Dear Bookworms,
There are some things that only true readers really understand. The delight in the smell of an old book, the thrill over a long-anticipated copy of a favorite author’s newest work, that hollow sense of aimlessness after you’ve finished a long series, or the excitement of discovering a new series and knowing there are so many adventures yet to come.
If you are in the market now for a new series to sink your teeth into, then here is one you should consider: the Thursday Next novels by Jasper Fforde. The first novel, The Eyre Affair, sets the stage for the wild, zany and humorous adventures of literary detective Thursday Next. Yes, Thursday Next is the actual name of the protagonist. Get ready for lots of tongue-in-cheek humor with this series. Fforde especially has fun with the character names, including Commander Braxton Hicks, villain Acheron Hades and many others in addition to our heroine Thursday.
The Eyre Affair is set in an alternate reality of 1985 England where time travel is possible, extinct species are regenerated, and anything unusual is handled by one of the thirty divisions of the Special Operations Network, including any literature-related crime. For those who are avid fans of classic literature, this series has a lot to offer. Fforde has crafted a world in which literature plays a vital role in the lives of everyday people, and as he does so, incorporates references to a wide variety of famous works of literature.
For well-read readers, this is an enriching element that brings additional insight or humor into the story if one is familiar with the work being referenced. However, therein lies the catch. If unfamiliar with the particular book in question, you may at best be confused or at worst, have a future read ruined by spoilers. If you are like me, then neither of those options is very appealing.
So, for those of you interested in exploring Thursday’s world, but wishing to know beforehand which works of literature will be referenced, I have provided here a list of the books you’ll want to be familiar with going into The Eyre Affair. Please note that this list does not cover all materials mentioned in this book, as that list would be extremely long indeed, but only those that are crucial to the plotline of this novel or have some kind of spoiler mentioned.
What to Read Before Reading The Eyre Affair
* A healthy knowledge of the works of Shakespeare is recommended for this series. References to many of his works appear throughout. For this book, however, Richard III takes precedence.
1 = Significant spoilers and/or pertinence to the plot of this book.
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
- “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth
- Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens (mentioned frequently but no actual spoilers)
2 = References that reveal something about the classic but do not affect the plot of this book.
- Richard III by William Shakespeare
3 = Minor remarks that probably won’t spoil too much.
- Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlow
- Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
- Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens
- 1984 by George Orwell
I highly recommend this title as fun read. Check it out and if you find any spoilers that I missed, please leave a comment below and let me know!
Keep reading!
Live, Love, Learn