Pursued by the charming Jonathan Strange, she soon becomes the wife of the self-taught magician and becomes entwined in magical happenings. A handsome and daring man in his 30s, struggling to find his occupation and still living with his father – a crabby old man named Laurence.ĭesperate to win the hand of his beloved Arabella, he grasps at the opportunity of becoming a magician after a chance encounter with Vinculus, the magician of Threadneedle Street.Īrabella is a strong-willed and patient woman who also lives in Shropshire, where her brother Henry runs the local parish.

With a little help from Childermass, his cunning and surly man of business, he restores magic in England, and is encouraged to help the government in the war against Napoleon. Self-proclaimed as England’s greatest and only magician, he resides in Yorkshire at Hurtfew Abbey, a dark, brooding house with a beautifully magical library. Mr Norrell is an intellectual, reclusive, fussy man in his 50s. Here’s a guide to the strange and wonderful characters of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell… The seven-part series is currently airing at 9pm on Sunday nights on BBC One. Set at the beginning of the 19th century, England no longer believes in practical magic, until the reclusive Mr Norrell vows to prove himself England’s greatest magician.

Doctor Who writer Peter Harness (‘Kill the Moon’) has adapted Susanna Clarke’s bestselling novel Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell for BBC One.

Jonathan strange & mr norrell book