The Eyre Affair

The Eyre Affair

by Jasper Fford

Prezi by: Theresa MacGillivray

PLOT SUMMARY

• This novel starts out with Thursday next, who is a renowned Special Operative in the works of literature

• In the process of this investigation, the mastermind behind it all and prime suspect, Acheron Hades, had injured Thursday and killed her SO-5 partner while in pursuit of Hades.

• While in the hospital, Thursday witnessed herself from the past tell her that Hades was still alive and to take the Spec-Ops job in Swindon; so she took the job to track down the tenacious Hades.

• Thursday then joins her new partner Bowden to discover that Hades had kidnapped her uncle Mycroft and took the Prose Portal in possession.

• Thursday must stop Hades from tainting the classics such as Chuzzlewit and Jane Eyre, as well as rescue her uncle Mycroft who invented it and is being used by Hades with the threat of killing his wife Polly.

CHARACTERIZATION

Protagonist

Thursday Next is the protagonist and the person who is telling the story through first person. Thursday is seen as very serious and intelligent; she loves books and sometimes has a crude sense of humor. She works very diligently in the Spec-Ops and has more experience in her job than most of her co-workers. This causes other intelligence divisions to be very interested in her deciphering abilities. Throughout the novel Thursday sets on the goal of catching or killing Hades and retrieving her Uncle held captive.

Antagonist

Acheron Hades is the antagonist in this novel who is a criminal renowned for mass murders all across England. He is a tenacious man that Thursday had struggled in apprehending in their first encounter. Hades steals the Prose Portal Mycroft created in order to tamper with the Chuzzlewit Manuscript he stole. But since Mycroft destroyed the manuscript before he could damage the story, he decided to go for Jane Eyre instead. With no true purpose but pure evil and malice, Hades strives to destroy what is important to Thursday.

Flat/Round

Mycroft Next would be a flat character since through out the whole novel, he is very predictable when it comes to his inventions. Mycroft main hobby is creating all sorts of devices and gadgets that are very extraordinary and unique. Though not all his inventions may deem useful, it is the Prose Portal that he created in which was a huge supporting factor for the outcome of the novel.

Jack Schitt is a very round character who has an

unexpected attitude towards certain characters. Schitt is the head of the Goliath corporation and is eager for Thursday to apprehend Hades in order to get custody over the Prose Portal. Schitt's true goal is to obtain the ultimate weapon known as the "plasma rifle" by entering the manual of this fictional weapon. Schitt even goes as far to join Hades in order to obtain it, but fails in doing so and is fatally trapped in a Edgar Allan Poe poem.

Static/Dynamic

Bowden Cable is Thursday's new partner in SO-27. He does not change throughout the novel; he trusts Thursday but can find some of her actions very reckless at times. He is a dependable ally of Thursday that ends up getting pulled into a long unexpected adventure.

Landen is Thursday's old love interest. He and Thursday stopped talking for 10 years after he told her he believed that her brother's death was his own fault. Landen encounters Thursday after 10 years and after Landen's apologies, Thursday finally forgives him. They marry at the end of the novel.

THEME

This whole novel centers around literature with the Spec-Ops that keep everything in order. I believe the theme of this novel is how much its loved and how important literature truly is. From hunting down manuscript thefts to deciphering a forged piece of literature, this novel revolves around keeping the writing that is cherished safe.

When Thursday Next enters Jane Eyre, she encounters Rochester who is indebted to Thursday after he is saved by her. Her devotion is what motivates him to tell her to believe in her heart as he does. This causes a parallel between Jane Eyre and Thursday Next.

As a critic states,

"Suspenseful and outlandish, absorbing and fun, The Eyre Affair is a caper unlike any other and an introduction to the imagination of a most distinctive writer and his singular fictional universe."

This novel's main importance is it's unique way of telling a story within a story.

MOTIF

• A motif that is has shown great importance in this novel would be the novel Jane Eyre.

• The novel Jane Eyre is Thursday's favorite novel that she had jumped into when she was a young child.

• The copy that she held in her breast pocket had saved her life when shot by Hades.

• It is also the book that Hades stole and hid inside in order to not be caught by Thursday. I think this show significance in how this story had affected Thursday and even literally helped save her own life, and catch Hades in the process.

A second motif would be the recurrence of Rochester from "Jane Eyre". He had encountered Thursday when she first entered "Jane Eyre' as a child. Secondly he had even appeared in her dream giving her useful advice. Lastly, when Thursday entered Jane Eyre he was helped by Thursday, so in return he had helped her.

SYMBOLISM

• The title itself of this novel represents the story of "Jane Eyre".

• When Thursday had changed the ending of "Jane Eyre", the ending was parallel to that of her own life. She wanted to escape her feelings.

• I believe the novel "Jane Eyre" symbolized Thursday Next's own life; hence it being her favorite book.

P L O T E L E M E N T S

Structure

Introduction

• Thursday Next is introduced as the main character and is part of Spec-Ops 27 and currently investigating the theft of the Chuzzlewit manuscript that Hades had stolen.

Conflict

• Hades has stolen the Prose Portal and kidnapped Thursday's uncle Mycroft.

Climax

• Thursday faces off with Hades inside "Jane Eyre" on top of the roof of the mansion that is engulfed in flames.

Resolution

• Thursday finally kills Hades and has the Prose Portal and her uncle Mycroft returned to her. She marries Landen in the end.

EXPOSITION

• In the beginning of the story it introduces Thursday Next and how she had been working for the Litera-Tech Spec-Ops in England for many years. Her experience and expertise is how her hunt for Hades had begun.

• It immediately starts with the sudden theft of the Chuzzlewit manuscript and the investigation taken place.

• Thus, Thursday is called in by Spec-Ops 5 to join them in tracking down the culprit Hades

Types of Conflicts

Inner and Outer conflicts

Thursday v. Landen

• Thursday and Landen's relationship had become very unstable due to Landen hurting Thursday's feelings. The conflict between their relationship had lasted until the end of the novel when it was finally resolved.

Thursday v. Self

• Thursday had struggled with her own feelings and how she wanted to live. She always avoided relationships and kept herself isolated. Her new friendships in the end helped fix this.

Jack Schitt v. Thursday

• Jack Schitt had become a minor anagonist in this novel; he intended to disrupt Thursday in any means to get what he wanted.

Thursday v. Hades

The biggest conflict in this novel was between Thursday and Hades. Hades had faced Thursday and failed in killing her when she was in pursuit of him. Thursday's main goal was to catch Hades and put an end to his evil plans. There were many failed attempts to catch Hades while trying to track him down.

CLIMAX

When Thursday enters "Jane Eyre" in order to follow after Hades, the story is taken into the highest point of tension. Thursday faces off with Hades on the roof of Rochester's manor. Bertha had chased Hades onto the roof and stabbed him with silver scissors. Hades cried out in pain and agony, and while Thursday's bullets remained useless, she remembered the silver bullet she had received from Spike.

Spike was in charge of dealing with the exorcising of Vampires and Werewolves; he had given Thursday a silver bullet to protect her from these creatures. Thursday loaded her gun with the silver bullet and shot Hades in the heart, killing him instantly.

Resolution

• At the end of the novel, Thursday had completed her goal of killing Hades and had Jack Schitt locked forever inside an Edgar Allen Poe poem so he could no longer dominate a weapon for the Crimean war. Not only does she succeed in killing a mass murderer, but she also creates an even better ending of "Jane Eyre" that had people we're able to respect and love.

"By the end, Thursday does more than save Jane Eyre from Acheron Hades, she saves it from itself, correcting a weakness that's bedeviled readers and critics for 150 years."

- Critic Review from Ron Charles

• Thursday finally married Landen after his own wedding with Daisy was interrupted with the help of Rochester from "Jane Eyre".

• The Point of View of this novel is first person. It is told through Thursday's perspective.

• I think it is first person because it is able to show Thursday's internal conflicts more efficiently, and can give a better in depth idea of how this protagonist deals with these conflicts and enemies she faces.

PLACE

Swinton, England

Inside the novel "Jane Eyre"

Zeitgeist

The Crimean war had a big effect on the country's mood; this caused a lot of controversial issues between those against and for the war. The whole country was in chaos because of it all.

The Significance

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THIS BOOK

This novel has very intense scenes and moments in which felt very lively and unreal. I particularly liked the scenes in which Thursday was inside Jane Eyre. It is as though there were two stories being told in one novel. I highly recommend this novel to fantasy loving fanatics

Why is it

a classic?

"Not really a mystery, sci-fi thriller, satire, or fluffy fantasy, this wild rumpus contains elements of all these but feels like a completely new genre."

- Mary Whipple - New England

The Eyre Affair isn't like every novel. It's even safe to say it doesn't have just one genre. It's unique style of story and writing gives a whole new outlook on any type of book. Quite literally it has a mix a different genres in the book itself. This novel could be considered a classic among literature due to it's new style of reading a book that takes place in another book.

WORK'S CITED

http://www.clker.com/cliparts/c/9/b/3/1217047809671033885open%20book.svg.hi.png

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thursdaycar2signed.jpg

http://img2.imagesbn.com/images/102170000/102173999.jpg

http://3guys1movie.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/nightmare-8.jpg

http://browse.deviantart.com/?q=the+eyre+affair#/d1l1rb6

http://www.booksshouldbefree.com/image/detail/Life-and-Adventures-of-Martin-Chuzzlewit.jpg

http://www.worldexecutive.com/cityguides/pics/london/wex_slideshow_london_01.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gSqWmU1tR5k/SIYc4m5yepI/AAAAAAAAA6w/uVIKQAcwMC4/s400/jane_eyre_title.jpg

"The Eyre Affair: Summary and Book Reviews of The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde, plus Links to an Excerpt from The Eyre Affair and a Biography of Jasper Fforde." BookBrowse.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. <http://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm/book_number/976/the-eyre-affair>

Charles, Ron. "Jane in Wonderland." Powells. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. <http://www.powells.com/review/2002_03_04>.

Whipple, Marry. "Customer Reviews The Eyre Affair: A Thursday Next Novel." Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: The Eyre Affair: A Thursday Next Novel. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. <http://www.amazon.com/The-Eyre-Affair-Thursday-Novel/product-reviews/0142001805>.

POINT

OF

VIEW

• The Prose Portal is a portal that enters you into a writing of literature such as a novel or poem.

• The Special Operations Network (or SO's they are called) consists of different departments

• Thursday Next had been apart of SO-27, but was later switched to SO-5 when a robbery of the Chuzzlewit manuscript was investigated and needed some assistance.

Setting

• Hades was claimed to have died in a car fire during the pursuit but Thursday was unconvinced.

TIME

This novel takes place in the 1980's and 30 years in the future when a sudden time travel takes place

Thursday Next

Acheron Hades

Jack Schitt

Mycroft Next

Landen Parke-Laine

Bowden Cable

• Since "Jane Eyre" took place in the 1800's; it mixed a more modern theme into an old fashion theme.

• With England at war with Russia, it enabled people such as Jack Schitt to find ways such as the "plasma rifle" to come about

END

drawn by me :D