gets replaced as King by Stephen, and the whole basis of his kingdom changes instantly. The Gentleman with the Thistledown Hair was so arrogant that he never even considered the fact that he could be replaced.

His darkness spell I believe he made self-perpetuating, putting a good deal of his power into doing so. [/spoiler]

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