unforum

[echidna]

[myf]

There's a new post on Amy's blog - she met Miss Havisham at St Olave's church, and videoed her. I couldn't hear it properly when I watched it earlier, so I need to sit down and pay attention when I view it again. I did notice some of it repeated stuff from the previous couple of notes, and I think it mentioned 12 books, including a clue telling us that Poe's Raven is another book affected.

I've dragged my sister into all this, and we're going to back up to London tomorrow. We'll have another trawl of Foyles, and hopefully will get to the Dickens House Museum. If we can manage it, I'd like to have a quick look at this church too. It's the second religious building (after St Paul's Cathedral) to figure in this. What with them and the bridal get-up, there must be some significance to it all.

If anyone can think of where the books might be refiled to, do please post here and share your thoughts. The ones we found already were:

• Wind In The Willows (in Crime),
• Wuthering Heights (in Relationships), and
• Pride & Prejudice (in Politics).

That leaves us with (at the very least):

• Alice in Wonderland,
• Frankenstein,
• Three Men In A Boat,
• Great Expectations,
• Picture of Dorian Gray,
• The Raven

I emailed Amy with a summary of what happened yesterday, so we'll see if anything comes of that. I also said that there is a suspicion of a ffake Ffforde, but didn't mention the odd Havi/ersham.

[myf]

Right, I've watched it again. Not got time to do the full transcript right now.

There are 12 books, two of which Amy's already found. Miss Havisham gives clues to the others, most of which I can get, but a couple of them I don't know what they are:

3rd - five sisters are universally acknowledged to be in want of something
4th - a woman wrote this modern Prometheus
5th - if you can't find this one, a croaking bird will be never more.
6th - my home is one of those in danger
7th - a portrait of depravity hidden in an attic
8th - a voyage to far off lands with little people, giants and wise horses
9th - the River Thames and a trio of men
10th - this author's conception was interrupted by a question about winding the clock
11th - this unlikely detective was neither Wednesday nor Friday, but will she ever hunt down Sunday?
12th - time is running out so follow the rabbit or it's off with all our heads.

If you know what book the clues refer to, please let me know! And please give suggestions of where they might have been refiled

[cows]

Though we already have 1, 2 and 3. Ill put them anyway

1) Wuthering Heights (Emily Brontë)

2) Wind in the Willows (Kenneth Grahame)

3 ) Pride and prejudice (Jane Austen)

4 ) google returns the Modern Promethus as Frankenstein - and I seem to remember some description like that when I studied it last year... (Mary Shelley)

5 ) The Raven ( Edgar Allan Poe)

6 ) I think Great Epectations, I believe Amy said "Great..." in the movie also (Charles Dickens)

7 ) The picture of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde)

8 ) I was thinking Gullivers travels at the little people and giants, horses im not so sure - I've never read it... Google says that "The Houyhnhnms" were horses in it, though whether they were wise or not ?? (Jonathan Swift)

9 ) Three men in a boat (aka To Say Nothing of the Dog apparently) by Jerome K. Jerome

10 ) The only one I struggled with, there was something about The Chronic Argonauts (H.G. Wells) But I don't think that either a) fits quite properly, and b) fits the time slot of 'classic' that we have had so far

11 ) Is obviously the Thursday Next series... (Jasper FForde) The one in particular about finding a villain called Sunday most likely - don't know which one that would be though

12 ) Alice in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll)

[myf]

That's pretty much what I've got so far. I admit I got stuck on the five sisters one, but looked it up. The others I knew or had a good idea. It's just that clock one that's got me stumped.

I've also Googled St Olave's church:

[cows]

Obviously the clock one relates to time, and the only reason I could see it doing so - would be Time Travel...

A christmas carol would fit into this as Scrooge changed by the end of the book... (Dickens)

Otherwise The time machine (H.G. Wells) springs to mind...

I think A Christmas Carol is more likely though

Also - I would have a good look in these genres:

[Trak26]

well done

[myf]

You might be on to something with that Chesterton thing. When I watched the video, I did think she said "he". I thought I'd misheard, and that it was referring to the Fforde books.

As it happens, on Saturday on a shelf near the Wind in the Willows, there was a scrap of paper. I even asked Fridge if he thought it was a clue, or just a coincidence. We thought it was the latter. What was on the paper? The words G. K. Chesterton "The Man Who Was Thursday" I'd never even heard of it until then!

[echidna]

I get nearly the same answers as cows got - just to confirm, "The Modern Prometheus" is the alternate title to Frankenstein and the Houyhnhnms in Gulliver's Travels most definitely believed they were wise.

I'm inclined to agree with Trak26 that the 11th is the GK Chesterton novel - it's more in keeping with the Classics theme plus Fforde's Thursday doesn't hunt down Sunday (as far as I know - I'm only on the 3rd book ).

I can also confirm that the mysterious 10th book is Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne in which Tristram begins his autobiography with the story of his conception, during which his mother interrupts the moment by asking a pointless question about the winding of the clock.

(I have to say, I'm loving this ARG )

[Trak26]

trying to be helpful

[Sarah B]

Just to add; there have been no villans named Sunday so far in Fforde's universe. The days of the week people are in Thursday's family.

In related news, I haven't heard from June but I have had a reply from Mr Ffake Ffforde.

[Trak26]

Like your ideas Sarah on where to relocate books, smart thinking.

Is there a classic story that is set in Swindon? With a male character? [apart from the Fforde series or maybe that is relevant - Im still reading the books]

Got to say the video of Amy and June was very funny. I will be sad if this ARG ends when the book is released, this is fun

[flossj]

all things fforde

[myf]

Re: all things fforde

[myf]

Re: all things fforde