tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83711936671766547222024-03-29T08:11:43.492-04:00The Farting Sofa Faculty LoungeOnce upon a time, a fine fake-leather Sofa served a Denmark Street detectives' office, enthusiastically cheering on the PIs every time it was sat upon. Tragically, following some minor bomb damage, the Sofa was discarded by its owners.
Happily, some cash-strapped Professors rescued it from the trash bin and, after a lot of TLC and adhesive vinyl, the Sofa was reborn. It now provides posterior respite for Faculty and Guests discussing their favorite books, film and television programs. Louise Freeman Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10723489503466474801noreply@blogger.comBlogger118125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371193667176654722.post-77625736889278154652024-03-19T17:54:00.005-04:002024-03-21T17:45:02.818-04:00Charlotte Campbell-Ross: A Psychological and Literary Look at her Life and Death. <span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyRVppbOv_fgxBh6glQoLD8mcGV21QjRWUMmgjFVuo_4Hjl9OUs_uV0jVVyuw2zjcPAzSfMIc7sDl5yvsKuHf4HH-fWpMxm5222cMpZSVHqD7dA1R8sSATi3xUkh5YYhNNQV_AfhEIQyiAu5YqPSdbPJXDsDVUuOFaui_Jzajw4i2xfDXYP9SzCyuf433O/s1550/Charlotte.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1033" data-original-width="1550" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyRVppbOv_fgxBh6glQoLD8mcGV21QjRWUMmgjFVuo_4Hjl9OUs_uV0jVVyuw2zjcPAzSfMIc7sDl5yvsKuHf4HH-fWpMxm5222cMpZSVHqD7dA1R8sSATi3xUkh5YYhNNQV_AfhEIQyiAu5YqPSdbPJXDsDVUuOFaui_Jzajw4i2xfDXYP9SzCyuf433O/s320/Charlotte.webp" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;">The death of Charlotte Campbell-Ross was the central and certainly one of the most shocking turns of events in <i>The Running Grave</i>. For me, it was the part where the book genuinely turned into a "can't put it down" page-turner, and, <a href="https://fartingsofafaculty.blogspot.com/2023/09/the-running-grave-initial-read-through_45.html#more" target="_blank">when I originally blogged about it</a>, I was simultaneously teary-eyed and searching Youtube for "Ding Dong the Wicked Witch is Dead" clips to include. </span><p></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;">Last November, my friend and <a href="https://threebroomstickspod.com/episode-17-strike-7-the-strike-agency-camping-trip/" target="_blank">co-podcast guest </a>Nick Jeffrey published <a href="https://hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/p/the-strange-death-of-charlotte-campbell" target="_blank">a post suggesting that Charlotte did not kill herself but was instead murdered</a>, probably by a member of her own family. I usually find Nick's arguments pretty compelling, so I read his post thoroughly, digested his arguments and then, most atypically, found myself entirely unconvinced. </span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;">I think there are psychological, practical, and literary reasons to take MiLady Berzerko's death at face value. Forced to accept that "Bluey" wanted nothing more to do with her, intoxicated and drugged, she left a series of voicemails for Strike, initially begging for his attention and, when that failed, threatened the things she knew he valued most---his agency's public reputation and his relationship with Robin. She entered the bath and slit her wrists, probably thinking there was at least a chance Strike would show up, intent on stopping her following through on her threats, but wind up rescuing her instead. After all, he managed to save her when she was locked away in Symond's house. And, if not, her spiteful suicide note, in which she blamed everyone but herself for her misery, would leave a bit of her hate for Strike and her family--including her three-year old twins--to carry forever. At that point, facing life without "Bluey" and finally facing criminal charges for her violent behavior, she was desperate enough to accept either outcome. Her actions were selfish and manipulative, right to the end, and entirely consistent with how her character has been described ever since university. Why do I think so? The evidence comes after the jump. <span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYqzvudiBhNabs61l5PE_HBDml2XLayJNuJEmdXFIRHw3CcpMUF7RjIB3vHfHnHG4ZZxH09zIV6xXgmxZg81vgaH5rq9amXpnL26OCdc36PDMEb_WPUFjC8QIgaXSaEBJ0_Z18yMVl5aU_Qfd8dhhJDJj2d6WUMSTPcdvo5CisxRFhBioOtHlldOjTfXt/s300/Suicide%20risk.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYqzvudiBhNabs61l5PE_HBDml2XLayJNuJEmdXFIRHw3CcpMUF7RjIB3vHfHnHG4ZZxH09zIV6xXgmxZg81vgaH5rq9amXpnL26OCdc36PDMEb_WPUFjC8QIgaXSaEBJ0_Z18yMVl5aU_Qfd8dhhJDJj2d6WUMSTPcdvo5CisxRFhBioOtHlldOjTfXt/s1600/Suicide%20risk.jpeg" width="300" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><b>From a psychological perspective, suicide is by far the most reasonable explanation for Charlotte's death.</b> </span><a href="https://journals.shareok.org/studyandscrutiny/article/view/121" target="_blank">The first peer-reviewed Harry Potter paper I ever published</a><span style="color: #222222;"> was about psychology in that series and how mental illnesses were represented in a way entirely consistent with diagnostic criteria. The <i>Cormoran Strike</i> series has continued that tradition, showing us realistic depictions of PTSD, panic disorder, BIID, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder and psychopathy. </span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;">Charlotte Campbell was a poster child for suicide risk. If the entire population of London turned out for a "Most Likely to Commit Suicide" contest, Charlotte would win. Unlike the cases of Lula Landry and Jasper Chiswell, there were no friends or family coming forward to say that Charlotte would never do such a thing, or wasn't in the right frame of mind to kill herself. Because, nobody could truthfully say that. </span></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;">The following is a list of risk factors from the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/factors/index.html" target="_blank">US Center for Disease Control's page on suicide prevention</a>. </span><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;"> In red, I've added indicators explaining which ones apply to Charlotte. Please notice, there is a lot of red. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><u>Individual Risk Factors: </u></span>These personal factors contribute to risk:</span></p><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 25px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0.4rem;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Previous suicide attempt: <span style="color: red;">Perhaps the strongest predictor of a future suicide attempt is a past one. C</span><span style="color: red;">harlotte has had at least three previous suicide attempts, two of which were nearly successful. She has made multiple other threats, often to Strike if he didn't do what she wanted. And he clearly wan't doing what she wanted. </span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0.4rem;"><span style="font-family: arial;">History of depression and other mental illnesses: <span style="color: red;">Charlotte has been hospitalized for mental illness several times, starting in her teens.</span><span style="color: red;"> According to Strike, she had multiple diagnoses and many different medications. </span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0.4rem;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Serious illness such as chronic pain:<span style="color: #ffa400;"> There is a slim possibility that Charlotte had breast cancer, although it seems much more likely that she lied about that. In the absence of definitive knowledge, this one will have to be a "maybe." so I'll make it orange instead of red. </span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0.4rem;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Criminal/legal problems: <span style="color: red;">Charlotte has just been arrested and was facing criminal charges for assault on Landon Dormer, in addition to going through a difficult divorce the previous year. </span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0.4rem;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Job/financial problems or loss: <span style="color: red;">Charlotte probably has enough money of her own so as not to be experiencing anything that a normal person would call a financial problem. However, she is divorced from the presumably much wealthier and titled Jago Ross and has recently ended a relationship with a billionaire. She may well perceive a financial loss as a result of losing access to those sources of wealth and prestige.</span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0.4rem;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Impulsive or aggressive tendencies: <span style="color: red;">Charlotte has a history of physically attacking Strike, and, more recently Landon Dormer. She has been leaving messages on Strike's answering machine, threatening to inform on him to the media or to Robin. </span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0.4rem;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Substance use: <span style="color: red;">Charlotte regularly abuses alcohol and has been prescribed a variety of psychotropic drugs. Her glassy-eyed appearance in recent press photos make Strike suspect she is "taking something," She has alcohol and drugs in her system when her body is found. </span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0.4rem;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Current or prior history of adverse childhood experiences: <span style="color: red;">Although specific details are lacking, </span><span style="color: red;">Charlotte's childhood was said to be more dysfunctional that Strike's. There were multiple divorces and remarriages among her parents, and substance abuse in the extended family. There is at least one incident involving her father starting a dangerous fire in the home. We also know she ran away from school as a teenager. </span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0.4rem;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sense of hopelessness: <span style="color: #ffa400;">This is one that doesn't seem to exactly match Charlotte, though, in chapter 61, when listening to her final voicemails, Strike deduces that she "had admitted to herself" that Strike wasn't coming back. That could be considered giving up hope, at least on resuming that relationship. So, another "maybe" here. </span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Violence victimization and/or perpetration:<span style="color: red;"> Charlotte was both victim and perpetrator of violence. She was physically abused by Jago Ross, and violently attacked both Strike and Landon. It is also possible she physically abused her children or step-children; we are never told what Christabel Ross meant by her Reddit posts that described Charlotte as as bad as Jago. She certainly had no qualms leaving her twins with a violent father. </span></span></li></ul><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thus, of the ten individual risk factors for suicide, Charlotte has eight of them, and most of them have multiple examples. Additionally, there are possibilities for events that would qualify for the remaining two. If someone chose this moment to murder her, they were the luckiest killer to come around since Janice Beattie, to select such a victim. You can almost literally say Charlotte had "every reason in the world" to kill herself. </span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><b>Other practical reasons that make a future Charlotte-murder plotline unlikely.</b></span></span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><u style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;">Wrist-slicing murders staged as suicides are </span><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1344622323000470" target="_blank">extraordinarily rare</a></u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;"><u>,</u> with only a </span><a href="https://ibommedicaljournal.org/index.php/imjhome/article/view/90/183" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank">handful of cases </a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;"> ever reported. Based on my admittedly quick perusal of the scientific literature, I located 3, meaning that there are far more </span><a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/serial-killer-nurses/april-a-taylor" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank">serial killer nurses</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;"> out there than there are murderers who slit people's wrists and try to pass it off as suicide. The probability that someone close to Charlotte would both choose that specific way of dispatching her and successfully hide the signs that the wounds were the actions of a second party rather than self-inflicted are about the same as <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/point-counterpoint-conceivability-thoughts-on-the-strike-daddy-theory-is-madeline-a-spurgler-burglar/" target="_blank">a pregnancy by swiped blow-job sperm;</a> theoretically possible but so unlikely as to strain credulity. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><u>Who is going to initiate the murder investigation?</u> Nick argues that someone in Charlotte's family was responsible for her murder. If that is true, and especially if there is an extended familial plot to cover up the crime, who would be left to request the investigation? One recurrent motif we have seen in the Strike series is that idea that, if the right person doesn't turn up and demand the truth, a lot of murderers can remain undiscovered. </span></span></li><ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;">John Bristow would have gotten away with Lula's and Charlie's murders if he hadn't decided to hire Strike. </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;">Leonora Quine would likely have spent life in prison had Strike not become convinced of her innocence. </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;">Janice Beattie could have kept on poisoning if <strike>Margot</strike> Anna hadn't spotted Strike in the Victory. </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;">Creed would never have confessed to Louise Tucker's murder if it were not for her father's decades of persistence and inquiry. </span></span></li></ul><li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;">Charlotte's family appear content to let the suicide verdict stand; Jago Ross is presumably not sorry she is dead, and Landon Dormer has no further concern for her. Charlotte appears to have many acquaintances, but no close friends to question her death and advocate for her. And, Strike clearly has no doubt about the inquest finding either. For him to investigate her murder, someone is going to have to barge into the agency and convince him to take on the case, and it's hard to imagine who that could be. </span></li></ul><p></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Nick summarizes four major literary reasons to suspect that Charlotte was murdered:</span></p><p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; background-color: white; color: #363737; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><blockquote><ol style="text-align: left;"><li style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; margin: var(--size-8) 0 0 var(--size-32);"><p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px; padding-left: var(--size-4);"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>The structure of the series suggests fake suicides in books 1-4-7-10 and the murder and investigation of Charlotte’s demise would latch the apparent 1-4-7 cycle to the putative 8-9-10 series close.</i></span></p></li><li style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; margin: var(--size-8) 0 0 var(--size-32);"><p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px; padding-left: var(--size-4);"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Sacha Legard’s invoking Lord Capulet about Juliet’s suicide is a literary allusion which, because that Shakespearean character’s death was a faked suicide as well as as her actually killing herself, points to Charlotte’s suicide being more complicated than it seems and that her family was somehow involved.</i></span></p></li><li style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; margin: var(--size-8) 0 0 var(--size-32);"><p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px; padding-left: var(--size-4);"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>The unanswered questions of Charlotte’s recent past and the end of her relationship with Strike are loose threads that need to be resolved if the series is to end in a satisfying manner.</i></span></p></li><li style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; margin: var(--size-8) 0 0 var(--size-32);"><p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px; padding-left: var(--size-4);"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><span style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0;">Amelia Crichton (mentioned briefly in every book from </span><span style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0;">Lethal White</span><span style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0;"> on) is too good of a character not to see again and her name is suggestive of a practical woman with reason for choosing not to be open with Strike. As in “not letting him see the suicide note” as Charlotte supposedly wanted her to do.</span></i></span></p></li></ol></blockquote><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My responses to each:</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">1: <b>The Juliet quotation: </b>I find the <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/6WIqJ5u2g8UP4GTvJZHi5p?si=5dbhz9NUR0KhpQodQ8tCYQ&nd=1&dlsi=7c726d83862949f8" target="_blank">interpretation of the Juliet quotation by Lindsay, Kenz, Pols and Shakespeare professor Kurt on The Strike and Ellacott files</a> more convincing. You can find it in the podcast recording, starting arounf 24 minutes. Charlotte, who lived "half-addicted to her own pain" thinks of herself as a tragic Juliet figure, killing herself over love. But Strike, Team Rational, recognizes Romeo and Juliet as a couple of messed-up, foolish kids with equally dysfunctional families, not unlike himself and Charlotte when they met at uni. During their mental "conversation" in St. John the Baptist's, Charlotte asks Strike:</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><blockquote><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>"Would Robin kill herself for you?"</span> </span></p></blockquote><blockquote><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"Of course she wouldn't. She's got more bloody sense."</span></p></blockquote><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We've already seen evidence of this bloody good sense. Remember back in <i>Career fo Evil,</i> when <strike>the Flobberworm</strike> Matthew was texting her in Barrow-in-Furness, begging her to please let him know she was alive? Her response was, "Oh, don't flatter yourself. Like I'd kill myself over you." I think that the Juliet quotation is a pointer to Charlotte's own misplaced misery and self-delusion, not a clue that there is something fishy about her death</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2. <b>Unresolved questions:</b> We are, of course, left with two important questions about Charlotte unanswered: did she lie about having breast cancer, and did she lie about conceiving, then miscarrying Strike's baby? But, if we never get answers to those questions, will it mean an "unsatisfactory" end to the series? As with young Robin and the crab on the wall of her hometown church, the answers to these questions were never the point. Strike could have asked Amelia if the cancer story was true, but the man who, in Robin's words, would "never choose not to know," in this case, chooses not to know. I believe this is because he realizes that simply the fact that he believes her capable of such despicable lies is proof positive of a broken relationship and dead love. In Strike's own words, "What did it matter, now?" If Strike, the ultimate solver of mysteries, can be satisfied with these non-answers, so can the readers. </span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>3. <b>Amelia's future: </b></span><span> I agree with Nick that she is an interesting character and worthy of more page space. Sadly, </span><span>I think it is most likely that Amelia is walking away on those sensible heels for good, just like Matthew did after </span><i>Troubled Blood</i><span> divorce settlement. </span><span> If she ever turns up again, I predict it will be in a minor side plot about her seeking to protect Charlotte's children*, rather than in a follow-up investigation into Charlotte's death, As Strike pointed out, Amelia's duty is to the living, and she is doing what they, especially the twins, need when she destroys the suicide letter. Amelia's name meaning of "hard-working" sets up her role as the series' opposite of Charlotte, whose name means "free." Amelia, like Charlotte, presumably has all the money she needs from the family fortune, but Amelia chooses to work for a living. Charlotte, in contrast, takes on little work other than cushy modeling gigs, and rejects as much responsibility as possible, including that for her own children. As she told Strike in Franco's, "I don't want to be needed, I never did. I want to be free." At the end of </span><i>The Running Grave</i><span>, Strike is free from her, and I am confident he will remain so. This means there will be no murder investigation, and no way for Charlotte to entangle him further, from beyond her grave. </span></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">4. <b>The 1-4-7 latch and links to the remainder of the series</b>. I'm as captivated by ring structure as anyone and believe it is John Granger's single biggest contribution to the study of Rowling's writings. If anything should have convinced me, it's this point. But, to date, the bulk of the ring connections have involved the focus cases of each individual book, not the overarching plots involving the personal lives of the protagonists. For example:</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Books 2 and 6 involves celibate killers jealous of their victims' literary or artistic works, and frustrated about their inability to contribute to the genre.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Books 3 and 5 involve serial killers who have been acting undetected for some time. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Books 1, 4 and 7 involve familial murders by jealous siblings who (probably correctly) resent parental favoritism. </span></li><ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">As in <i>Harry Potter,</i> the 4th book inverts the theme compares to 1 and 7. For instance, Harry Potter 1 and 7 begin with the Dursleys fleeing their home to escape wizards; book 4 opens with wizards invading #4 Privet Drive, </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Similarly, Strike 1 and 7 discover a long-ago killing by a jealous older sibling, that a parent knew about or strongly suspected and chose to cover up. This killing was a different one than the modern-day case the detectives were hired to solve, but by the same perpetrator. </span></li><ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Book 4 uncovers a long-ago <i>attempted</i> murder by an older sibling; the modern-day killing was instead a patricide by the youngest child and victim of the previous attempt. </span></li></ul></ul></ul><span style="font-family: arial;">Thus, there are already 1-4-7 latches involving the main murder cases, and therefore no need to loop Charlotte's death in to complete the cycle. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Witness, in contrast, the relative lack of ring structure with events related to the personal lives of the protagonists:</span><p></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">The books that tell us most of Leda's past are 3, 5 and 7, so more <a href="https://fartingsofafaculty.blogspot.com/2023/10/lethal-black-and-leapfrogging.html" target="_blank">leapfrog</a> than ring. The only deep look into her death was in book 3. Her youngest son Switch has only been mentioned in books 3 and 7. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Strike's brother Al appears in Books 2 and 5, Aunt Joan only in 5, and Uncle Ted in 5, 6 and 7. The closest we have come to a genuine appearance by Jonny Rokeby is his phone call in 5. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Robin visits her Masham home in 2, 3 and 5. Linda visits Robin in 3 and 7. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Charlotte appears in person in Books 1, 4, 6 and 7, and torments Strike remotely in 2 and 5. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Strike sees his nephew Jack in 1, 2, 4, 5 and 7.</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: arial;">If, as I have speculated, <a href="https://fartingsofafaculty.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-double-wedding-band-model-possible.html" target="_blank">a second 7-part ring began in book 4, part 2</a>, and <a href="https://fartingsofafaculty.blogspot.com/2023/11/rings-double-bands-stars-and-asterisks.html" target="_blank">if Leda's death is the big mystery to be solved in book 10</a>, I would expect an echo of the Book 4 murder and a reflection of the Book 7. But, so far, the over-arching Strike and Robin sub-plots are not falling into a ring pattern the way the book's main cases are. If that because all those long-term plots had to be stretched out to 10 books, when the original series was expanded? Only JKR/RG and her editors know. </span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>So, even as I reject ring structure </span><span>as evidence for Charlotte's murder, I will employ another structural model, <b>literary alchemy</b>, as evidence that Charlotte's death is exactly what it appears to be: a suicide born more of vengence than despair. Nick argues that the meanings of Amelia Crichton's first ("hard-working") and last ("boundary settlement" or "from the hiltop town") names indicate a sensible woman who would want her sister's death investigated, that Amelia's lack of suspiciousness is a "failure to act with what her cratylic name suggests" and that this should alert readers to the fact that the murder is not what it seems. I instead look to the very unusual (at least to us Yanks) name of Amelia's husband, Ruairidh, which I am told is pronounced "Roo-ray" and which means either "fiery," "red-haired" or, my personal favorite, "Red King." The last new given Christian name given in this very </span><i>albedo</i><span> book is the perfect </span><i>rubedo</i><span> name. </span></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8UhheKHMcyIHv8gaJT6kIdB0IQ07y0UOkGKxZFVs4G3wF9eAZvQebGwRtnvjSbGNWEm2YQloIe6E1QkHga_3Noi9LW6qNzPAkPNEOi3-AqVQJo8i9MSfD4JtjLivQr_fK0aJOLDx5n_1P3_xsGzasd035Legod1uJle8f0EQ9xQ6SVhdF8Fvi_qI4K2Sg/s627/Thomas%20cubitt.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="627" data-original-width="515" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8UhheKHMcyIHv8gaJT6kIdB0IQ07y0UOkGKxZFVs4G3wF9eAZvQebGwRtnvjSbGNWEm2YQloIe6E1QkHga_3Noi9LW6qNzPAkPNEOi3-AqVQJo8i9MSfD4JtjLivQr_fK0aJOLDx5n_1P3_xsGzasd035Legod1uJle8f0EQ9xQ6SVhdF8Fvi_qI4K2Sg/s320/Thomas%20cubitt.jpeg" width="263" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>This suggests to me that the Thomas Cubitt restaurant meeting represents not the start of a familial murder cover-up. but the final alchemical resolution of the Strike-Campbell conflict that began at that Oxford party some twenty years earlier. Strike made his peace with Charlotte at St. John the Baptist's; now he unites and reconciles with her extended family. Strike entered this meeting with Amelia reluctantly. expecting to "offer Charlotte one more chance at the clean sucker punch via her proxy." </span>Instead, Amelia chooses to spare him the impact of Charlotte's vitriol, and tells him she destroyed the letter. Strike, in turn offers her reassurance that she did the right thing by prioritizing the mental well-being of the twins over Charlotte's selfish desire to have them experience her wrath "when they are old enough to understand." </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Strike surprises Amelia by how well he understood Charlotte's self-torment by guessing the letter contents with uncanny accuracy. Amelia surprises Strike by her non-resemblance (physically and behaviorally) to Charlotte and her willingness to acknowledge Charlotte's faults and the abject cruelty of her suicide note. This is not the same woman who assured the media Charlotte would be fully exonerated of assault charges when Landon was getting stitches in his face. </span></div><div><p></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">They part, not exactly as friends, but as people with mutual respect and concern for each other. Amelia expresses admiration for Strike's work, and even honors the "ne-er do well of mongrel breeding" with an upper-class farewell kiss. Strike's appreciation for the "sensible" sound of Amelia's heels walking away reflects his improved opinion of her for having chosen her duty to Charlotte's survivors, her children above all. </span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">By putting the twins' needs first and sparing them forever from their mother's spite, Amelia does the very thing that Charlotte could not do in <i>The Ink Black Heart. </i>Charlotte's willingness to abandon her twins with Jago so she could pursue her own desires killed the last vestige of Strike's love for her; Amelia's actions allow a measure of reconciliation between the aristocratic sister and the rock star bastard who have always loathed each other. Whereas Tropical Storm Katie indicated disquiet and conflict, the bright sun (another fiery <i>rubedo</i> element) that emerges from the cloud at the chapter's close suggests that both Strike and we readers are being shown the clear truth. Charlotte killed herself. Her story is over. Strike has forgiven himself for his role in the ending, and both he and her family are moving on as transformed entities, at least in each others' eyes. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDU6OfmrXK4SaGtUi-8mZN5CHw_tz_jwy1i5apfamAzkTHcGmvTSdEp9gQYruDNcUnP4NJ3tiV79mp6Ukb_0O8dodjcUn6Vlh62Kipclo6pCZGShxIvtoMPDc9UhjJesqmojRHYWtDak6RE14Ds0wLqymlfRX-Jl5SlcIcPE1EAtKEEHELqFAofgaXCUPf/s265/sun.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="190" data-original-width="265" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDU6OfmrXK4SaGtUi-8mZN5CHw_tz_jwy1i5apfamAzkTHcGmvTSdEp9gQYruDNcUnP4NJ3tiV79mp6Ukb_0O8dodjcUn6Vlh62Kipclo6pCZGShxIvtoMPDc9UhjJesqmojRHYWtDak6RE14Ds0wLqymlfRX-Jl5SlcIcPE1EAtKEEHELqFAofgaXCUPf/w429-h308/sun.jpeg" width="429" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In <a href="https://hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/p/strike8-the-charlotte-campbell-murder" target="_blank">his follow-up essay to Nick's,</a> John Granger gives one more reason to suspect Charlotte was murdered: JKR/RG's "signature knight's move" of narrative misdirection and defamiliarization. Given the title the author has provided for Book 8, I'm tempted to call it the "hallmark" of her writing. Dr. Granger makes a well-reasoned defense of the idea, but ultimately, it falls flat for me because of the fatal flaw that Granger himself points out. Narrative misdirection is too non-specific to have real predictive power. It opens the door to almost any speculation, no matter how far-fetched. Once you fall into the "all signs point to X, readers are set up to believe X and want X, therefore the truth will probably turn out to be Y, not X" mindset, you can make a case for almost anything. For example: </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"All signs point to Ilsa being Strike's lifelong platonic friend, we all want to see Ilsa acting as Strike's lifelong platonic friend; therefore she will probably wind up falling madly in love with him, and she and Strike will dump their respective partners and run away together." Or...</span></div></blockquote><p></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: arial;">"All signs point to Robin and Strike as being madly in love and destined to be together, we all want Robin and Strike to proclaim their love and be together; therefore, they will probably wind up hating each other, Strike will return to Bijou, and Robin will choose a threesome with Saul Morris and Hugh Jacks. </span></blockquote><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Or, imagine yourself back in early 2007, awaiting <i>Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows</i>.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></div><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"All signs point to Hermione being an essential friend and helper to Harry in his mission, we all want to see Hermione helping Harry in his mission; therefore, Hermione will probably betray Harry and join the Death Eaters." Or, even worse...</span></div></blockquote><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"All signs point to Voldemort being irredeemably evil, we are set up to want to see Voldemort as irredeemably evil; therefore, he'll probably wind up being a good guy all along and Harry will name his child 'Tom Marvolo Potter.'"</span></div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Looking back from the series finale, will the idea of Charlotte's death being anything but suicide be seen as equally absurd, compared to these other examples of hypothetical narrative misdirection? Certainly not. It might come close, though. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As for the signs that her final phone calls indicated Charlotte knew she was in danger and needed Strike's help, that scenario is consistent with her "Pick up, Bluey, I'm desperate..." and maybe even the "I need to talk to you. If you've got any humanity..." It is not consistent with the "malevolent whisper" and the threats to Robin that composed her last words to Cormoran Strike. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUXvjnDQg6GbNeE_fv6vJw_WeYZ4sLRkK45HWt8wHGumMwtbkDlluMIBPIOYl7GkE8-MEdHdb_Y9SSQ_uhVlc4ERW-lbabP5laq-YWejZsSbFmx3sA1Q-CAIr05mK1XkanjNQWVomqSqIX8VRZCLkN-U8rAJZcrFNsfRIERuVy4N0ohFVtMhyABOjhHhJL/s318/voldy.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="159" data-original-width="318" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUXvjnDQg6GbNeE_fv6vJw_WeYZ4sLRkK45HWt8wHGumMwtbkDlluMIBPIOYl7GkE8-MEdHdb_Y9SSQ_uhVlc4ERW-lbabP5laq-YWejZsSbFmx3sA1Q-CAIr05mK1XkanjNQWVomqSqIX8VRZCLkN-U8rAJZcrFNsfRIERuVy4N0ohFVtMhyABOjhHhJL/w491-h246/voldy.jpeg" width="491" /></a></div><br />I chose the example of "Nice Guy Voldemort" last intentionally, because I do think that Charlotte's role in the series, though not a perfect Voldy-analog, is perhaps the closest we will see in a realistic series. Note the similarities:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Charlotte was beautiful. So was Tom Riddle in his youth, before his evil manifested and the splitting of his internal soul was reflected in his body. Charlotte's anti-social tendencies were not reflected in her face, but they nonetheless eventually made her not at all attractive to Strike. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Charlotte could be charming. So could Lord Voldemort; that's how he gathered followers. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Charlotte lied frequently, when it suited her purpose. So did Voldemort. Remember how Harry died sneaking out of the Forbidden Forest, abandoning all </span></li><ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">In addition to lying about the pregnancy and the cancer, I am half convinced Charlotte lied about speaking positively about Strike to the press, given how quickly she turned on him when he refused to get a drink with her. If I were Strike I'd have called Ciara (not Elin or Medeline!) to check the story.</span></li></ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Charlotte manipulated everyone around her. She may not have had the Imperious Curse at her disposal, or the undue influence techniques used by the UHC, but she could still use people and circumstances to get her way. Remember how she got Strike to join her at Franco's?</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Charlotte had no true friends, and there was little indication that she wanted any. Even her relationship with Strike was never a true friendship, and he told her so. She was ultimately shown to have no genuine affection for anyone, even James and Mary. Dumbledore said pretty much the same about Tom Riddle. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Even facing death, Charlotte showed no regret, only the wish to harm. Voldemort coldly dispatched his right-hand man Snape shortly before his death, and callously vowed to kill Draco during his final duel, ignoring Harry's call to "try for a little remorse." Charlotte wrote a letter designed to be as hurtful as possible to everyone she knew. </span></li><ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">True, Strike tells Amelia that Charlotte could feel regret "in her best moments" but, given her intoxicated state at the time of her death, it is unlikely she had one of those in the bathtub. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Strike tells Amelia, that "If there is anything beyond, she'll know she shouldn't have written what she did." Although this is the closest Strike has ever come to "admitting the possibility," this is still a pretty big "if" for Mr. Team Rational, and it is likely meant as a gesture of comfort, rather than any genuine belief in Charlotte's opportunity for remorse in the afterlife.</span></li></ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Ultimately, Charlotte would have destroyed Strike's life, as certainly as Voldemort would have killed Harry. Yes, Strike, might have been able to stop the suicide, but, at too high a cost: "</span><span style="font-family: arial;">Ongoing contact, escalating demands and pleas to reunite with a woman who lived half addicted to her own pain." </span></li><ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Similarly, Harry could have stopped Voldemort from dying, but only at the cost of letting the <i>Avada kedavra</i> curse hit him, for the second time, but without the protection of the soul-fragment anchor to life. He can hardly be blamed for being unwilling to do that. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Refusing to listen to the vitriol-fueled voicemails was Strike's defensive equivalent of disarming Charlotte, <i>a la</i> <i>Expelliarmus. </i>Milady Berzerko has no one to blame but herself if the spell she spun out of her own hatred rebounded. </span></li></ul></ul><div><span style="font-family: arial;">But, the best literary argument I can make against the Charlotte-was-Murdered idea is the scene in St. John the Baptist church. There, Strike reflects on Charlotte's life and their relationship, has a conversation in his head with her spirit and takes solace, if not in religious faith for himself, at least in the traditions he learned as a child and which give others comfort. I am in agreement with those who call this one of the pivotal scenes in the series, equal in importance to Harry's inner debate in Dobby's grave, or his afterlife conversation with Dumbledore. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">And, if Charlotte turns out to be a murder victim, rather than the suicide Strike believes her to be in the church, the significance of that scene would be lost, much as if Dobby turned up at Shell Cottage alive and the buried corpse turned out to be a Polyjuiced Peter Pettigrew that Dobby managed to Summon-charm in front of Bellatrix's knife at the last possible second. My in-depth look at the church scene and its importance will have to wait for another post, but I don't think JKR/RG will diminish the artistry of this turning point by having the mentalized wraith of Charlotte lie to Strike, yet again. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Stay tuned for an in-depth look at the encounter at St. John the Baptists. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">As always, comments and counter-arguements are welcome. </span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDn26I0lyNU1aKacziPvq8K8e9W9XVFfZX0OqWGPxaz_6Bi6g5nMooftRNilSPwCRygL_npMSUE9ACdz9VZBbLZbVCx8Ha4bjt7o8Spuht1Jotfui8Ewr5sHqg0t87kSHf7Posfjg3pQuk3lo8jmGhp9QQFasNpqqR4lZSq5lKwECVCYUaP7pTDJurS1WY/s276/St%20JohnTB,%20interior.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="276" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDn26I0lyNU1aKacziPvq8K8e9W9XVFfZX0OqWGPxaz_6Bi6g5nMooftRNilSPwCRygL_npMSUE9ACdz9VZBbLZbVCx8Ha4bjt7o8Spuht1Jotfui8Ewr5sHqg0t87kSHf7Posfjg3pQuk3lo8jmGhp9QQFasNpqqR4lZSq5lKwECVCYUaP7pTDJurS1WY/w479-h317/St%20JohnTB,%20interior.jpeg" width="479" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">*In chapter 136, Strike makes two references to "her kids" when talking to Robin.</span></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #3b3b3b;"></span></span></span></p><blockquote><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #3b3b3b;">"She wanted to meet me right after Charlotte died, but I couldn’t," said Strike. "Then she closed up shop and went off to the country with <u>her kids</u></span><span style="color: #3b3b3b;"> for a month."</span></span></span></li><li><span style="color: #3b3b3b; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white;">"Feel sorry for Amelia and <u>her kids</u>, not me." </span></span></li></ol><p></p></blockquote><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #3b3b3b; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #3b3b3b; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white;">The second clearly refers to James and Mary.The question is, does the first also refer to the twins? </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #3b3b3b; font-family: arial;">T</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #3b3b3b; font-family: arial;">here has been no mention of Amelia having her own kids. Even if she does, they presumably would not need a month in the country to recover from Charlotte's death; Charlotte was certainly no better an auntie than she was a stepmother. If Amelia was allowed to take the twins away for a full month in the immediate aftermath of their mother's death, that could mean she has, or is seeking custody. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #3b3b3b; font-family: arial;">Does Amelia know of the incriminating tapes of Jago? If not, Strike would probably be happy to give her a copy. </span></p></div>Louise Freeman Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10723489503466474801noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371193667176654722.post-1403949726343046412024-03-16T21:54:00.002-04:002024-03-18T10:33:58.618-04:00The Emoji Code: Can Science Help Us Crack It?<p> Leave it to RG/JKR, mere hours after I write <a href="https://fartingsofafaculty.blogspot.com/2024/03/strike-book-eight-is-hallmarked-man.html" target="_blank">my first blog post in months</a>, to drop another hint that sends the scientist in me down a proverbial rabbit hole. Prompted by our friends at the Rowling Library, she gave us an emoji "title," just as she had for both <i>The Ink Black Heart </i>and <i>The Running Grave.</i> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlFXigfINJGbCRXQZMq91L4Lipk4wK3HtuHbsTF_3Keiot0l0nNleR8o5eBVk5ckF7-MdaYJlD9PNNoyF0bOWVF-ZYIfQkMjFtSj6hjf1HomffOAJjxWBZUJTT-xwD_bawO6isoXOg0EjNIdnuQyU5DQ8hwiVpizQtmwyYoJMXHVstlm9S0yOoKqXnBU49/s1276/Screenshot%202024-03-16%20at%204.42.05%E2%80%AFPM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="674" data-original-width="1276" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlFXigfINJGbCRXQZMq91L4Lipk4wK3HtuHbsTF_3Keiot0l0nNleR8o5eBVk5ckF7-MdaYJlD9PNNoyF0bOWVF-ZYIfQkMjFtSj6hjf1HomffOAJjxWBZUJTT-xwD_bawO6isoXOg0EjNIdnuQyU5DQ8hwiVpizQtmwyYoJMXHVstlm9S0yOoKqXnBU49/w582-h307/Screenshot%202024-03-16%20at%204.42.05%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="582" /></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Except, of course, the emoji sequence seems to have nothing to do with the title at all. <i>TIBH's</i> symbol was, quite simply, a black heart. For <i>TRG,</i> she used a wave to represent the ocean, and a gravestone, a clear indicator of someone drowning off the Cromer Pier she showed us in the Twitter header, and an reference to the easily-googled George Barker poem that Papa J plagiarized for his first wife's obituary. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This time, we have a chain, a strand of DNA and a skull, none of which even remotely resemble a "hallmarked man," at least on the surface. What is going on?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'll tell you my best guess, in a moment. But first, I urge you to go read <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/beatrice-groves-the-hallmarked-man/" target="_blank">Dr. Beatrice Grove's great essay giving us her take on the actual title.</a> Like me, she made the alchemical connection; unlike me, she included much much more. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, the DNA strand sent my scientific senses tingling. DNA testing, of course, turns up in many murder mysteries; in Strike, it has proved Quine never touched the planted typewriter ribbons the police recovered from his office, and no doubt was necessary to identify the remains of Margot Bamborough. <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/science-in-cormoran-strike-narrative-misdirection-or-plain-old-error-part-i-dna-and-paternity-testing/" target="_blank">Strike himself erroneously believes it was a DNA test that forced Jonny Rokeby to accept paternity;</a> tt wasn't, since that technology wasn't available in the late 1970's. What came to mind for me first when I saw the DNA next to the skull was some sort of dangerous, or even fatal, genetic disease. We've seen that once already in the series, where Book Four's <i>Lethal White</i> title referred to a fatal condition in white horses. More on this, after the jump. <span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'll be the first to admit I don't know much about the code of modern-day emojis; I had to look up, for instance,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggplant_emoji" target="_blank"> the meaning of the eggplant</a> when someone I know online joked about it. So, I looked up the meanings of these emojis, just in case.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPRRO_JzDkMC2ubl7gHtkwAD7_VAqQ9zQFRiJRbAVGpIzQmaUrvlMpjXIV69E5nXyMfGAbllMkjxCK7x23xQuPysDHTcM3toJPWba6bApXKmACm8E6niXUb6fwF_ZZRwOckBhbHmMnBkU8G2YI3hVG2Aui3p_os6TIHLx7bqFVHoFWXohAjcCmHHWpxTS6/s311/chain%20emoji.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="162" data-original-width="311" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPRRO_JzDkMC2ubl7gHtkwAD7_VAqQ9zQFRiJRbAVGpIzQmaUrvlMpjXIV69E5nXyMfGAbllMkjxCK7x23xQuPysDHTcM3toJPWba6bApXKmACm8E6niXUb6fwF_ZZRwOckBhbHmMnBkU8G2YI3hVG2Aui3p_os6TIHLx7bqFVHoFWXohAjcCmHHWpxTS6/w274-h143/chain%20emoji.jpeg" width="274" /></a></div>The chain, I learned quickly, can mean B & D practices when used in sexting. In less erotic contexts, it can mean <a href="https://emojiguide.com/objects/chains/" target="_blank">being jailed or otherwise restricted</a>. It can <a href="https://cufinder.io/marketing/emoji/chains-emoji" target="_blank">also refer to</a> being trapped in a relationship that is going badly, or in a more positive context, strength and stability. Some on twitter have already suggested that this could represent a modern-day slavery or trafficking situation, or a client wrongly convicted and jailed. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieMMqQotk775MPUGp2Ru_ZihEigW2ZYZKmUSgsHARdd66o1x6emHl92TT8BmMohApHEvTV1jvHzojF2vZqgKf1SttJCdF4MqGzr9wyKPUqkTCfmrJYMvbCTpZIeEMmpoV54Tv94yUHbfIApwEkOCdk-dBL4LSCrLtUg_ReK7h5hoIljItMIClIovl6d3me/s311/DNA%20emoji.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="162" data-original-width="311" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieMMqQotk775MPUGp2Ru_ZihEigW2ZYZKmUSgsHARdd66o1x6emHl92TT8BmMohApHEvTV1jvHzojF2vZqgKf1SttJCdF4MqGzr9wyKPUqkTCfmrJYMvbCTpZIeEMmpoV54Tv94yUHbfIApwEkOCdk-dBL4LSCrLtUg_ReK7h5hoIljItMIClIovl6d3me/s1600/DNA%20emoji.jpeg" width="311" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieMMqQotk775MPUGp2Ru_ZihEigW2ZYZKmUSgsHARdd66o1x6emHl92TT8BmMohApHEvTV1jvHzojF2vZqgKf1SttJCdF4MqGzr9wyKPUqkTCfmrJYMvbCTpZIeEMmpoV54Tv94yUHbfIApwEkOCdk-dBL4LSCrLtUg_ReK7h5hoIljItMIClIovl6d3me/s311/DNA%20emoji.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>The DNA, thankfully, means <a href="https://emojiguide.com/objects/dna/" target="_blank">DNA much of the time</a>. If the wrongful conviction aspect is true, perhaps faulty or corrupt DNA testing was behind the frame-up job. <a href="https://emojis.wiki/dna/" target="_blank">The emoji, however, can also mean an erotic coupling where pregnancy is the goal</a>. The combination of the two, therefore, has led some to think "pregnancy trap," which is certainly another repetitive theme in the Strike series. It is possible that the major case is a client wanting to prove- or perhaps disprove, paternity. A less pleasant thought is a pregnancy trap for one of our protagonists, either Bijou trying to trap Strike that way (which would mean her havinglied about the dates of her pregnancy back in <i>TRG</i>) or Murphy trying to trap Robin into marrying him by sabotaging her birth control </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrNIVnzX8pL93RlzhgYJR06Wtk-dxWDUwDb2V1TyHQgXLD7Z5eHx-9d7kF8mMkaru0BzNP1uF10EewLZSPCWPrm5Dl8xL0-WSEvQbgDxv1a1sIy0UrIMDOpOOKGfXZXxvCnWasTuqs_5AJzlTaeinxSBANix6ATqrBIG5IiK_NMmGTgYLbGA7ukxkFGt8q/s275/skull%20emoji.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrNIVnzX8pL93RlzhgYJR06Wtk-dxWDUwDb2V1TyHQgXLD7Z5eHx-9d7kF8mMkaru0BzNP1uF10EewLZSPCWPrm5Dl8xL0-WSEvQbgDxv1a1sIy0UrIMDOpOOKGfXZXxvCnWasTuqs_5AJzlTaeinxSBANix6ATqrBIG5IiK_NMmGTgYLbGA7ukxkFGt8q/s1600/skull%20emoji.jpeg" width="275" /></a></div>While there are several emojis that could have easily said "man"--actual figures of men and the male sign come to mind---JKR/RG choose a skull for the third element. The skull, naturally, represents either a literal or figurative death. If it refers to the agency's major case, it could mean that what begins as a paternity case winds up as a murder. If Strike or Robin is more personally involved, I think we can rule out a literal death, unless the author concocts an escape from the trap through miscarriage, abortion or stillbirth. But how would the three of these connect to the actual notion of being a "Hallmarked Man?" This brought me back to my original idea. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Scientists refer to genetic "markers" all the time, and our DNA can, in a sense, be a trap, if you carry a deadly gene like the unfortunate foal of "Mare Mourning." But, the only reason I can think of that a person with such a condition might need a detective is to locate a lost genetic relative, perhaps a child placed for adoption, so they could warn of the possibility and the relative could be tested. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then, just for fun, I googled "hallmark gene" and hit what could be pay dirt.* "Hallmark gene sets" are indeed a thing. It's a relatively new concept; the earliest publication I could find with the term was from 2015, and the vast majority of papers were published post 2020. This was well after my last molecular biology class, which was for my doctoral research in the 1990's, so I had to do a bit of self-education. Here's what I've learned</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4707969/#:~:text=The%20hallmarks%20summarize%20information%20across,biological%20space%20for%20GSEA%20analysis." target="_blank">A hallmark gene set </a>is a group of genes that tend to be expressed together, as part of a well-characterized biological process. For example, the hallmark DNA repair gene set is a group of genes all involved in DNA repair. The hallmark androgen response gene set is a group of genes activated by androgenic steroid hormones, such as testosterone. The hallmark hypoxia gene set is the group of genes expressed during oxygen deprivation. And so on. There appear to be roughly 50 such sets identified. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Probably the most interesting application of hallmark gene sets is in cancer research. Researchers have known for some time that abnormal gene expression is a characteristic of cancerous tissues. By comparing expression of specific hallmark gene sets in healthly and cancerous tissue, different subtypes of cancer can be identified, and treatments more precisely targeted. For example, <a href="https://cancerci.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12935-021-01779-1" target="_blank">this 2021 paper </a>used hallmark DNA repair gene set comparisons to identify a genetic signature associated with a particularly deadly form of liver cancer. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, let's assume the title refers to our protagonists in some way, as well as the case. <i>Troubled Blood</i>, for instance, had a dual meaning, refering to Strike's struggles with his blood family, as much as Roy Phipps' clotting disorder. Is there any character with cancer, whose DNA makeup could be of particular interest to Strike? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Of course there is, Jonny Rokeby. We have heard nothing about Jonny Rokeby's cancer, and almost nothing about Rokeby, period, since 2015, in <i>Troubled Blood</i>. We know <i>The Hallmarked Man</i> could take place as early as September 2016, and will last at least until February 2017, when Strike and Robin will visit Sark; this is a full two years after his diagnosis. As Strike pointed out to Al, prostate cancer is one of the most treatable out there, so it is likely Rokeby will be fine. But, it can turn deadly, and there are multiple subtypes that require different treatments. And, there are some types for which genetic testing is available; <a href="https://www.urologyhealth.org/healthy-living/urologyhealth-extra/magazine-archives/fall-2018/genetic-testing-for-prostate-cancer-what-you-should-know" target="_blank">prostate cancer has been linked to the same genes that cause breast and ovarian cancer in women. </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One common treatment for prostate cancer is to block testosterone through either physical or chemical castration. Paradoxically, some tumors that don't respond to castration can be successfully treated by extra-high doses of testosterone.<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9220831/" target="_blank"> This 2022 paper </a>explains how hallmark androgen response gene sets were used to identify tumors that are good candidates for this high testosterone treatment. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, "hallmark genes" have a connection to the specific type of cancer Jonny Rokeby has. As a wealthy rock star, Jonny Rokeby would have access to the most advanced treatments available and, should his cancer not respond to traditional treatment, likely has the connections to access clinical trials for newer approaches than are available to the general public. He may have the means to find out exactly what type of genetic hallmark his own cancer carries. And, given the genetic relationship, Strike may find himself "hallmarked" with the very same genes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, could <i>The Hallmarked Man</i> have a connection to genetics and cancer? It's a long shot, I'll admit, given how cutting edge the science is. Has RG/JKR done the necessary research to make a storyline like that accessible? Her track record on <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/j-k-rowling-and-the-phantoms-in-the-brain/" target="_blank">psychology</a> and <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/cormoran-strike-and-the-itch-he-cant-scratch/" target="_blank">neuroscience</a> is pretty good, but she has made some major scientific blunders, like speaking of DNA tests happening many years before they were available, and <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/science-in-cormoran-strike-narrative-misdirection-or-plain-old-error-part-2-pharmacology/" target="_blank">calling Lady Bristow's Valium an opiate</a>. Could she handle the advanced molecular genetics needed to understand hallmark gene sets and incorporate them into a Strike novel? We'll see. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">*Or, of course, it could be nothing. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p>Louise Freeman Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10723489503466474801noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371193667176654722.post-19155924990163700792024-03-16T01:02:00.002-04:002024-03-16T21:57:30.632-04:00Strike Book Eight is The Hallmarked Man; What do recent hints mean?<p>Welcome back to the Farting Sofa Faculty Lounge. I had to take an extensive sabbatical from blogging, thanks to personal and professional obligations and the hassles that are involved in setting up my own business. Happily, I'm now the proud owner of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555785299451" target="_blank">Freeman Davis Behavior Services,</a> life has settled down a bit and I, like Strike fans worldwide, was happy to hear the news today the Strike Book 8 will be titled <i>The Hallmarked Man. </i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-0pTnKGnqZNJuI7QY9ODjiqvT2liq-u_lQ04EYYfnP93cqhViD-6Er_I34fE-4t-Fwg3yZ3Qsp2TTf81fJojxfWp1KbOIorg8_8lo_y92IS-CYbM4LGL1CkkyqOlWMAPL5UKMRrFxSHr7OBUukUHOuQK1wKBIfyOlTcnrXXDWsJrVAWzYP36uvbM0FeKZ/s1446/Screenshot%202024-03-15%20at%2011.23.43%E2%80%AFPM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1324" data-original-width="1446" height="507" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-0pTnKGnqZNJuI7QY9ODjiqvT2liq-u_lQ04EYYfnP93cqhViD-6Er_I34fE-4t-Fwg3yZ3Qsp2TTf81fJojxfWp1KbOIorg8_8lo_y92IS-CYbM4LGL1CkkyqOlWMAPL5UKMRrFxSHr7OBUukUHOuQK1wKBIfyOlTcnrXXDWsJrVAWzYP36uvbM0FeKZ/w553-h507/Screenshot%202024-03-15%20at%2011.23.43%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="553" /></a></i></div><p></p><p>These images are only the latest in hints that have been dropping over the last few weeks. Rowling has changed her twitter header three times since February 1st. The first was a picture of the coat of arms on the Freemason's United Grand Hall in London. The second was of La Coupee, a bridge connecting two parts of Sark, a Channel Island, and the third a sterling silver model ship made by the famous Pairpoint Brothers of London and currently selling for more than $42K. </p><p>The tweet announcing the book title was also Sark-related: the collage depicted above that includes a lovely silver bracelet JKR received from her husband as a souvenir of her recent trip there. She has confirmed that at least a few chapters of <i>The Hallmarked Man</i> will be set on the Channel island. </p><p>What could this all mean? Well, the two items of fine silver suggest the meaning is the original one for "hallmark": a stamp put on British precious metal goods that certified the purity. Fans who were expecting Strike, Robin and friends to turn up on greeting cards, as commemorative Christmas ornaments or perhaps in a cheesy TV holiday movie will be disappointed. </p><p>But, the notion of fine quality silver will no doubt delight the folks at Hogwartsprofessor.com, and other literary alchemy fans. If Strike himself is to be the Hallmarked Man, it suggests the <i>albedo</i>-purification process that was so apparent amid all the river and baptismal imagery of <i>The Running Grave </i>will continue, and perhaps be completed in the next book. Of all the major ideas presented so far, this is most consistent with Kathleen's brilliant "<a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/strike-extended-play-or-how-a-seven-book-series-can-be-stretched-into-ten/#more-28291" target="_blank">Strike Extended Play</a>" and sets the scene for a two part <i>nigredo</i> in TB and IBH, a two-part <i>albedo</i> in TRG and THM and then completing the alchemical cycle with bookk 9 and 10 as a paired <i>rubedo</i>, or perhaps a <i>citrinitas- rubedo</i> combination. I particularly like the idea of <i>citrinitas</i>, or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citrinitas" target="_blank">yellowing phase</a>; something there really wasn't time for in the Harry Potter series. </p><p>This certainly fits with what we've seen so far: Strike was emotionally broken down in <i>TB</i> and physically broken down in <i>IBH</i>. He clearly is healing and purifying himself in <i>TRG, </i>with his smoking cessation, weight loss and<a href="https://fartingsofafaculty.blogspot.com/2023/10/water-water-everywhere-baptism-baths.html" target="_blank"> baptismal purification h</a>e undergoes after Charlotte's death. I highly recommend you listen <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/6WIqJ5u2g8UP4GTvJZHi5p?si=PgRIu61CRvqp2MWfZHltTQ" target="_blank">this week's Strike and Ellacott file</a>s, with guest Kurt Schreyer for a beautiful analysis of that scene, Plus lots of Shakespeare!</p><p>In any case, metal stamped with a hallmark has undergone refining and purification, so, even if the Hallmarked Man winds up being at the center of the major mystery, we can still hope that the title will apply to Strike as well, just as the "Superior Man" epigraphs of <i>TRG</i> did. Silver is a classic <i>albedo</i> color, along with white and water, so a sterling silver ship seems a promising herald of <i>albedo</i>, too. Maybe we'll even get a return of the swans. As for me, I'm still hoping the <a href="https://thesefilespod.com/blog/jumping-stumps-and-memory-lapses-strikes-trauma-history-and-what-it-could-mean-for-the-running-grave/" target="_blank">"silver minnow" memory will resurface</a>. </p><p>Another bit of trivia: the makers of the silver ship, the Pairpoint brothers, had offices in Soho, not far from Denmark Street, including on Rupert Street. </p><p>According to Jung, just as <i>albedo</i> involves the resolution of the <i>animus/anima</i> conflict, with men embracing their feminine side and vice-versa, the <i>citrinitas</i> is the place to encounter the "wise old man" (or woman) archetype. This could mean Ted still being around to impart some potential wisdom before he succumbs to his vascular dementia, or maybe even a crucial bit of information from Strike's own Deadbeat Dad, Jonny Rokeby. If one of them plays the grey-beard advice-giver in Book 9, then dies, it would fit whith the Double Wedding Band model (see <a href="https://fartingsofafaculty.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-double-wedding-band-model-possible.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://fartingsofafaculty.blogspot.com/2023/11/rings-double-bands-stars-and-asterisks.html" target="_blank">here</a>) in a couple of ways. </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>First, this would have the mentor/father figure dying in Book 9 (which is Book 6 of ring #2) just as Dumbledore died in Book 6 of Harry Potter. </li><li>Second, would also set the stage for Book Ten to open with Ted's (or Rokeby's) funeral, which ties the 1-4-7-10 linkage to gether , with 1 opening with an engagement, 4 with a wedding, 7 with a christening and 10 with a funeral. </li></ul><p></p><p>But what about the Freemason building? I suspect that will relate in some way to our heroes' major mystery. As some have pointed out, the United Grand Hall is a popular event venue, so it is possible a visit there would have nothing to do with the Freemason organization itself. But, the most interesting thing about the Freemasons to me is t<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jan/02/secret-handshake-police-freemasons" target="_blank">heir association with police corruption in the 1970's</a>, apparently as a result of some Met cops being in the same lodges with career criminals. This makes me think of gangsters like Mucky Ricci, whom the police were clearly powerless to stop and makes me wonder if the mystery will involve some dirty cops, past or present. If so, that could certainly complicate things for Robin and Murphy. More importantly, it could be a connection to some of themes of <i>TB</i>, which also involved looking back at police work in the 1970's. That would be an interesting link between the two Book 5's of each ring. </p><p>Any other thoughts as to what the twitter headers might mean? We still are no closer to knowing a publication date, though JKR tweeted on February 21st that she had completed Part 6. But, Rowling being Rowling we have no way of knowing if that is part 6 of 7, 9 or many, many more.</p><p>Stay tuned. </p>Louise Freeman Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10723489503466474801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371193667176654722.post-7942939315077001412023-11-26T00:27:00.001-05:002023-11-26T00:29:05.302-05:00Will Uncle Ted play the role of a Hogwarts ghost? Memory, dementia and mysteries of the past. <p></p><div><span> </span>Two things keep me blogging and attending events like the <a href="https://audioboom.com/posts/8399620-potterversity-episode-43-live-from-the-chestnut-hill-harry-potter-academic-conference-2023" target="_blank">Harry Potter Academic Conferenc</a>e year after year: the scholarship and the friendships I've formed with other scholars. I'm not alone in this: check out the<a href="https://audioboom.com/posts/8399620-potterversity-episode-43-live-from-the-chestnut-hill-harry-potter-academic-conference-2023" target="_blank"> latest Potterversity episode </a>for commentary from others who feel the same.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJVLlCukSOGnTUoODiwS7rXBUWdLlNTc7bKr6g5PUPZs3kL18wnRInJgMTny_3wxwAtmOKcEu2ONG1UWfyTfIHSyL_zwizFdleaLQLlnt4FlDM5tiv5Jz0naja459gA6jBJDfkPhdT_GI-yU3GKpTZY3SKi3Sf5vI1fWa5I2sNVWltyA0ZrPyRpNTwaj0/s150/David%20Hufflepuff.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="150" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJVLlCukSOGnTUoODiwS7rXBUWdLlNTc7bKr6g5PUPZs3kL18wnRInJgMTny_3wxwAtmOKcEu2ONG1UWfyTfIHSyL_zwizFdleaLQLlnt4FlDM5tiv5Jz0naja459gA6jBJDfkPhdT_GI-yU3GKpTZY3SKi3Sf5vI1fWa5I2sNVWltyA0ZrPyRpNTwaj0/s1600/David%20Hufflepuff.jpeg" width="150" /></a></div><span> </span>One such friend is David Martin, loyal Hufflepuff and retired computerscientist, who I first met at LeakyCon 2014, where we bonded over the shared experience of being several decades older than the average attendee. Since then, we've met regularly at events such as Misti-Con and on a near-annual basis at the Chestnut Hill Harry Potter Conference. Viewers of the <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/tournament-of-houses-wins-house-cup-for-ratings-twitter-declars-hogpros-david-of-hufflepuff-the-mvp/" target="_blank">Hogwarts Tournament of Champions will remember him as the standout player of the victorious Badger team</a>, for which I happily cheered him on, despite my place in the Ravenclaw studio audience. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY-9fhyoutigft54rWcKVfjIZRA_-jV4PA1rbtZc4twIoAJlTVky71OreLPJeUFT2S6CEzdGxQvShlgZCmLYk0a3guYuWBXEePu1iEAMzvwJo8GV3kZbvyl9naiDWhuGCKdG1-tG3VWO7lwhfRmGks16qziYnC6fLdN328Gcf6fZAYB0ALRcEwF5onvMms/s2048/skinner%20letter.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY-9fhyoutigft54rWcKVfjIZRA_-jV4PA1rbtZc4twIoAJlTVky71OreLPJeUFT2S6CEzdGxQvShlgZCmLYk0a3guYuWBXEePu1iEAMzvwJo8GV3kZbvyl9naiDWhuGCKdG1-tG3VWO7lwhfRmGks16qziYnC6fLdN328Gcf6fZAYB0ALRcEwF5onvMms/s320/skinner%20letter.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><span> </span>David recently surprised and delighted me with a charming relic from my own field of behavior analysis: a note his mother received in the 1940's from B.F. Skinner himself, along with Skinner's own guidelines for <a href="https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/skinner-air-crib" target="_blank">his famous baby tender box</a>, which would eventually be marketed as the Air Crib. </div><div><i>Note: please do not confuse this crib with the Skinner boxes developed for use in Skinner's work with rats and pigeons; they are very different things, as the link above explains. </i></div><div>I will be delighted to display this piece of my disciplinary history in my office and to be able to boast of possessing the autograph of one of the giants in my field, or, at least, that of his secretary.</div><div><span> </span>Like me, David's fondness for Harry Potter led him to read the<i> Cormoran Strike </i>series, and he, too appreciates <a href="https://fartingsofafaculty.blogspot.com/2023/10/robin-ellacott-and-running-hallows.html" target="_blank">the connections between the two series</a>. At the most recent HPAC. David gave me another history-themed gift in the form of his fantastic talk, "About the Hogwarts Ghosts." I had been mulling over<a href="https://fartingsofafaculty.blogspot.com/2023/10/notes-on-running-grave-re-listen-part.html" target="_blank"> Uncle Ted's dementia</a>, and during Davi'd presentation, something clicked with me. The gist of David's thesis was, Hogwarts ghosts are atypical literary ghosts, compared to those seen in Shakespeare and Dickems. Rather than seeking vengance, or bringing warnings about the afterlife, "Hogwarts ghosts represent the pervasive influence of the past on the present." (You can read his full abstract at the conference program <a href="https://nebula.wsimg.com/288c53c988efdec7607235bc3a8b9e05?AccessKeyId=CC7B12CCDA9DDFE63512&disposition=0&alloworigin=1" target="_blank">here</a>). Once might be tempted to call them living history books, except, of course, they are all dead. But, from the literal History Professor Binns, to Moaning Myrtle, to Nearly Headless Nick to Helena Ravenclaw, the ghosts serve a function of telling Harry and friends things about the past that help them resolve their current predicament. What does this have to do with the still-living Uncle Ted? Find out after the jump. <span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div>Throughout my reading of Strike, I have been on the lookout for a "that awful boy*" moment--- some crucial bit of information that Strike either doesn't know or whose significance he misunderstands. So far, there have been five "moments" in the Strike series where we are told Strike "never knew" something. </div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Strike had never discovered
how Uncle Ted had found out where they were living; all he knew was that he
and Lucy had let themselves into the squat one afternoon to find their mother’s
enormous brother standing in the middle of the room, threatening Shumba with a
bloody nose. Within two days, he and Lucy were back in St. Mawes. -<i>CC</i></li><li>Why Uncle Ted supported the
Gunners, when he had lived all his life in Cornwall, was a question Strike had never asked. -<i>SW</i></li><li><span style="font-family: 'TimesNewRomanPSMT';">Precisely what Leda had said in the note she left on the kitchen table,
Strike had never known. -<i>TB</i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: 'TimesNewRomanPSMT';">Why Dave Polworth, pocket don of the class, had decided to befriend
the new boy had never been satisfactorily explained, even to Strike...By the end of that first day Polworth had become both friend and champion, making it his business to impress upon their classmates all the reasons that Strike was worthy of their respect: he was a Cornishman born, a nephew to Ted Nancarrow of the local lifeguard, he didn’t know where his mum was and it wasn’t his fault if he spoke funny. -<i>TB</i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: 'TimesNewRomanPSMT';">Jonny Rokeby: "There's a bunch of stuff you don't know, about your mother and all her f*cking men."-<i>TB</i></span></li></ol><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;"><div><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">While most of Robin's questions about Strike's background have involved his relationship with Charlotte, and therefore matter much less post-<i>TRG</i>, there was one time where Strike seemed to go out of his way to avoid satisfying her curiosity, namely, when discussing his medal for bravery in <i>CoE</i>. </span></div></span><blockquote><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">6. "There's nothing heroic about being in the wrong place at the wrong time."</span><br /><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">"You're a decorated veteran."</span><br /><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">"I wasn't decorated for being blown up. That happened before."</span><br /><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">"You've never told me that." She turned to face him, but he refused to be sidetracked. </span></blockquote><p></p><p>
</p><div class="page" title="Page 4">
<div class="layoutArea">
<div class="column">
<p>
</p></div></div></div><p></p><p>Who is the one person alive who could potentially hold the answers to all six points? Uncle Ted certainly knows #1-3 and #6, and could well have at leasr some knowledge about #4 and 5, too. Now that we know how Strike learned Latin, the story of how he got his medal is the last major event in his personal past about which we still wonder, While it's hard to understand what Ted's preferred football team and little Dave's preschool behavior could have to do with the ultimate mystery of the series-- who killed Leda?--#1, 3 and 5 could all be relevant to that question. </p><p>One interesting trait of dementia patients is that they tend to lose memories in reverse order, the more recent ones first, then the older ones. For example, my grandmother, even near the end of her life, could recognize a picture of my father as a young man, but could not recognize the 60-year old man sitting beside her as her son. My father, who also died of dementia, although he had lived in the same house for nearly 40 years, would give the street he lived on as a child when asked his address. </p><p>Ted, therefore, could well find himself, like the Hogwarts ghosts, living in the past. He could well remember events from Strike's childhood, but not remember the reasons that he and Joan chose not to tell him once he was an adult. He might cease to recognize his adult nephew, and say something about his sister to Strike, thinking he is a stranger. He could even reveal something about the Nancarrow family that pre-dates Strike's birth, such as the reason the young Leda was so eager for a new dress and a new name, or why Ted defied his father to escape into the Army. </p><p>Personally, i'd love it if Strike took Robin to the care facility to meet Ted, or, if she showed up to offer moral support during a difficult time, and Ted spilled the beans about the medal to her. Or course, there are other ways secrets could come out, too. The job of cleaning out the St. Mawes home and preparing it for sale will likely fall to Strike and Lucy; maybe the note is still there. </p><p>In any case, it is likely that Ted alone holds some crucial information about Strike's past, and despite his dementia, he could well be positioned to, like the Hogwarts ghosts, impart this knowledge in a way that will illuminate Strike's present. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIhsZ77T29rzWld8kgIBzQnvfelxnTp6ffw96vrpFLGBgqw_Ggl-NbFpx_U5zuQ7cuoSX1GJrVPps7x4IXBKWcemURItMFvujYdWNzeCk2RYQ8PXhKnFkVr9PYs6gufMi1ycSL8-_E0UJwM7xbOsWz9fQJHDlDfGoPBFV4588CIQkl4lSKMONu7whyi0uO/s275/Uncle%20Ted.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIhsZ77T29rzWld8kgIBzQnvfelxnTp6ffw96vrpFLGBgqw_Ggl-NbFpx_U5zuQ7cuoSX1GJrVPps7x4IXBKWcemURItMFvujYdWNzeCk2RYQ8PXhKnFkVr9PYs6gufMi1ycSL8-_E0UJwM7xbOsWz9fQJHDlDfGoPBFV4588CIQkl4lSKMONu7whyi0uO/s1600/Uncle%20Ted.jpeg" width="275" /></a></div><p></p><p>*The allusion here is to <i>Order of the Phoenix</i>, where Aunt Petunia reveals that she learned about dementors when she heard "that awful boy" telling Lily about them. Harry responds angrily, telling her to just say his parents' names his that's who she's talking about. Petunia does not respond, and readers will later learn that she was talking about not Lily and James, but Lily and Snape. </p><div class="page" title="Page 4"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><div class="page" title="Page 4">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>Louise Freeman Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10723489503466474801noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371193667176654722.post-64367309698578919342023-11-13T23:57:00.001-05:002023-11-13T23:57:42.413-05:00Potterversity Essay Volume Released: A Must-Read for Potter Nerds. <p> If you don't mind a bit of a plug here, I am happy to announce that <i><a href="https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/potterversity/" target="_blank">Potterversity: Essays Exploring the World of Harry Potter</a></i>, edited by my good friends Katy McDaniel and Emily Strand. is now ready for purchase. I got my author's copy in the mail today, having contributed an essay: "The Weasley Witches: From Snitches to Stitches to Not-My-Daughter-You-Bitches" to the Questions of Character section. It looks great and I can't wait to read the whole thing. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-nzOHmB_6Eu0-WY5kUFDcvPWSu35dj8DGynGilOMhYACTYAN2Nuim-n8YwE7oncxIYWTinhGREfCdyphWg7ltOVx-YmJ2bjhmXARTbhfxE6SFzBPNigafwTE_M0qttZxXvYwDIfkWvUiQkMyUrWyF3-UAgRk7WA89WwxBqvawYIhTetrJBLm3BvVmos1I/s750/978-1-4766-9053-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="500" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-nzOHmB_6Eu0-WY5kUFDcvPWSu35dj8DGynGilOMhYACTYAN2Nuim-n8YwE7oncxIYWTinhGREfCdyphWg7ltOVx-YmJ2bjhmXARTbhfxE6SFzBPNigafwTE_M0qttZxXvYwDIfkWvUiQkMyUrWyF3-UAgRk7WA89WwxBqvawYIhTetrJBLm3BvVmos1I/w318-h478/978-1-4766-9053-7.jpg" width="318" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This book would make a wonderful holiday gift for your favorite Potter nerd. Not only does my own chapter address the magic of Mrs. Weasley's hand-knit Christmas sweaters, but co-editor Emily Strand has an entire chapter on the literary and spiritual significance of Christmas celebrations in the series. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You can learn more about the book on this week's <a href="https://www.mugglenet.com/mugglenet-family/potterversity/" target="_blank">Potterversity Podcast #43,</a> which was recorded at the Chestnut Hill Harry Potter Academic Festival. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Enjoy!</div>Louise Freeman Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10723489503466474801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371193667176654722.post-62847985524256430162023-11-12T00:10:00.008-05:002023-11-13T20:58:18.019-05:00Rings, Double-bands, Stars and Asterisks: Which model works works for a ten-book Cormoran Strike series? (Plus: who it predicts killed Leda!)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO8nW5J-x06Z8uiGPI3jdDZM7VhFk4WgTINZykegsB0tyonDxhSfMAL6cOqNGWuUNPlWo36nXBf0hjCTT4Y2fZhGuhT9q4N_GEPm9zbRGxMVx51hSEqciu0g_R9rfzFg8biTJ3-LzhRmSwIsLRdA3S2wn52onkdJTLdePZLSvDoAcYTAIxKcwuAa8qTqS4/s1358/Screenshot%202023-10-10%20at%2011.52.16%20PM.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1358" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO8nW5J-x06Z8uiGPI3jdDZM7VhFk4WgTINZykegsB0tyonDxhSfMAL6cOqNGWuUNPlWo36nXBf0hjCTT4Y2fZhGuhT9q4N_GEPm9zbRGxMVx51hSEqciu0g_R9rfzFg8biTJ3-LzhRmSwIsLRdA3S2wn52onkdJTLdePZLSvDoAcYTAIxKcwuAa8qTqS4/w401-h237/Screenshot%202023-10-10%20at%2011.52.16%20PM.png" width="401" /></a></div>Several weeks ago, I made the first efforts at a <a href="https://fartingsofafaculty.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-double-wedding-band-model-possible.html" target="_blank">revised structural model </a>, the "Double Wedding Band" or a ten-part Strike series, based on the connections seen between volumes to date. To my surprise, that proved to be one of the most popular posts that has provoked some great comments. I have been eagerly waiting to see what other Serious Strikers would think of the connections <i>The Running Grave </i>makes to other Strike novels. <p></p><p>I got my wish a week or so ago. Dr. John Granger is back to doing what he does best and recognized, as <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/updated-the-ring-composition-pillar-post/" target="_blank">ring structure</a> predicts, that <a href="https://hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/p/reading-running-grave-as-the-end" target="_blank"><i>The Running Grave</i> does, indeed, "latch" to <i>The Cuckoo's Calling,</i></a> in the same way that the first Harry Potter book, <i>Philosopher's Stone</i>, latches with the seventh and last, <i>Deathly Hallows. </i>John literally <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Ring-Composition-Cycle/dp/B00588A1E4/ref=monarch_sidesheet" target="_blank">wrote the book</a> on the ring composition of <i>Harry Potter</i>, and I encourage Strike fans to check out his application of both the "turtleback" and the "asterisk" to <i>Cormoran Strike.</i> I also encourage readers to answer his call for more <i>CC-TRG </i>echoes, which, as of this posting, no Substack reader has heeded, although some contributions can be found at the <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/running-grave-cuckoos-calling-links/" target="_blank">wordpress placeholder post</a>. Lest anyone think I am being secretive, I did link to <a href="https://fartingsofafaculty.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-cuckoos-lethal-grave-connections.html" target="_blank">my own long list</a> in a comment, which, amusingly, Dr. Granger apparently choose to remove. </p><p>Unfortunately, Dr. Granger's turtleback and asterisk models, which very elegantly account for Harry Potter series echoes, fail to account for all the echoes we see in the Strike-Ellacott series. For example:</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/the-5-6-flip-hypothesis-part-1-was-troubled-blood-originally-meant-as-the-sixth-book-of-the-strike-series/" target="_blank">The <i>Silkworm-Troubled Blood</i> connections</a>: The many connections between these two books initially inspired my 2022 idea that <i>TB</i> was originally intended as a Book Six <i>albedo. </i>At the time, even Mr. Granger called the idea a "convincing" "brilliant" and "radical piece of reverse prognostication", but I had to eventually dismiss the idea when Rowling herself denied it. </li><li>The <i><a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/pentagram-predictions-i-cuckoo-career-of-evil-links/" target="_blank">Cuckoo's Calling-Career of Evil </a></i>connections: The most obvious connection is the in vino veritas confessions i the Tottenham, Strike to Robin in <i>CC</i>, Robin-to-Strike in <i>CoE</i>, but there are certainly others. This was originally part of my Double Pentagram proposal, which had some advantages, but did not work so well when <i>TIBH </i>turned out to have the connections it did. </li><li>The <i><a href="https://fartingsofafaculty.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-running-troubled-blood-connections.html" target="_blank">Troubled Blood- The Running Grave</a> </i>connections: Both the <a href="https://thesefilespod.com/" target="_blank">Strike and Ellacott files podcast</a> and the <a href="https://threebroomstickspod.com/episode-17-strike-7-the-strike-agency-camping-trip/" target="_blank">Three Broomsticks predictions episode</a> foresaw these, based on the number of <i><a href="https://fartingsofafaculty.blogspot.com/2023/10/lethal-black-and-leapfrogging.html" target="_blank">Lethal White-The Ink Black Heart</a></i> connections observed. This prediction certainly came through, in spades. It is, I believe, the only list that comes close to rivaling <i>Lethal White-Goblet of Fire </i>connections in sheer number. In fact, the overall large number of connections between non-adjacent books inspired my <a href="https://fartingsofafaculty.blogspot.com/2023/10/lethal-black-and-leapfrogging.html" target="_blank">Leapfrog post.</a> </li><li>The major exception to the non-adjacent connections rule: <a href="https://fartingsofafaculty.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-troubled-black-heart-ties-that-bind.html" target="_blank">the thematic links and resetting processes that happend in <i>Troubled Blood </i>and <i>The Ink Black Heart.</i></a> Not only do the main murders connect, with Gus as an amalgam of the three <i>TB</i> killers, the books themselves invert the expected dry-<i>nigredo</i>/ wet-<i>albudo</i> pairings and several progressions between the "best friends" are reversed or reset in <i>ITBH</i>. </li></ol><p></p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a>My efforts to account for all the echoes we see in the Strike series, rather than just the ones that were most salient in Harry Potter, is what let to the Double Wedding Band model. <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt5Ia2UURXHseacTaIKax-KUwJbnwQgx_nKc4gyxx0VUTsxd2EHMRMbDAJP-CimfxHkOgiwQ15bW6L228LtmuXL7ZKWaPvBNC4isuuzaPj5zQjbhYxbsaU_hPyROCZnjk41JMFUJPxdratJpLFJ-W6E4wCVL_zlhvL0DWPu50WeG-mOYt7JBPbWHZ-pyEi/s1612/Screenshot%202023-10-11%20at%204.14.05%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1076" data-original-width="1612" height="369" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt5Ia2UURXHseacTaIKax-KUwJbnwQgx_nKc4gyxx0VUTsxd2EHMRMbDAJP-CimfxHkOgiwQ15bW6L228LtmuXL7ZKWaPvBNC4isuuzaPj5zQjbhYxbsaU_hPyROCZnjk41JMFUJPxdratJpLFJ-W6E4wCVL_zlhvL0DWPu50WeG-mOYt7JBPbWHZ-pyEi/w552-h369/Screenshot%202023-10-11%20at%204.14.05%20PM.png" width="552" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Although the diagram is dishearteningly complex, the premise is relatively simple:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The orphan "Part Two" in the middle of <i>Lethal White</i> is not an indicator of the second half of a 7-part ring composition that will end with <i>The Running Grave</i>, but instead signals the start of a second 7-part ring composition whose turning point is <i>TRG</i> and which will be complete in Book 10. </li><ul><li>Hence, in the middle of <i>LW</i>, our heroes find themselves in a situation very similar to how they started in CC. </li><ul><li>Strike has just walked away from Charlotte, again, at the Paralympian Ball. </li><li>Case-wise, Strike and Robin are almost exactly where they started on Robin's first day; investigating the apparent suicide of a famous person at the wealthy family's behest, because the family suspects murder. </li></ul></ul><li>The expected ring composition connections are present in both 7-part cycles:</li><ul><li>The first and seventh books of each ring form beginning and ending latches.</li><li>The fourth book of each ring connects to the ring latches and serve as turning points in which the protagonists' toxic relationships finally end for good. In <i>LW</i>, Robin frees herself from Matthew; in <i>TRG</i>, Strike is freed from Charlotte. </li><li>The turtleback connections between the second and sixth, and the third and fifth books are seen in both rings.</li><li>In addition, the "leap-frog" pattern creates connections between even-numbered and odd-numbered pairs, producing Stars of David within the circles. </li></ul><li>Because <i>Troubled Blood</i> and <i>The Ink Black Heart</i> are, like <i>Lethal White</i> and <i>The Running Grave</i>, points of overlap on the two rings, they make additional asterisk-style connections to their partners across the circle. </li><ul><li><i>Troubled Blood</i> connects to <i>The Silkworm</i> (Book 2) because it is Book #2 on the second ring. Similarly, <i>The Ink Black Heart</i> connects to <i>Career of Evil </i>(Book 3) because it is Book #3 on the second ring. </li><ul><li>This results in a mishmash of both the expected alchemical imagery and the connections to corresponding Potter books.</li></ul><li><i>TB</i> and <i>TIBH</i> also connect thematically to each other in a way that is not typical of other consecutive pairs of books. </li><ul><li>JKR/RG main have originally planned a series of five or seven books that was later expanded to 10. This is why progress on the Strike-Robin romance stalled and was re-set in <i>TIBH</i>. </li></ul></ul></ul><div>So, what does this model predict for future books? Naturally, predictions may change once we see JKR's Twitter headers, but Book 8 is Book 5 of the second ring. I therefore think it will have thematic connections with both <i>Troubled Blood</i> and with <i>The Ink Black Heart, </i>and possibly other links to its reflection on the first ring, <i>The Silkworm</i>. This could mean reconciliation with Al Rokeby, or a reconnection with Roper Chard publishers, both of whose existences we were reminded of in <i>TRG</i>. Maybe the promised Rokeby biography will finally appear? </div><div><br /></div><div>Young Switch LaVey Bloom Whittaker, who was also mentioned in <i>TRG</i>, is more likely to turn up in Book 9, since he was first mentioned in <i>CoE</i>. Perhaps his dear papa, as well?</div><div><br /></div><div>Because both Book 2 and Book 3 dealt with Strike's Army life (Anstis appears in 2, Hardacre in 3) either 8 or 9 would be a great opportunity to finally learn how Strike got his medal. If my <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/strikes-military-history-will-we-ever-meet-dean-shaw/" target="_blank">Dean Shaw idea</a> is correct and the accidental shootings in mentioned in both Books 2 and 6 are the same incident and in some way related to the medal, then Book 8 is a more likely pick. If the medal relates to the sex trafficking case Strike told Jonathan & Co. about in <i>TB</i>, or the negligent staff sargent mentioned in <i>SW</i>, it's more likely to turn up in Book 9. </div><div><br /></div><div>If there are Harry Potter echoes in Book 8, they will be most likely be with <i>Order of the Phoenix</i>. Alternately, RG may be done with Harry Potter echoes and move on to Rowling's other works, as <a href="https://hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/p/why-the-cormoran-strike-novels-are" target="_blank">Evan Willis has predicted.</a> </div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, would this model help predict who killed Leda? Loathe as I am to give up on <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/the-true-taxonomy-of-leda-killer-suspects-why-sir-randolph-whittaker-is-the-likely-culprit/" target="_blank">Grandpa Whittaker,</a> <i>TRG</i> has pretty much forced me to. Multiple readers, including myself and Dr. Granger, noted the similarity of Daiyu Wace's murder to Charlie Bristow's: both believed to have died in a tragic accident as children, but actually killed by jealous older siblings, with parents who either knew or suspected the truth but chose to conceal it, which allowed the culprit to kill again. Given this parallel in the 1-7 latch, and assuming Leda's death, rather than a case the agency is hired to solve, is the big murder reveal of book 10, the Double Wedding Band model predicts a resolution similar to <i>Lethal White: </i>an apparent suicide that is in fact a two-person murder committed by the victim's spouse and child.</div><div><br /></div><div>In this case, Whittaker would indeed be the killer, as Strike has always believed. For the offspring accomplice, we can safely eliminate the toddler Switch from the suspect pool. I will also rule out Strike himself. Although it would certainly be a John Bristow echo-to-beat-all-echos if our protagonist himself turned out to be the killer, it would put a pretty big damper on the Robin-Cormoran honeymoon to have the groom jailed for life. And ending up with the Ellacott-Murphy or even Ellacott-Barclay Detective Agency as a series finale just doesn't cut it for me. </div><div><br /></div><div>This leaves only two others who could fulfill the role of matricidal accomplice: Leda's daughter Lucy or her <i>de facto</i> foster son, Shanker. I must admit, I find it hard to see either of them as cold-blooded, Raff-style killers. If we are going to have a sexual coupling between the killers, it would have to be Lucy, and I would assume a sexual assault by Whittaker rather than a seduction of (or worse, by) the now-adult stepdaughter. It is also possible Lucy could have been driven to kill to protect her younger brother, but then the question is, why kill Leda and not Whittaker? </div><div><br /></div><div>If Shanker or Lucy was in some way an accomplice to Leda's death, I would have to fall back on my <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/leda-strikes-death-murder-by-action-or-inaction/" target="_blank">"murder by inaction"</a> idea, where the offspring/accomplice somehow knew Leda had overdosed, but failed to get help for her, the opposite of what Strike did for Charlotte in <i>TB</i>, but not entirely dissimilar to his actions in <i>TRG</i>. It's hard to see exactly how that would have happened; we have been told Shanker was off on a drug deal when Leda died, while Lucy was apparently in St. Mawes with Ted and Joan--- Strike recalled reacting to the news while the four of them were in Joan's kitchen. </div><div><br /></div><div>Could Leda have called one of her children, begging for help, and been dismissed or ignored? It's hard to see how that scenario would but them any closer to proving that Whittaker intentionally injected her. I must say, this would not be a particularly satisfactory conclusion to the mystery for me, so, on that front, I'm going to hope my model doesn't hold this type of predictive power. With any luck, the Agency will land another patricide/mariticide case in Book Ten and Mr. Galbraith will come up with a better solution for Leda. </div><div><br /></div><div>As always, comments and other ideas are welcome. </div><div><i>Additional note: please do not disparage other Serious Strikers, bloggers or websites. I reserve the right to delete any comments I feel cross the line into a personal insult. </i></div></div><p></p>Louise Freeman Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10723489503466474801noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371193667176654722.post-15057109822287243912023-11-03T21:39:00.007-04:002023-11-03T21:52:00.609-04:00Podcast News for Strike and Potter Fans<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHtS9nLnYKrXFdEfPDJACgyMiUoQXhEBM94zgl1o6rAfJXz8I7-AXIB7znpqGXIQecgeTkp0vHHVrMV6PpCXmI744ldSGNsyUpT96poo0k5PyKXhhxfJc4ympXDBtu73T3R2vo6V-qeoFOjRCex1QXLE7Z7dwiaod43QWMgScBORaBe42cqJmnYtW_5ZMq/s1360/Screenshot%202023-05-13%20at%2010.43.24%20AM.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1308" data-original-width="1360" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHtS9nLnYKrXFdEfPDJACgyMiUoQXhEBM94zgl1o6rAfJXz8I7-AXIB7znpqGXIQecgeTkp0vHHVrMV6PpCXmI744ldSGNsyUpT96poo0k5PyKXhhxfJc4ympXDBtu73T3R2vo6V-qeoFOjRCex1QXLE7Z7dwiaod43QWMgScBORaBe42cqJmnYtW_5ZMq/w209-h201/Screenshot%202023-05-13%20at%2010.43.24%20AM.png" width="209" /></a></div>This week, listeners of <a href="https://thesefilespod.com/">The Strike and Ellacott Files </a>podcast got a pleasant surprise: the hosts plan to release episodes on a weekly rather than biweekly basis. This week's episode, on Chapters 5-7 of <i>The Running Grave</i>, covered all sorts of topics, from the theme of parenting in the series, to the Orwellian allusions to, as always, lots of Strellacott shipping. While I've never minded long podcasts, the shorter. weekly versions will be much more convenient for many. As one of my Twitter pals put it, "It's like having wine night with three really close friends that get me." Tune in for some great discussion. </div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwSOlw9JiiXAyGl-ji5vrtvLvpAg4ERZ7JqkIQ-_GHicWXUAa9q2nhCo1BT7xYUqhMpG9fZQcBohhQBBH8Ui6B2wswFW6cRn4PLXQeDCCj5PgqMKSts5Oo6D7KwoYqlJBbiJaJ5twYFPRnL9VCbpz4r2fzpDNDOAw2890MVLDsBXTsOe0pGdDfiUqME78X/s472/Snape%20book.%20.webp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwSOlw9JiiXAyGl-ji5vrtvLvpAg4ERZ7JqkIQ-_GHicWXUAa9q2nhCo1BT7xYUqhMpG9fZQcBohhQBBH8Ui6B2wswFW6cRn4PLXQeDCCj5PgqMKSts5Oo6D7KwoYqlJBbiJaJ5twYFPRnL9VCbpz4r2fzpDNDOAw2890MVLDsBXTsOe0pGdDfiUqME78X/s320/Snape%20book.%20.webp" width="214" /></a></div>I also listened to the first few episodes of <a href="https://hpafter2020.com/" target="_blank">Harry Potter After 2020</a>, a new podcast from two moms who are re-reading the Harry Potter series, chapter by chapter, and sharing their thoughts on how their view of the series has changed over time, both as a result of their own growth processes and also because of news evens such as the election of Donald Trump, COVID, Black Lives Matter, January 6th, and JKR's public position on transgender issues. Having enjoyed co-host Lorrie Kim's annual presentations at the Harry Potter Academic conference since 2014, I expected to enjoy the podcast, and I did. With new episodes every Wednesday and seven increasingly long books to cover, I expect to be listening for some time. <p></p><p style="text-align: left;">I also recommend Lorrie's book, <i><a href="https://lorriekim.com/book/" target="_blank">Snape: The Definitive Analysis of Hogwart's Mysterious Potion Master,</a></i> which was updated in 2022. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Note: this post is also available <a href="https://open.substack.com/pub/fartingsofafaculty/p/podcast-news-for-strike-and-potter-fans?r=2f8xym&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web" target="_blank">on Substack,</a></p>Louise Freeman Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10723489503466474801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371193667176654722.post-76710209552801565022023-11-02T13:35:00.004-04:002023-11-03T21:03:39.548-04:00Seeking reader feedback: Move to substack?<p> Dear readers: </p><p>The Farting Sofa Faculty Lounge has been open on Blogspot a bit over six months, and I am delighted with the response: ofer 40,000 visits, with more than half of those in the last two months, as might be predicted in the lead-up to and publication of <i>The Running Grave.</i> </p><p>When I found myself suddenly in need of my own platform after many years of publication on Hogwartsprofessor. I defaulted to blogspot, the blogging platform with which I was most familiar. However, I have gotten feedback from some readers that they are unable to post comments, or have no choice but to do so anonymously. I am therefore considering moving to a different platform, specifically Substack.</p><p>This is not an attempt to monetize: I have no plans for paid subscriptions or pledge requests. What I am interested in knowing is 1) if that platform makes commenting easier and 2) if readers would find notification by email of new posts helpful. </p><p>I am playing with the new platform and currently have a placeholder site up, with the most recent 25 posts copied over. I invite people to check it out. and, particularly for those of you who have found commenting on this site to be difficult or impossible, I invite you to try there. Feel free to leave feedback on the pros and cons of such a move on either site. </p><p><a href="http://fartingsofafaculty.substack.com/">Link to The Farting Sofa Faculty Lounge, Substack Edition. </a></p><p>One way or another, the Lounge will remain open. I have plans for follow ups to the meaningful names posts, the Double Wedding Band model and a plan for an in-depth look at how Hassan's <i>Combating Cult Mind Control</i> informs not just <i>The Running Grave</i>, but earlier JKR/RG works as well. </p><p>I'll consider reader feedback before I decide whether to make the switch. Thank you all for sharing your thoughts. </p>Louise Freeman Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10723489503466474801noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371193667176654722.post-74381802554284893742023-11-01T13:38:00.002-04:002023-11-01T13:38:59.980-04:00Strike Character Costume Packets: Fans Unite in Laughter on Twitter <p> Note: as of today, I will stop including indicating spoilers for <i>The Running Grave</i> in blue text. This is a largely light post, but the costume descriptions could contain mild spoilers. </p><p>While the general purpose of The Farting Sofa Faculty Lounge is to take a serious look at Cormoran Strike, Harry Potter and other popular fiction. it is occasionally nice to pause and have some fun. Twitter, while it may be a free range for toxicity for the Anomies of the world, it is also a place fans can connect, communicate and enjoy a laugh over their favorite obsessions. One example is the <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/strike-on-twitter-sixteen-characters-in-search-of-a-story/" target="_blank">collection of Strike character twitter posts</a>. that appeared in the run-up to <i>The Ink Black Heart.</i> </p><p>Last night, there was a Twitter challenge to recreate the popular Adult Halloween Costume Meme for Strike characters. I had never tried that, or any other meme before but I could not resist trying once I learned how. </p><p>My first attempt was the wonderful Pat Chauncey:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJcM0t84AKTW4BDVTPMCLkdr3qmjJ-M_du13blR-V-4s2c_jOEYtxpd_9ULB0ysdN120v4fV37tng-o17RTv3qMU6bnOk7BohLpcbrozWvMLx1MZL0TL_W3137RbuEY6Jb4z2Vo7KeEIM7o0HrFYQV9u8vQVyandrQXCHX8lnDXDzWcv3nmoM7jeran7n/s620/Pat%20C%20meme.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="500" height="530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJcM0t84AKTW4BDVTPMCLkdr3qmjJ-M_du13blR-V-4s2c_jOEYtxpd_9ULB0ysdN120v4fV37tng-o17RTv3qMU6bnOk7BohLpcbrozWvMLx1MZL0TL_W3137RbuEY6Jb4z2Vo7KeEIM7o0HrFYQV9u8vQVyandrQXCHX8lnDXDzWcv3nmoM7jeran7n/w427-h530/Pat%20C%20meme.jpeg" width="427" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next, I tried Mazu Wace:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSxwulxb9LsG24u22MDuY2HG9JYwhZOyzCWQp9QaI2YTFMu0BPewwar1_pfb9_9sYwBXBclwp97d_yjaidmkFjkkndjcD2LglCEi9Uh9P26M_tAdeoeB7MnziOp6MVv6j5NRLc7XCvcC9MGjRsBM2jq64h8F4nZxBYPARJLIBJPoNer9wMOVELSUxwRul9/s620/Mazu%20meme.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="500" height="524" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSxwulxb9LsG24u22MDuY2HG9JYwhZOyzCWQp9QaI2YTFMu0BPewwar1_pfb9_9sYwBXBclwp97d_yjaidmkFjkkndjcD2LglCEi9Uh9P26M_tAdeoeB7MnziOp6MVv6j5NRLc7XCvcC9MGjRsBM2jq64h8F4nZxBYPARJLIBJPoNer9wMOVELSUxwRul9/w422-h524/Mazu%20meme.jpeg" width="422" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And finally, the despicable Hugh Jacks.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqbCuJBO0FDPy9VLoVimoSGB82ModYvrp0SYSm65kvD-mjmxdko2WOlLNcn1mDdNc9perE1YZK-48JSL5u33iEihPYvHu4OEBJ1ZjOWfX5McOhGGaF4UH-Z2p6-gt3eBscQMra0JsKGWavqGYF9_PJIYZ3qLJuAibq73BjhT_8No4YqmpxM-B5bP1Yj6AO/s620/Hugh%20Meme.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="500" height="515" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqbCuJBO0FDPy9VLoVimoSGB82ModYvrp0SYSm65kvD-mjmxdko2WOlLNcn1mDdNc9perE1YZK-48JSL5u33iEihPYvHu4OEBJ1ZjOWfX5McOhGGaF4UH-Z2p6-gt3eBscQMra0JsKGWavqGYF9_PJIYZ3qLJuAibq73BjhT_8No4YqmpxM-B5bP1Yj6AO/w415-h515/Hugh%20Meme.jpeg" width="415" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There are some other great ones on Twitter. My personal favorite is <a href="https://twitter.com/therunninggrave/status/1719269685814800867" target="_blank">Bijou Watkins.</a> You can also view <a href="https://twitter.com/badly_wired/status/1719253684243091645" target="_blank">Ryan Murphy</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/suekmoorhen/status/1719314717502476765" target="_blank">Roy Carver,</a> and of course, <a href="https://twitter.com/badly_wired/status/1586671848103854080" target="_blank">Strike himself. </a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>If anyone wants to try their own, the generator is <a href="https://imgflip.com/memegenerator/419642439/Spirit-Halloween">here</a>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Happy costuming!</div>Louise Freeman Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10723489503466474801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371193667176654722.post-34562308190414647502023-10-31T17:23:00.002-04:002023-10-31T17:51:37.336-04:00Two Delectable Halloween Treats: A Super-Spooky Essay by Beatrice Groves and a Ghostly Podcast by the Three Broomsticks. <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKD_EelvvLpefij1RkPXHb_pBX-OGbhjUsuEceu3iZ2KXfIe9S-5yX9AxXKXzf2IXsSG0E7Aq_o3KyFGtZHf3hVh7zBAaFxWbXjtB2UcrnniNkXyMy1PWeTFQ83lchT6b-XZfprZ5Gds6v3hshzo2sRw81FTUiuoRl5VompMj8A-rQngdsBw3dcN_EJt6U/s2048/C32AF573-545A-40B3-97F3-578BC98F21D6.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKD_EelvvLpefij1RkPXHb_pBX-OGbhjUsuEceu3iZ2KXfIe9S-5yX9AxXKXzf2IXsSG0E7Aq_o3KyFGtZHf3hVh7zBAaFxWbXjtB2UcrnniNkXyMy1PWeTFQ83lchT6b-XZfprZ5Gds6v3hshzo2sRw81FTUiuoRl5VompMj8A-rQngdsBw3dcN_EJt6U/s320/C32AF573-545A-40B3-97F3-578BC98F21D6.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Boo to you, dear readers, on All Hallow's Eve. This is a day important in the Harry Potter world, though, as I recall, it has only come up once in the Strike and Ellacott series. In <i>Lethal White,</i> Strike and Robin visit the Three Kings pub, site of Margot and Oonaugh's would-be meeting, and note the costumed drinkers, including, interestingly, a woman in a naughty nurse costume.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDU7D_ZawtmPvG6DDFJH0reN-e3UgRUKuD2qOmsnY5eiR64RGpPZ7iSAxYALo20KXSdB7ro0R6WsgSoHc7n1RSiwRpokmCSQJHKVSYgvDvXFExBiHW2C9jyRfiVqLXLzqLGj8aGMQSPbFegNJOSZhPsjCHSAYxrynB7YNfm272wzEK4rYdUU27qfocmnXy/s522/Lit%20Allusion.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="348" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDU7D_ZawtmPvG6DDFJH0reN-e3UgRUKuD2qOmsnY5eiR64RGpPZ7iSAxYALo20KXSdB7ro0R6WsgSoHc7n1RSiwRpokmCSQJHKVSYgvDvXFExBiHW2C9jyRfiVqLXLzqLGj8aGMQSPbFegNJOSZhPsjCHSAYxrynB7YNfm272wzEK4rYdUU27qfocmnXy/w146-h220/Lit%20Allusion.jpg" width="146" /></a></div>Beatrice Groves has written one of the best books around for those interested in serious Harry Potter scholarship. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Literary-Allusion-Potter-Beatrice-Groves/dp/113828467X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3HSWEXLVZVPRH&keywords=beatrice+groves+harry+potter&qid=1698786391&sprefix=beatrice+groves+harry+potte%2Caps%2C83&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Literary Illusion in Harry Potter.</a></i> Her work on Cormoran Strike is equally impressive. Her most recent contribution is a post on spooky elements in <i>The Running Grave</i>, from scary corn dollies to Shakespearean ghosts to yet another horse connected to death, as the throwback to <i>Lethal White</i>. You can find her essay <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/beatrice-groves-hits-and-misses-folk-horror-and-shakespearean-pastoral/" target="_blank">here</a>, and it's just the thing to read on a Halloween night after finishing the last Strike book. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKOYYBoaaX3dOcWWpHLmLFXZhs_da2OdyxrKPzOKLiKvtWPUYJj0uCSEKqES9vB3qT8_S85LrV7QsPkbxox2y6jrsawPPy_GTezxQcSuOFvHBccaZT6PxWECbt99Tv5aWR5Ew8uNZL1xz1HNnxmDLSnoEZwFtetWG4FESdwE_d0vidArwtLM6jBlz9za3U/s1080/3%20b%20title.webp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKOYYBoaaX3dOcWWpHLmLFXZhs_da2OdyxrKPzOKLiKvtWPUYJj0uCSEKqES9vB3qT8_S85LrV7QsPkbxox2y6jrsawPPy_GTezxQcSuOFvHBccaZT6PxWECbt99Tv5aWR5Ew8uNZL1xz1HNnxmDLSnoEZwFtetWG4FESdwE_d0vidArwtLM6jBlz9za3U/w223-h223/3%20b%20title.webp" width="223" /></a></div>On the other hand, if you are looking for a cheerful podcast to listen to while waiting for your Trick-or Treaters, I recommend <a href="https://threebroomstickspod.com/episode-20-voldemort-the-drama-queen/" target="_blank">The Three Broomsticks Episode 20: Voldemort the drama queen</a>, which addresses the role Halloween plays in Harry Potter. Or, if you'd prefer a Strike throwback, you can check out their <i>Running Grave</i> predictions show, <a href="https://threebroomstickspod.com/episode-17-strike-7-the-strike-agency-camping-trip/" target="_blank">The Strike Agency Camping Trip</a>, where Bea and I were both guests. Please note that the statement I made about being Pat's age was made before the revelation of <i>The Running Grave. </i>I am not, in fact. 67. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Whether you want to enjoy Strike, Harry or both, have a safe and spooktacular Halloween!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_VfzWMY1YSV04ufo9aq5fBHmKlwo3iPlo3huodYOXSIvOSKI7JzA-FhX42YdKxgSloSoFxZ9DxeXdKmUcm8l_j9P-C6THI0b0FPjwjdBVXG34UW-FWMYScHjJitO247t4NDt-p3ttoVQBZvCVJygFQ2irvzR6wdHoQ4TO5qo9_Axgk0OCHgx77tmhy6K/s4032/IMG_2251.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_VfzWMY1YSV04ufo9aq5fBHmKlwo3iPlo3huodYOXSIvOSKI7JzA-FhX42YdKxgSloSoFxZ9DxeXdKmUcm8l_j9P-C6THI0b0FPjwjdBVXG34UW-FWMYScHjJitO247t4NDt-p3ttoVQBZvCVJygFQ2irvzR6wdHoQ4TO5qo9_Axgk0OCHgx77tmhy6K/w381-h286/IMG_2251.jpeg" width="381" /></a></div><p></p>Louise Freeman Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10723489503466474801noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371193667176654722.post-25307378235608993672023-10-30T15:15:00.016-04:002023-10-30T21:54:57.595-04:00Water, water everywhere: Baptism, baths, rivers, rain and showers as unifying themes in The Running Grave.<p>One of the many connections<i> The Running Grave </i>has with <i>Troubled Blood</i> is the theme of water. <i>Troubled Blood</i>, of course, centered around the real-life Cornish floods of 2014. <i>A Running Grave</i> has its share of rain, including one real-life storm, but more of its water comes in the form of baptismal imagery, both traditional and macabre. How does this unite both the book and StrikeandRobin into a coherent whole? <span style="color: #2b00fe;">Find out after the jump.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNSLf5WsnHiAXNqyCXOCOhb_NzAZwxNPEJIf2j7zYAff9cWV_WLXKuktgfZZW_1TQ8ouC-mD-hELVZE6AJBLbFADsnP6QLDqNegle_0DkmgQDxdmCUvMqNofm9rY21Kd0YOmthriJ0FvoT3LGFgvy4_W5KcDXT_wcqXItGA169hx-YS8R-CMIbx_w5HdAR/s225/The%20Running%20Grave.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNSLf5WsnHiAXNqyCXOCOhb_NzAZwxNPEJIf2j7zYAff9cWV_WLXKuktgfZZW_1TQ8ouC-mD-hELVZE6AJBLbFADsnP6QLDqNegle_0DkmgQDxdmCUvMqNofm9rY21Kd0YOmthriJ0FvoT3LGFgvy4_W5KcDXT_wcqXItGA169hx-YS8R-CMIbx_w5HdAR/w456-h456/The%20Running%20Grave.jpeg" width="456" /></a><span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">After the opening prologue of letters and emails from the Edensor family, the main story opens with a scene of both rain and baptism: the backyard reception celebrating little Benjy Herbert's christening, during which Robin and Strike both served as godparents and renounced Satan on behalf of the child. Although we do not witness the ceremony itself, the description of the water being poured over the baby's head (and Bijou's tacky attempt to draw attention to herself during the key moment) is described, and the "heavy rain falling on the canvas above" along with the freely flowing champagne--which is perhaps flowing a bit too freely for the new grandmother--- echo the theme of watery cleansing. Certainly Strike seems to be on the road to self-purification, as he discerns the trouble that is Bijou and steers clear of her. That evening, in his attic flat, he is "slimmer, fitter, clearer of lung," as he prepares healthy food, agrees to help Shanker's stepdaughter find her father, and rejects both Charlotte's phone calls and the note Bijou slips in his pocket. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsyk1N5LJgjh_vTHikD_KXasqnL-jH4SIk919mhhiZaj3dM22sZQjts0Bj3d7IdQob_inIkqj204squAFlvCNr9P6YVE4jXHfQoXNFPC6gEBpknzz_UDdfqIm1CCKgY61imF5wpJ4qXwPPtkzIU-XbhVIi92k8uaCFyOiXXww6nNJo8BxY-Lf8966k8w1p/s343/Firetek%20bow.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="147" data-original-width="343" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsyk1N5LJgjh_vTHikD_KXasqnL-jH4SIk919mhhiZaj3dM22sZQjts0Bj3d7IdQob_inIkqj204squAFlvCNr9P6YVE4jXHfQoXNFPC6gEBpknzz_UDdfqIm1CCKgY61imF5wpJ4qXwPPtkzIU-XbhVIi92k8uaCFyOiXXww6nNJo8BxY-Lf8966k8w1p/s320/Firetek%20bow.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>The cleansing continues during the next instance of rain: the storm that is brewing as Strike heads to Lucy's and begins in earnest after he arrives. Though the storm clouds foreshadow that something dark is to be revealed, the rain ultimately signifies the cleansing of Strike and Lucy's relationship. After this encounter they will both see each other, as well as Leda, with clearer eyes. Strike starts off by doing what Lucy has always wanted: he visits her home, bringing presents for all three nephews, not just Jack. What Strike thought would be a relatively straightforward discussion about the potential for publicity relating to the Aylmerton Community as a result of Strike's UHC investigation turns into a much more serious revelation, as Lucy discloses her long-ago sexual abuse by Dr. Coates, and Mazu's role in it. As her two youngest boys, properly dressed in their raincoats and Wellies, play outside in the rain with their new toys, Lucy's tears rain down on Strike's shirt as she tells him the truth. The contrast between the protected environment that Lucy has created for her boys and Leda's negligence that led to the abuse in the commune could not be stronger.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"></span></div><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The sitting room door opened. Strike was astonished by the abrupt change in Lucy, as she wiped her face and straighten her back in an instant, so when Jack entered, panting and wet-haired, she was smiling...</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">"Jack, go dry yourself off and then you can have some banana bread," said Lucy, for all the world as if she was perfectly happy, and for the first time in their adult lives, it occurred to Strike that his sister's determination to cling to stability and her notion of normality, her iron-clad refusal to dwell endlessly on the awful possibilities of human behavior, was a form of extraordinary courage. </span></div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The siblings' better understanding of each other perseveres through the rest of the book, as Strike both steps up to share the responsibility for Uncle Ted, and keeps his promise to Lucy to "get that bitch Mazu." In turn, she finally accepts his single status and unstable lifestyle, echoing Joan's dying words by saying, "You do wonderful things. You help people." </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMP0jlu_7fpEKdEURtFvrWfCitYjwe5WhVZxzxDCJR5yC5YUGZWeiPvJFmvGxNq_1FLU4qnl9saBEPti-Ouad_dz08K3jZCSJaJzpxHnJrfTORWikySpWvATp8xkQPqJlib_nFuH_vB1pMD_OLv4EdQicCZEOV8_8flGDoMDrglsyZo4R10Vn1zzaks_tN/s225/katie%20london.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMP0jlu_7fpEKdEURtFvrWfCitYjwe5WhVZxzxDCJR5yC5YUGZWeiPvJFmvGxNq_1FLU4qnl9saBEPti-Ouad_dz08K3jZCSJaJzpxHnJrfTORWikySpWvATp8xkQPqJlib_nFuH_vB1pMD_OLv4EdQicCZEOV8_8flGDoMDrglsyZo4R10Vn1zzaks_tN/s1600/katie%20london.jpeg" width="225" /></a></div>The next instance of rain in the book is more destructive than cleansing. On Easter Monday, Robin braves Storm Katie to meet Strike at the office for the UHC case review. Although Robin describes the storm as "bracing," Strike is quick to point out the dangers of getting "smacked in the head by a flying bin." The weather echoes the tension between the partners on the case, with Robin still eager for the undercover mission, but Strike growing increasingly concerned about the danger of coerced sex on the farm. Strike makes a couple of key mistakes regarding Robin's relationship with Ryan Murphy, first asking what he thinks of Robin going undercover and later slamming the inner office door on her when she takes a phone call from him. Between those actions and Clive Littlejohn's first suspicious behavior in the office, the atmosphere is definitely one of unrest. Strike complicates it further by not only failing to heed Ilsa's warning about Bijou, but becoming angry with both her and Robin for Ilsa's audacity in making it. Seemingly out of spite, Strike makes his worst mistake of the book, agreeing to a second date with Bijou. For the first time, he "screws someone he actively disliked." The consequences are bad, and could have been far worse for the agency.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span>Like her godson Benjamin Herbert's, "Rowena's" baptism into the UHC occurs on a rainy day. Thunder rumbles ominously as she makes her way from the farmhouse to the temple, and what started as sprinkles becomes full rain during the after-baptism dinner and party. Robin listens to the rainfall as she waits in bed for an opportunity to slip out of the dormitory for her first check of the messenger rock. Unable to wear her waterproof coat, rain soaks her and beats on the forest canopy as she makes her way to the meeting place. The raindrops echo the tear the drips on the paper as she reads the first note from Strike. </span><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp-dgI22LsZSLRqllskkpMOu6VZzwFBtENYxTNVsdx5Bfg37veL2y-2hLCQopIrDiwMRDDEaRg5VjAva40-7yAh1_cp9IwoX_vPBj1W3bWwcL-mithHIRPS_s8RFmFtIFKSFLsSvRflsKD7iA-MD8fd-X5lfrN0xxzA9oXLIX5CZD5NFCv5iV3YN0tDwuE/s1588/fish%20pendant.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1191" data-original-width="1588" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp-dgI22LsZSLRqllskkpMOu6VZzwFBtENYxTNVsdx5Bfg37veL2y-2hLCQopIrDiwMRDDEaRg5VjAva40-7yAh1_cp9IwoX_vPBj1W3bWwcL-mithHIRPS_s8RFmFtIFKSFLsSvRflsKD7iA-MD8fd-X5lfrN0xxzA9oXLIX5CZD5NFCv5iV3YN0tDwuE/w245-h184/fish%20pendant.webp" width="245" /></a></div>A light rain is also falling in chapter 69, as the UHC members search for Mazu's allegedly lost fish pendant. However, it stops and a "watery sunshine" lights up the wildflowers as Robin walk with Jiang from the woods back to the main compound. This is a good omen; not only does Robin thwart Becca's attempt to frame her for theft, she manages to flatter and slightly befriend Jiang, at a time when, as she puts it, she "needs all the allies she can get." This small connection pays off when, on the night of her escape, Jiang convinces Taio to let Robin make a visit to the women's dormitory bathroom, a small act of compassion, but one that makes her escape possible. </span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Baptismal imagery is common on Chapman Farm, but typically takes the form of something dark and sinister rather than spiritual and cleansing. One of the first acts of cruelty described at the farm is that of the teenage Jordan being forced to whip himself on the face. Jordan's name is explicitly connected to the traditional Biblical baptismal river by Jonathan Wace, who apparently used to sing the spiritual "Roll, Jordan, Roll" whenever he met the young man. It is ironic that Wace would use a spiritual beloved by enslaved people seeking freedom to humiliate a youth who is a <i>de facto </i>slave on the farm. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mAZhQQN758g" width="320" youtube-src-id="mAZhQQN758g"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">UHC members are required to anoint themselves with water from Daiyu's s memorial fountain every time they pass it, while reciting, "The Drowned Prophet will bless all who worship her." Yet, the Drowned Prophet is more often associated with horror and vengance than blessings. Mazu's prayer, "Bless me, my child, and may your righteous punishment fall upon all who stray from the Way" is a more authentic summary of church philosophy and practice. Jonathan and Mazu Wace, and the rest of the Principals are the ones blessed by the UHC; the rest of the membership live to suffer.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Robin encounters the pentagon-shaped baptismal pool in the temple three times. Its waters are pitch black and reflective, rather than clear and transparent as a baptistry should be. Robin thinks, at her initial baptism, that the water looks inviting, not because immersion will cleanse her false self or rebirth her as a UHC member, but because she could experience "a few moments of solitude and peace" <i>away</i> from the cult. Her time underwater is described as "glorious silence" that is "shattered" when she resurfaces. Amandeep's words, "I've joined the damn cult!" are more true than he realizes; all he needs is to add an "-ed" to the adjective.<br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span><span>Robin's second encounter comes at her Revelation, when the stage tips and she slides, " across the smooth surface of the tipping lid, preventing herself from falling into the sliver of black water only by throwing out her arm and pushing against the rim of the pool." The cult members all scramble to escape, filled with "a horror of slipping into the dark water, welcoming as it had seemed during their baptisms." This incident is a harbinger of evil; it is right afterwards that Taio attempts to force Robin into "spirit-bonding."</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span><span><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittpd9aPPdd0FN8zCXqDQF0mi4IlOuJqIpjY1wYcKo0Jeeu8DxBEtzncanJijzD6neSkN86asih2_L-u-3oRnXHI2FHBYnQEt-Gf7zC3omhjRvsgu49kyqnWNmvSv1HDmzFzibwT7b5fUZe-TnYsUOvGmkz4T9GVLpWD6EGswoznJsSoTLONYs_xPR-HAu/s736/voldemort-reborn-greyfriars-kirkyard.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="540" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittpd9aPPdd0FN8zCXqDQF0mi4IlOuJqIpjY1wYcKo0Jeeu8DxBEtzncanJijzD6neSkN86asih2_L-u-3oRnXHI2FHBYnQEt-Gf7zC3omhjRvsgu49kyqnWNmvSv1HDmzFzibwT7b5fUZe-TnYsUOvGmkz4T9GVLpWD6EGswoznJsSoTLONYs_xPR-HAu/w108-h147/voldemort-reborn-greyfriars-kirkyard.jpg" width="108" /></a></div><br /></span>The third encounter happens the evening of the Drowned Prophet's Manifestation. In the initial part of the ceremony, the glowing green waters are more reminiscent of the potion in the graveyard stone caldron of <i>Goblet of Fire</i> than they are the clear frozen pond in the Forest of Dean. As in the graveyard, a frightening figure rises from the watery depths.</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><blockquote>Now the glowing water rose upwards in the smooth shape of a bell jar, and revolving slowly inside it was the figure of a limp, eyeless girl in a white dress. There were several screams: Robin heard a girl shout, "No, no, no!"</blockquote></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span>After this appearance, Robin is targeted as an evil within the UHC and "called to the pool" for a second immersion, one that will both mimc and invert Harry's baptismal plunge into the frozen pond of <i>Deathly Hallows</i>. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span><span><blockquote>Knowing that resistance or refusal would be taken as infallible signs of guilt, she stepped over the edge and allowed herself to drop under the surface of the cold water.... Robin expected her feet to touch the bottom, but they met no resistance; the bottom of the pool had disappeared. She tried to swim for the surface, but then, to her terror, she felt something like a smooth cord twist around her ankles. In panic she fought to kick herself free, but whatever had hold of her dragged her downwards. In darkness she flailed and kicked, trying to rise, but whatever was holding her back was more powerful, and she saw splinters of memories--her parents, her childhood home, Strike in the Land Rover-- and the cold waters seemed to be crushing her, pressing on her very brain, it was impossible to breathe, she opened her mouth in a silent scream and sucked in water...</blockquote></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Note the similar language in the Forest of Dean scene, complete with a series of short clauses connected by commas to convey the panic of drowning. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHxSVlUpxF_8ighdU61zfxBD3YwlxZ4AzWlWpBzbnXWP1b5G0SC1YJ9qoNBAqa6lolJe7nWSzEnLrzFoMok3amRH6OmYPLpSG_1jv81ijoShZOp7DmuBFiT_79qvDRIvvI_6By1ufJy8WMrolzLSVhP1n7joWKDZISI4tTCseufwqivVrBWNMws9HhPLWE/s255/pool.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="198" data-original-width="255" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHxSVlUpxF_8ighdU61zfxBD3YwlxZ4AzWlWpBzbnXWP1b5G0SC1YJ9qoNBAqa6lolJe7nWSzEnLrzFoMok3amRH6OmYPLpSG_1jv81ijoShZOp7DmuBFiT_79qvDRIvvI_6By1ufJy8WMrolzLSVhP1n7joWKDZISI4tTCseufwqivVrBWNMws9HhPLWE/w181-h141/pool.jpeg" width="181" /></a></div>Harry put off the moment of total submersion from second to second, gasping and shaking, until he told himself it must be done, gathered all his courage and dived.... then something closed tight around his neck...the chain of the Horcrux had tightened and was slowly constricting his windpipe. Harry kicked out wildly, trying to push himself back to the surface, but merely propelled himself into the rocky side of the pool. Thrashing, suffocating, he scrabbled at the strangling chin, his frozen fingers unable to loosen it, and now little lights were popping inside his head, and he was going to drown, there was nothing left, nothing he could do, and the arms that closed about his chest were surely Death's...</blockquote></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Robin and Harry both regain consciousness once pulled out of the water. Harry comes to face down, and hears the voice of his best mate, Ron. The scene is followed by their joyous reconciliation and the triumphal destruction of the locket Horcrux. Robin, unfortunately, has an opposite experience; she wakes on the temple floor to see the goggled face of her enemy and would-be rapist, Taio, and is taken from the temple to the farmhouse basement and the torture of "the box."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">There is one other image of the UHC baptismal pool, that drawn by "Torment Town," who we will eventually know as Flora Brewster. Flora's drawings artistically render the darkness and death associated with the UHC pool and its prophet, prompting Strike to say they belong in a horror comic:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><blockquote>This showed Daiyu as she'd looked in life, although in a far more sinister form. The accomplished pencil and charcoal drawing had turned the rabbity face skeletal. Where there should have been eyes, there were empty sockets....Daiyu appeared repeatedly, sometimes only her face, sometimes full length, in a white dress that dripped water onto the floor around her bare feet. The eyeless, rabbity face stared in through windows, the dripping corpse floated across ceilings and peered out from between dark trees. </blockquote></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Appropriately, while reviewing the pictures, Strike is interrupted by a classic omen of death, a raven crashing into his window. He makes eye contact with the bird, before it flies away, then returns to his work to uncover the picture that will prove a crucial clue into the disappearance of Deidre Doherty. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"></span></div><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">He paused on the most complex picture yet: a meticulously rendered depiction of a group standing around a black five-sided pool. The figures around the pool were hooded, their faces in shadow, but Jonathan Wace's face was illuminated. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Over the water hovered the spectral Daiyu, looking down at the water below, a sinister smile on her face. Where Daiyu's reflection should have been, there was a different woman, floating on the surface of the water, She was fair-haired and wore square-framed glasses, but like Daiyu she had no eyes, only empty sockets. </span></div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">It is little wonder that Flora is "tormented" by such memories. The UHC sets up a contrast between normal and perverted baptisms: one a cleansing ceremony where family and friends cheerfully renounce the Satan in which they probably don't genuinely believe, then celebrate with cake and champagne; the other a dark, morbid rite presided over by the all-too-real and Satan-like Jonathan Wace and depicting the deaths of innocents. Interestingly, the only other time the word "torment" is used outside of the "Torment Town" handle is in reference to Lady Sally Edensor, who was "tormented" by the idea of dying without seeing Will again, a fear that comes to pass thanks to the Waces.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The only other significant mention of rain comes on the night where Robin is imprisoned in the box, and Strike is keeping his all-night vigil for her. At the bewitching hour of midnight, the weather is described as "raining heavily" as Strike scans the "rain-flecked trees" with night vision goggles, searching for her. In the absence of magical tools like Deluminators and the Doe Patronus, it will take much more effort, and courage, on Robin's part, for them to find each other. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhVi7YBV3-65qQRdPMwCBGIhi8XGybxDnCTmgyataQ4PQEwD_wjoRfyKRxpLSImEt4l2tdrc5ybC0B0TWRZwpFgXhEuEpGKPBiL99I_XFJ1fgPaNr3dPI7vrKY4fu80f5Iy_TydORxY5pvPhPPp-ib2Vi0ORxSb7Q6_Iji9LfrNPpa25F8JeLTqHrigNAi/s308/Olympia.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="164" data-original-width="308" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhVi7YBV3-65qQRdPMwCBGIhi8XGybxDnCTmgyataQ4PQEwD_wjoRfyKRxpLSImEt4l2tdrc5ybC0B0TWRZwpFgXhEuEpGKPBiL99I_XFJ1fgPaNr3dPI7vrKY4fu80f5Iy_TydORxY5pvPhPPp-ib2Vi0ORxSb7Q6_Iji9LfrNPpa25F8JeLTqHrigNAi/s1600/Olympia.jpeg" width="308" /></a></div>Strike also witnesses baptisms during Wace's "superservice" in London, but, observed through the eyes of an outsider who refuses to "admit the possibility" of anything spiritual, let alone supernatural, in the UHC, the imagery becomes more comic than sinister. Strike notes the unbaptized attendees dropping money in collection buckets, "perhaps trying to appease a vague sense of guilt that they were leaving in dry clothes." Perhaps dry tracksuits will be made available to those willing to immediately get on the minibus for Chapman Farm, but readers are left to visualize the rest as making their way home from the Olympia center auditorium, dripping wet. </span><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">There is one final depiction of a perverse and morbid mock baptism that has nothing to do with UHC: the suicide of Charlotte Campbell in her bathtub. This event is foreshadowed by the description of Flora Brewster's long-ago, identical and thankfully unsuccessful attempt. As Fergus Robertson tells us:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span><blockquote>Two days after she talked to me, she saw the Drowned Prophet floating outside her window. She rang me, hysterical, saying she'd said too much and the Drowned Prophet had come to get her, but I should still print the story...Got off the phone, locked herself in her parents' bathroom and slit her wrists in the bath. She survived--just.</blockquote></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span>Like Flora, Charlotte made some hysterical phone calls prior to her attempt. Even the peace Strike made with her spirit in the church does not protect him from the horrific image:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span><blockquote>Strike knew that Charlotte had taken a cocktail of drink and antidepressants before slitting her wrists and bleeding out in a bath...Much as he'd have preferred it not to, Strike's imagination insisted on showing him a vivid picture of Charlotte submerged in her own blood, her black hair floating on the clotted surface. </blockquote></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Strike may not be able to draw, but his mind torments him with images as horrific as those of Flora Brewster. Robin learns the same information; she is reading the article with the "Socialite Died in Bath" headline when Emily comes to relieve her in Jacob's room. While we don't get to see Robin's thoughts on the story's content, only her shocked gasp, it is likely that the knowledge that Charlotte is gone for good helps facilitate her sudden knowledge that Strike is by the farm wall, waiting for her. Something similar happened to Jane Eyre after she learned Rochester's insane first wife was dead.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2XuFaDpq1jb5_QeROp3g7A2tFE96NnHwIk5IXYSdsnz1oyDTtXWEo7_B1XcHm5GXDLJ5dLm08KrzGI8cDkn55jvMAY7DeWyeiLyERuNof5UTTnRAlvhWbEWgvcvUQt0RBGMRfBY2WSSW5Ppn2EuFhdoVMIPBgO-88Tj-Hg8l2eCYPDYRVW2URHKqcNHal/s276/shower.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="276" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2XuFaDpq1jb5_QeROp3g7A2tFE96NnHwIk5IXYSdsnz1oyDTtXWEo7_B1XcHm5GXDLJ5dLm08KrzGI8cDkn55jvMAY7DeWyeiLyERuNof5UTTnRAlvhWbEWgvcvUQt0RBGMRfBY2WSSW5Ppn2EuFhdoVMIPBgO-88Tj-Hg8l2eCYPDYRVW2URHKqcNHal/s1600/shower.jpeg" width="276" /></a></div></span>After Robin escapes the cult, virtually all mention of rain stops. The word "rain" appears 26 times in Chapters 1-86, but only twice in the remainder of the book: once used figuratively, when shouts of "no!" rain down upon Jonathan Wace at the superservice and once as Strike is describing a past event, asking Abigail whether the failure to burn the pigpen was because of rain. What replaces rain (and bloody baths) are images of showers and rivers. Twice Robin takes a shower with Strike nearby; the first time in Fellbrig Lodge, the second in Strike's attic flat. The first time, while Robin is thinking only of washing the stain of Chapman Farm off of her, Strike is in the bedroom trying desperately not to think about Robin naked. In the second, Robin gets her turn trying not to imagine Strike's regular nudity in the place she is standing. Strike also thinks of Robin, and their other visits to seaside towns, while showering in the Hotel de Paris in Cromer. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Although they are separate in all their water showers, Strike and Robin undergo a figurative joint "baptism by fire" when their car comes under gunfire.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"></span></div><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The rear window and windscreen shattered. The bullet had passed so close to Strike's head that he felt its heat: with blank whiteness where there had been glass, Robin was driving blind. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">"Punch it out!" she shouted at Strike, who took off his seat belt to oblige... Strike was thumping broken glass out of the windscreen to give Robin visibility, fragments showered down on both of them. </span></div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Strike, who had finally "opened his f*cking eyes" regarding Robin, is now risking his life to help her see. Perhaps better than any time in their partnership, the pair is working together, each using their strengths to save not only their own lives, but that of their passenger, Will. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The River Thames is seen on two occasions when the detectives visit the Edensor home, with its "long lawn running in a gentle slope down to the river." The final scene with the Edensors is an echo of the book's opening baptismal celebration, celebrating the reunion of the family and the re-christening of little Qing.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><blockquote>The long lawn sloping down beyond Sir Colin Edensor's house had gained a number of brightly colored objects since the last time Strike and Robin had seen it...a blow-up paddling pool decorated with tropical fish and...a battery-powered bubble machine. It was this that was attracting the attention of the white-haired toddler who was now answering to the name Sally rather than Qing, and two dark-haired little boys of about the same age. Their shrieks, shouts and laughter carried into the kitchen as they attempted to catch and pop the stream of bubbles issuing from the purple box on the grass. Four adults were supervising the toddlers, to make sure they didn't stray too close to the river at the foot of the garden. </blockquote></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZvO44lnKW3lLT79UE3mLwtvKd95ELOWhpgw5JOIDw6oR3wkryi7BEEEJnxvWhGxbegm2_IWMy9pt1D3NhWeSk-rQ9dwV5l_INJSRqG5J_TV1Tkl_g423mwuuKzcmE9UrPv7m5NKprrMBHKLtEV47cnSHyt3UtfozscErsOfQo_4aN1fc0nskjWPq8ui4l/s253/bubbles.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="199" data-original-width="253" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZvO44lnKW3lLT79UE3mLwtvKd95ELOWhpgw5JOIDw6oR3wkryi7BEEEJnxvWhGxbegm2_IWMy9pt1D3NhWeSk-rQ9dwV5l_INJSRqG5J_TV1Tkl_g423mwuuKzcmE9UrPv7m5NKprrMBHKLtEV47cnSHyt3UtfozscErsOfQo_4aN1fc0nskjWPq8ui4l/s1600/bubbles.jpeg" width="253" /></a></div></span>A brightly colored, safe and cheerful pool is present, in contrast to the dark baptistry of the UHC temple, while the flowing river in the background recalls the River Jordan, and the soap bubbles add another image of cleansing. If anything, this scene is cheerier than the Herberts' reception; there is no rain and certainly no one as annoying as Bijou trying to butt in. The white-haired girl who had most often been seen crying and isolated from other children at Chapman Farm is now happily playing with her newfound cousins. Loving adults are looking out for her, assuring she will not meet the same horrible fate of drowning associated with the UHC, and which befell little Robbie Whedon of <i>A Casual Vacancy</i>. Having been allowed to re-join the bubble world, Qing can look forward to a happy and safe life as Sally, blessed with the name of her late grandmother and as a treasured part of a reunited family. If Lady Sally's spirit is still present with her husband and sons, we can assume her torment is eased. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><i>The Running Grave</i> is bookended with uplifting baptismal imagery, with sinister perversions of the practice seen in the middle of the book, most notably at Chapman Farm, but also with the death of Charlotte Campbell. Rain can either serve a cleansing function, as it does during Strike's visit with Lucy, or indicate trouble, as with Storm Katie. Finally, images of Strike and Robin thinking of each other as they shower contrast with Charlotte's lonely death in a bloody bath, and signify their increasing intimacy. While the showering of broken windshield glass signifies and cements their professional partnership, the other shower imagery indicates a washing away of past unhealthy romances, which we can expect to clear the way for the detectives' personal relationship to move forward. The water imagery in <i>The Running Grave</i> is, in addition to a major literary device in the book, an outpouring of blessings for Strellacott shippers. </span></div>Louise Freeman Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10723489503466474801noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371193667176654722.post-66407487002726060252023-10-24T23:42:00.004-04:002023-10-25T14:01:31.645-04:00Notes on The Running Grave Re-listen Part II: What is Ted's Actual Diagnosis?<p> I'm continuing my post of random bits I noticed in my second listen through <i>The Running Grave. </i>As always, <span style="color: #2b00fe;">spoilers ahead. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyTfV2izhCdotijrPw_w9IH1qArOIZKoBN7KUQsnyYIlIwUskvU4dKVEGTYxYples0c_K4jg2AjZbQNAc4cN-y4dC0b6Va3czaeZnOKjssCJ1P7bs0RpdCTSD7NwGCxCFWV41oXOKF2wMZY8sKHhulaVxaKN6F-ilr6M2EztHN9hy3YsCZKeIW04T-SNT/s225/The%20Running%20Grave.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyTfV2izhCdotijrPw_w9IH1qArOIZKoBN7KUQsnyYIlIwUskvU4dKVEGTYxYples0c_K4jg2AjZbQNAc4cN-y4dC0b6Va3czaeZnOKjssCJ1P7bs0RpdCTSD7NwGCxCFWV41oXOKF2wMZY8sKHhulaVxaKN6F-ilr6M2EztHN9hy3YsCZKeIW04T-SNT/w454-h454/The%20Running%20Grave.jpeg" width="454" /></a><span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnbKAA5MaQuNFsm9PkcS_Hj-7wLwrAlbpJsd0cGxzX8vfwg8ADMqlq4EhsAhsoBzllS9yAI2LXL6rtpucBTFYRNWZIsNW98XXPYRdrHAQBAkD5IplkoOBLLsJHz-TIaPol3-ojRACJCqMOyj-1S_twmCXpvxtj7IiEFHAvl10GOtDZaYp3Bq8WHOcyGIkf/s290/aging%20brain.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="174" data-original-width="290" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnbKAA5MaQuNFsm9PkcS_Hj-7wLwrAlbpJsd0cGxzX8vfwg8ADMqlq4EhsAhsoBzllS9yAI2LXL6rtpucBTFYRNWZIsNW98XXPYRdrHAQBAkD5IplkoOBLLsJHz-TIaPol3-ojRACJCqMOyj-1S_twmCXpvxtj7IiEFHAvl10GOtDZaYp3Bq8WHOcyGIkf/s1600/aging%20brain.jpeg" width="290" /></a></div>As a neuroscientist, I was happy to see Ted's diagnosis called by its most appropriate name: dementia, and a little surprised to see Strike refer to it as Alzheimer's in Chapter 116. While Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly, <a href="https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/infographics/understanding-different-types-dementia" target="_blank">it is not the only potential cause</a>. Alzheimer's disease can typically only be definitively diagnosed after autopsy, so, at least in the US, the official diagnosis, once other causes of dementia are ruled out, is usually DAT: Dementia of Alzheimer's Type. However, it was clear to me from the beginning that Ted might have something other than DAT, and some more evidence appeared later in the book. Rather than Alzheimer's, I thingk Ted Nancarrow probably has a form of vascular dementia, specifically <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/6063-multi-infarct-dementia" target="_blank">multiple infarct dementia (MID). </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpYUJd-F9Qjjd1KJvymF1UiloI6_O2rlIGJETIVjU-d8cb7DKk9Ci2WUWpTefdGhd6HbLJHX65EuvmMssPkbwPS4Kz6dRee2aTmQrRxbkrGNK_L2qgVMmdnmRn_OtIbpPzmGIhjdItRD9np9ADOc9mql_4RpkAHvd-OTL5nddyAyqRMDkbcxtj34UPDsqF/s300/stroke.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpYUJd-F9Qjjd1KJvymF1UiloI6_O2rlIGJETIVjU-d8cb7DKk9Ci2WUWpTefdGhd6HbLJHX65EuvmMssPkbwPS4Kz6dRee2aTmQrRxbkrGNK_L2qgVMmdnmRn_OtIbpPzmGIhjdItRD9np9ADOc9mql_4RpkAHvd-OTL5nddyAyqRMDkbcxtj34UPDsqF/w198-h198/stroke.jpeg" width="198" /></a></div>Multiple infarct dementia is memory loss and other symptoms caused by a series of small strokes. Brain damage occurs because blocked blood vessels deprive parts of the brain of oxygen and nutrients, ultimately resulting in neuron loss in those regions, <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9164-alzheimers-disease" target="_blank">Alzheimer's disease, </a>in contrast, is brain damage associated with abnormal protein accumulation in the brain, causing the characteristic plaques and tangles that can give a definitive diagnosis after death,</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">There are several reasons to believe Ted has multi-infarct dementia rather that DAT.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>His symptoms came on suddenly</b>: Lucy and Strike both spent considerable time with Ted during Joan's illness in 2013 to 2014 and in the two years since, and there is no indication that they noticed any memory issues or other signs of cognitive decline during that time. In <i>TRG</i>, Ted seemed to go from simply repeating himself to being unable to care for himself over the course of a few months, and, when Ted visits London, Strike is able to tell that he had deteriorated over a period of only a few weeks. MID can come on suddenly and have periods of sharp decline followed by intervals of stability or even improvement. DAT is more likely to come on gradually, with family members often seeing a period of mild cognitive decline for several years before things get bad enough to seek medical help.</span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>Ted is having mobility issues</b>: Strike noted when he visited St. Mawes that Ted was "not too steady on his feet" and worried about him falling on the steep stairs to his house. MID patients are known to develop a shuffling gait. This is not a symptom that is associated with Alzheimers.</span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>A major risk factor for MID is hypertension:</b> Ted apparently has a history of high blood pressure, as Joan said this was a concern of his doctor, back when she was showing Strike where to find the chocolate biscuits. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>MID is associated with depression:</b> Lucy reported when Ted visited in <i>The Ink Black Heart</i> that he seemed "pretty low." </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>Ted had a "funny turn." </b> MID is associated not only with small, silent strokes but <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/14173-transient-ischemic-attack-tia-or-mini-stroke" target="_blank">transient ischemic attacks (TIA's)</a>: temporary blockages of blood vessels that clear themselves. These can cause stroke symptoms (such as confusion, slurred speech, partial paralysis) that last only a few minutes. These episodes are commonly called mini-strokes, although that term is better reserved for actual permanent rupture or blockage of small blood vessels. </span></li></ul></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuHOVRkmPqP46lipDW6qysrTqaKTF0lj7m_-E59hbaQ39Br_jVpDrt7daQt9XhR8no2-12wdpwfq-QStJH6_MM1WDeijAWOM08p5dA4XOxCn1JENqR27qM_wD344Xdes55473YDmS5OLKguxAhc4uIgKGOtK3FArqLh7I41R_bKV23SPwl3vfKMlFHHCYs/s320/understanding-types-of-dementia_7.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="320" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuHOVRkmPqP46lipDW6qysrTqaKTF0lj7m_-E59hbaQ39Br_jVpDrt7daQt9XhR8no2-12wdpwfq-QStJH6_MM1WDeijAWOM08p5dA4XOxCn1JENqR27qM_wD344Xdes55473YDmS5OLKguxAhc4uIgKGOtK3FArqLh7I41R_bKV23SPwl3vfKMlFHHCYs/w197-h197/understanding-types-of-dementia_7.png" width="197" /></a></div>So, why did Strike say Ted had Alzheimer's? I think he, like many others, is using the term generically, assuming that all dementia-related conditions in the elderly can be called that. Strike is not always precise in his scientific terminology. Other examples include 1) </span><a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/science-in-cormoran-strike-narrative-misdirection-or-plain-old-error-part-i-dna-and-paternity-testing/" target="_blank">calling the paternity test that apparently proved Rokeby his father at age five or so a "DNA" test;</a><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> that technology would not have been around until the mid-to-late 1980's and 2) </span><a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/science-in-cormoran-strike-narrative-misdirection-or-plain-old-error-part-2-pharmacology/" target="_blank">referring to Lady Bristow's Valium tablets as "opiates." </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Sadly, MID is also associated with a lower lifespan than Alzheimer's, with the average patient dying five years after diagnosis, compared to ten for DAT. TIA's are also a warning sign that a major stroke may be eminent, as was the case for Mrs. Cunliffe after her "funny turn" in </span><i style="color: #2b00fe;">The Silkworm</i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">. There is a good chance Ted will join Joan in the sea before series end. As I'll explain in a future post, there are some specific bits of information that I hope he communicates to his nephew before he crosses the veil. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Onto some other questions that occurred to be during my re-read:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><i>What really happened to Jacob? </i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Obviously, the child was near death when Robin was caring for him, so it is possible that he did succumb to starvation or dehydration a few hours after Robin made her escape. But that seems awfully convenient for the cult leadership, who were probably panicking that she would go to the police and wondering where they were going to stash the child. It would not surprise me to learn that Papa J, having already decided the "soul-less" child could be starved to death, would order the process speeded up: no doubt justifying it by saying that Daiyu wanted him to join her in the spirit world. I think it likely that a drug injection or a pillow over Jacob's face caused his death, assuring he could be buried before the police got permission to search. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><i>Why didn't the police enter immediately?</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Robin reported a life-threatening emergency, involving child abuse, in the farmhouse attic. I don't know what British law said, but in the US, the police would have been justified in entering immediately, even without a warrant. Did the police not take her seriously, assuming she was one of those UHC nutters? Or does the cult have enough political clout in the area that the police dragged their feet and gave the group way more warning than they should have?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><i>Is Robin's rapist also a murderer? </i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">We learned a potentially new detail about Robin's attack when she was explaining about her history to <span style="font-family: inherit;">Prudence:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><blockquote>I was a nice intelligent middle-class girl with a steady boyfriend when I was raped. <i>The only two other girls who survived him</i>-- they weren't like that.</blockquote></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">"The only two other girls who survived him" could mean there were some girls who did not survive his attack. Were some of the man's victims killed. Robin was "left for dead" and survived by "pretending she was already dead" so we know this criminal had no qualms about killing. Some have suggested that Robin's attacker could be released from jail soon, and she will have to cope with that trauma. If the man was actually convicted of murder as well, then it is more likely he is in for life. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Having read the book twice, I am now re-reading <a href="https://fartingsofafaculty.blogspot.com/2023/09/following-prudences-book.html" target="_blank">Steven Hassam's book</a>. Having been through the cult with Robin, it is clear that many elements Hassan describes from his own experience with the Unification church were incorporated into UHC practices. </span></div><p></p>Louise Freeman Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10723489503466474801noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371193667176654722.post-24618229518359903772023-10-20T17:39:00.002-04:002023-10-30T16:33:31.064-04:00Robin Ellacott and the Running Hallows: Potter Echoes in the Most Recent Strike Novel<p> I'm midway through my favorite two academic days of the year, the annual Chestnut Hill College Harry Potter Academic Conference. The organizers were kind enough to be flexible with the deadlines and let me submit an abstract on <i>The Running Grave. </i>Here is my recorded presentation. Enjoy! <span style="color: #2b00fe;">Spoilers for <i>TRG.</i></span> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="338" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lmMmC56zVM4" width="407" youtube-src-id="lmMmC56zVM4"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Louise Freeman Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10723489503466474801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371193667176654722.post-67849911344614816332023-10-19T20:46:00.004-04:002023-10-19T20:46:44.399-04:00For The Running Grave Fans: Two Great Releases. <p> I'm going to be tied up with the <a href="http://www.harrypotterconference.com/home.html" target="_blank">Harry Potter Academic Conference</a> for the next two days., but I wanted to share two resources for <i>The Running Grave</i> readers. Both links include spoilers, naturally. </p><p>First, Kurt Schreyer has a great new essay on <a href="https://thesefilespod.com/blog/the-problem-of-knowledge-in-the-running-grave/" target="_blank">epistemology in <i>TRG</i> </a>published at the Strike and Ellacott files blog. </p><p>Second, there an interview with "Robert Galbraith" was released on Facebook today. It can be viewed here:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="399" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SmqQvRIjDBw" width="481" youtube-src-id="SmqQvRIjDBw"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My talk, "Robin Ellacott and the Running Hallows" is tomorrow at 10:10. I'll post it here tomorrow. </div><br /><p></p>Louise Freeman Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10723489503466474801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371193667176654722.post-36877661088939767462023-10-18T02:49:00.004-04:002023-10-18T18:17:34.469-04:00The White Lady of the Shrieking Pits: Is a Ghost Haunting Chapman Farm?<p> Despite Cormoran Strike's firm "team rational" position, spectral spirits seem to haunt his detective novels. For evidence, see these other posts on<a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/more-hauntings-in-cormoran-strike-the-ghost-of-charlie-bristow-calls/" target="_blank"> Charlie Bristow of <i>Cuckoo's Calling</i></a>, <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/more-hauntings-in-cormoran-strike-freddie-chiswell-as-the-lethal-white-horse/" target="_blank">Freddie Chiswell of <i>Lethal White</i></a>, and <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/the-ghosts-haunting-troubled-blood/" target="_blank">Margot Bamborough of </a><i><a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/the-ghosts-haunting-troubled-blood/" target="_blank">Troubed Blood</a>. </i>Is a similar ghost haunting Chapman Farm, without the aid of the Wace's smoke and mirrors? I am going to argue that there is a genuine ghost among the fake ones, one whose story could be considered a re-telling of a local Aylmerton ghost story, much like Jasper Chiswell's story is a re-telling of the <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/rattenbury-the-wonder-dog-the-secret-of-lethal-whites-yapping-terrier/" target="_blank">Francis Rattenbury murder</a>. </p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">For background on Norfolk folklore, I recommend two excellent articles by Beatrice Groves (both written pre-TRG, so no spoilers): <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/beatrice-groves-round-tower-churches-and-rowlings-new-twitter-header/" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://thesefilespod.com/blog/predictions-for-running-grave-part-2-isnt-seven-the-most-powerfully-magical-number-seven-predictions-for-strike-seven/" target="_blank">here</a>. In particular, the story of the <a href="https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/20835015.weird-norfolk-shrieking-pits-aylmerton-northrepps/" target="_blank">Shrieking Pits</a> is most relevant. </span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; line-height: 22.4px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; word-break: break-word;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><blockquote><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; line-height: 22.4px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; word-break: break-word;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Three miles from Cromer, five such pits are visible in Aylmerton in the wooded slopes close to the Gresham Cross, close to the pilgrims' path which heads towards the holy shrines at Walsingham– these are known locally as the Shrieking Pits.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; line-height: 22.4px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; word-break: break-word;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Folklore tells of a ghostly figure wearing white that haunts the pits, weeping and wailing as she walks between each pit, endlessly searching the depressions in the ground, looking for her baby. The child was killed by her husband who was convinced the baby wasn't his and, after he had buried the infant in the pit west of Aylmerton church, he went back and killed his wife.</span></p><div class="advert-container mar-block-ad mar-block-ad--in-article" id="inArticleAd-2" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; display: flex; height: max-content; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 40px; margin-top: 25px; width: auto;"><div data-adloox-sid="46179756977" data-adloox-type="slot" data-google-query-id="CJvwqL38_YEDFfIDZQodmNwCOA" id="DFP_in_article_2" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 40px; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; margin: 0px 0px 40px;"><div id="google_ads_iframe_/154725070,22694024870/www.edp24.co.uk/news_2__container__" style="border: 0pt none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tall and willowy, the woman is seen wringing her hands and uttering piercing cries as she searches the pits: she has been seen during the day, at dusk and at night time and those that encounter her remark on her heartbreaking cries for her lost child.</span><span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span></div></div></div></blockquote><p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">Which UHC resident connects to the White Lady? Find out after the jump. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe; font-family: inherit;">Spoiler warning.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7pwBNxODEZ3JclD3X0Qh7WFbnFTlgb35D1qrE_roUDDS00MNqSKJC4dnihZckGwLW_hEyc33G3dceYdX_Dfs95kyKHI3hg5axYGe1M8RePf-7NxFZwePZ_wmzFPxwjTAXaY1P-UdmIYg7jlMVKRjqILV8okbV3VWbMToOoQuvrsA_FmyKlFEsx-qRLbYV/s1024/shrieking%20pits.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7pwBNxODEZ3JclD3X0Qh7WFbnFTlgb35D1qrE_roUDDS00MNqSKJC4dnihZckGwLW_hEyc33G3dceYdX_Dfs95kyKHI3hg5axYGe1M8RePf-7NxFZwePZ_wmzFPxwjTAXaY1P-UdmIYg7jlMVKRjqILV8okbV3VWbMToOoQuvrsA_FmyKlFEsx-qRLbYV/s320/shrieking%20pits.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Deidre Doherty died thirteen years before </span><i style="color: #2b00fe;">The Running Grave</i><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> takes place, but her presence looms over the book through the mysterious Torment Town artwork. Solving the mystery of Deidre's disappearance and death is a crucial step in resolving the full case, and bringing an end to Jonathan Wace's criminal enterprise. As was the case with Jasper Chiswell and Francis Rattenbury, elements of Deidre's story connect to that the the White Lady's legend. In 2002, Ralph Doherty abandoned Deidre, leaving her to the mercies of the UHC cult, when he escaped one night, taking his three children with him. Ralph believed, probably correctly, that Deidre's youngest child, Lin was not his, but Jonathan Wace's, In this way, Ralph resembles the White Lady's husband, whose murder of his wife and baby were motivated by his belief that the child was not is. Ralph refused to believe his "prim" wife's sexual encounters with Jonathan Wace were against her will; his self-centeredness and lack of compassion led, indirectly to her death. </span><p></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgudswAuuXAo2P1eWO3xzlGun7ENwDukAsZFMK1BS2N_mkE5w5zl2swiDV0mpKdybwRhnhxpu-RQmgks7uvmUpZ1imPSqBnPoxvWPK58LuFvEPpvwmRzKkhgUgezoQvPuaMSz5cgy1EKQI0P4GQAOVU8P27d30bSmCnwOtiv0dJCyEsumcAN7TMw2Dh24iY/s800/pentagon-shaped-swimming-pool-white-background-top-view-255996897.webp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgudswAuuXAo2P1eWO3xzlGun7ENwDukAsZFMK1BS2N_mkE5w5zl2swiDV0mpKdybwRhnhxpu-RQmgks7uvmUpZ1imPSqBnPoxvWPK58LuFvEPpvwmRzKkhgUgezoQvPuaMSz5cgy1EKQI0P4GQAOVU8P27d30bSmCnwOtiv0dJCyEsumcAN7TMw2Dh24iY/s320/pentagon-shaped-swimming-pool-white-background-top-view-255996897.webp" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Deidre's "spirit husband," Jonathan Wace, was directly responsible for Deidre's demise. Like Robin, Deidre was pulled underwater during the Drowned Prophet Manifestation ceremony; unlike Robin, she did not survive the experience.. We do not know if Deidre's death was deliberate murder, with Wace choosing to drown her to permanently silence her rape accusations, or if the attack was, like Robin's, intended "only" to punish her and bring her under full control of the UHC leadership. No matter whether the stress of the near-drowning made Deidre succumb to her heart condition, or whether she was intentionally drowned, the UHC bears criminal responsibility for her death. </span><p></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Deidre's death left baby Lin with no protector within the cult, to be raised in the loveless communal environment and to be specifically tormented by Mazu for her stammer. Like other UHC girls, Lin would be groomed for "spirit-bonding" at a young age, resulting in her giving birth around age fourteen. Deidre was, as best we can tell, a loving mother pre-cult, despite her passivity in front of Ralph, who appears to have been at best, mentally ill, at worst, emotionally abusive. Her daughter Niamh, who had not seen Deidre since age eleven and who spent her adolescent years hearing her father's constant bad-mouthing of her mother, still cared enough to want to know what happened to Deidre and to ask the detectives to let her know if they found her. Indeed, Nimmh credits her better mental health, relative to her siblings, to the fact that she, "had Mum around longer." </span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;">It is therefore easy to imagine Deidre, whose first name means "brokenhearted" and whose last name means "unlucky," grieving both before and after her death, not only for the children Ralph had taken, but also for Lin's fate once alone in the UHC, in the same way that the White Lady grieved for her murdered baby. But, instead of searching the Aylmerton pits for her youngest child, Deidre would be expected to haunt Chapman Farm, with a particular eye on Lin and the ones who could potentially help her. <br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The first person Deidre seems to have influenced was the 13-year-old Kevin Pirbright, who, when Deidre was allegedly expelled, found it concerning that she had not taken Lin with her. Kevin alone seemed curious as to why Deidre was expelled and, once he heard about the rape allegations, eventually seemed to believe them. As he states in his letter to Sir Colin, his secret distress over Lin's apparent abandonment was the "first serious crack" in the cult's brainwashing. The crack would widen and spread over the next ten years, and ended with his decision to leave. </span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Flora Brewster also seems to have been haunted by Deidre Doherty, perhaps literally, or perhaps figuratively by the troubling memory of Deidre being pulled, dead, from the baptismal pool. Like Billy Knight, Flora suffered from genuine psychosis, leaving her with a fragmented memory and unable to distinguish reality from the delusions and hallucinations of the mental illness. She was, for instance, uncertain about whether she had become pregnant or given birth until her doctor confirmed it. Yet, Flora retained a vivid memory of Deidre drowning, enough to produce the artwork she posted online and to hope that it would attract someone who could verify what she had seen. Strike, of course, is the one who views the page and responds to her, but Robin is the one that, after hearing Strike's description of the artwork, is able to divine what actually happened to Deidre. This deduction, and the detectives' ability to use it to help Will throw off the cult's control requires a </span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">remarkable set of coincidences:</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Robin and Deidre undergo the same experience at the Drowned Prophet's Manifestation, thirteen years apart.</span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Flora Brewster, one of the few people who knew for certain that Deidre had drowned and that her death had been covered up, would eventually wind up as Strike's half-sister's patient.</span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Strike and Prudence, after a literal lifetime of not knowing each other, should reconnect just in time for Prudence to be in position to connect Flora and Will. </span></li></ul><p></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The coincidences become easier to explain if one thinks of Deidre's spirit literally haunting Flora and guiding her actions. Will's freedom from the Drowned Prophet's clutches will also mean freedom for Deidre's daughter Lin and her granddaughter, Qing (later Sally). </span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoLettoxbO2-YHVGfvv6g1f3YtLg82k-OpeWMc_iQEISbSZ7zbC38ilBmT0qf5OOQDaU1fpt2HWBpZ6k2zVWcviX1I2_mb8WWCBVyhWraNZbOsAIxPgLOxL9XLBXDiAo_N6lDYB4TQFoWBEMBAXGUfpn7AKnsxY4YwK-Mtk7zBVHIJP0SAS4gahc0VwtCN/s1600/Barnums.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoLettoxbO2-YHVGfvv6g1f3YtLg82k-OpeWMc_iQEISbSZ7zbC38ilBmT0qf5OOQDaU1fpt2HWBpZ6k2zVWcviX1I2_mb8WWCBVyhWraNZbOsAIxPgLOxL9XLBXDiAo_N6lDYB4TQFoWBEMBAXGUfpn7AKnsxY4YwK-Mtk7zBVHIJP0SAS4gahc0VwtCN/s320/Barnums.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Robin may have had help from Deidre during the moment in the Chapman Farm barn, when she is "seized by the urge to look in that Barnum's Animal Biscuits Tin." She discovers the amateur pornography, which will prove a crucial cue to cracking the case. This sudden and inexplicable urge happens in the presence of a cobweb-covered stuffed rabbit that Robin notices in the pile of discarded possessions; this could well be the rabbit that 4-year-old Maeve Doherty cried for in her early days on Chapman Farm. Locating these Polaroids was undoubtedly the biggest stroke of luck Robin had at the farm, comparable to Strike correctly guessing Lady Bristow's safe combination. Just as the safe combination is better understood as a supernatural communication from Charlie Bristow to Strike, Robin's sudden urge to check the cookie tin is better understood if Ms. "Unlucky" is providing some supernatural guidance, in the presence of her daughter's long-lost toy. Maeve may never get her lost bunny back, and may never fully escape the trauma of her UHC years, but it does seem like she will get help for the sexual abuse she almost certainly experienced from Harold Coates, something that is a credit not only to Strike but to Lucy's courage in finally disclosing the abuse to her brother. </span><p></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6aJ6lhvXktGRdKiksZGRH1HW6FA-XLpHEVG7Wk1SmCktnNV-9CEtV3Ja0dup2_40tIvDxWsGBIZi9gl5Za0XAMvYCHk8fVLl3Qp3GLal9ceCmXxr0xpLsSozGd74BUjWMBHTmiHjQBwkMrrYJv-grU5m5s7Yax6KxlkRNN5lWGo7EUZ-R2wCaf7buvKUJ/s316/Jane%20Eyre.webp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="305" data-original-width="316" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6aJ6lhvXktGRdKiksZGRH1HW6FA-XLpHEVG7Wk1SmCktnNV-9CEtV3Ja0dup2_40tIvDxWsGBIZi9gl5Za0XAMvYCHk8fVLl3Qp3GLal9ceCmXxr0xpLsSozGd74BUjWMBHTmiHjQBwkMrrYJv-grU5m5s7Yax6KxlkRNN5lWGo7EUZ-R2wCaf7buvKUJ/s1600/Jane%20Eyre.webp" width="316" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">However, the most "supernatural" moment Robin has is the "something strange" that happens in Jacob's attic room, when she is struck by the sudden and certain knowledge that Strike has arrived at the blind spot on the road and is ready to pick her up. This conviction so strong that it "stopped her in her tracks." Many readers have compared this moment to a scene in <i>Jane Eyre</i>, when Jane supernaturally hears Rochester calling her across the moor. Deidre's daughter Niamh was wearing a Charlotte Bronte shirt when Strike and Robin visited her, which points to Diedre's involvement in the <i>Jane Eyre</i> moment. </span><p></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;">For Robin, the timing was critical; as she acknowledges, she would not have escaped the Wace brothers if Strike had been ten minutes later arriving. Robin also seems to know, at that moment, exactly which questions she needs to ask Emily, so that, in the final minutes before her departure, Robin gets the information about Daiyu's toys and treats, and the fact that she was handed out the window of the children's dormitory the night before she supposedly drowned. This information will later be part of what Strike needs to dismantle the myth of the Drowned Prophet. </span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Robin makes a clear mental connection to Deidre when she recognizes that the that the Torment Town picture indicates that Deidre drowned in the baptismal pool. She is so overwhelmed by the realization that she has to pull over the Land Rover; this is only the second time we have seen her become that upset behind the wheel of the car. Robin recognizes the terror Deidre experienced in her last moments, and shares her anguish, as if they had forged a psychic connection. In a sense, Flora, Deidre and Robin are tied together by their shared torment. </span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Like Anna Phipps. Niamh Doherty had spent her life not knowing whatever happened to her mother, and lived in fear that Deidre had simply abandoned her family. Although we never see the detectives follow up with Niamh, we can imagine a response similar to Anna's, with Niamh being comforted by the answered questions and by being able to see her mother not as someone who may have abandoned her husband and children, but as the victim of a terrible crime. Just a <i>Troubled Blood</i> ended with a sense of Margot's spirit finally being at rest, we can hope for the same for Deidre and her family. By story's end, there might be one fewer White Lady roaming Aylmerton, victimized by a merciless husband and weeping for her lost children. </span></p>Louise Freeman Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10723489503466474801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371193667176654722.post-16672657807377875342023-10-16T16:57:00.009-04:002023-10-31T11:14:44.813-04:00What's in a Name?. Meaningful Names of Key Families in The Running Grave. Part I: Beware the Crowthers. <p> Ever since Remus Lupin turned out to be a werewolf and Sirius Black a disguised big black dog. we've been trained to look for cratylic names (or sometimes, ironically anti-cratylic, like Fluffy for the savage dog and Fang for the gentle one)in the works of JKR/RG. <i>The Running Grave</i> was no exception. I have been making notes on names as I blogged my way through the initial read, but I wanted to compile a new list, now that we've finished the book. There are an unusually high number of family groups in The Running Grave, so I'm going to start with the major families in the story. <span style="color: #2b00fe;">Spoilers ho!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDa-QZdwVWZrp53MIUuq8Hv40BI-08CWy2u-OvjRXZHGS2OuM0Mdgxw7Udj3Cn1WfQFGkAWBLVLvQ0q60V0Y82XgEOghyVKD4rwLXEMKSSoppv6DIe522aUzl3hUXE_6Cmy5-xcoJ5RolmqgZjA8TggZJxc3ULXPKw7VS41wV3yFyeqbQAyBQEZBfm5a2L/s225/The%20Running%20Grave.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="455" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDa-QZdwVWZrp53MIUuq8Hv40BI-08CWy2u-OvjRXZHGS2OuM0Mdgxw7Udj3Cn1WfQFGkAWBLVLvQ0q60V0Y82XgEOghyVKD4rwLXEMKSSoppv6DIe522aUzl3hUXE_6Cmy5-xcoJ5RolmqgZjA8TggZJxc3ULXPKw7VS41wV3yFyeqbQAyBQEZBfm5a2L/w455-h455/The%20Running%20Grave.jpeg" width="455" /></a></div><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="color: #2b00fe;">I'm going to start with the place names: <b>Forgeman Farm</b>, the location of Strike's horrific childhood commune,whose name was changed to <b>Chapman Farm</b> when Jonathan Wace started the UHC. <b>Forgeman</b>, which means <i>blacksmith</i> or <i>metal worker</i>, could indicate the initial evil that was forged there. <b>Chapman</b> means <i>peddler, </i>which is appropriate considering that Papa J stepped into the power vacuum when the pedophilia ring was broken up, and repackaged the philosophy to sell as a religion to the gullible. Chapman Farm apparently used to sell vegetables to local markets, but the UHC now makes its fortune in the black-market sale of its surplus babies. It is interesting that a few other surnames associated with the cult: <b>Draper</b> (<i>cloth-maker</i> or <i>seller</i>), <b>Brewster</b> (<i>beer</i>-<i>maker</i>); and <b>Glover</b> (<i>glove</i>-<i>maker</i> or -<i>seller</i>) have names associated with selling. </span><p></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The <b>Crowthers</b> also have name befitting their nastiness, as the surname means <i>fiddler, </i>a term that is slang for child molester. <b>Malcolm</b>, means <i>devotee of St. Columba</i>, but the name is commonly shortened to Mal, which simply means <i>bad.</i> This seems to fit him better. A name meaning <i>bad child-molester </i>rivals Mucky Ricci's <i>horse manure penis </i>for worst in the series. His brother <b>Gerald</b>, whose name means <i>rule of the spear </i>may have some Freudian connotations. It does not seem to connect directly to his main role, which was to teach Mazu the illusions needed to make cult followers believe in the supernatural powers. </span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>Endensor</b>: Their surname, pronounced "Enzor" combins root words for <i>wealth</i> or <i>prosperity</i>, <i>bear cub</i> and <i>ridge</i> or <i>bank</i>. They are certainly a family of wealth, and their home is described as sloping towards a river, so both those fit. I am not sure about bear cub, unless that represents the protectiveness of the parents for their sons. The father <b>Colin's</b> name means <i>victory of the people</i>, appropriate for a working-class man who rose to be a respected civil servant, with a title and wealth. <b>Sally</b> means <i>noblewoman</i> or <i>princess, </i>which works for both the wealthy woman Sir Colin married. <b>Will</b> comes from <b>William, </b>or<b> Wilhelm, </b> compound word meaning <i>resolute protector</i>, but the dropping of the <i>helm</i> (<i>helmet, protector</i>) root suggests someone more willful than protective, which is certainly the impression from his initial letters. Certainly <i>Will</i> is an ironic name for someone whose will is subverted by the mind control techniques of the UHC. However, Will certainly comes through at the end as his daughter's resolute protector, as he makes a risky escape from the cult with her, determined to get her to safety even with his sincere belief that this couls his own death via Drowned Prophet. <b>James</b> is a derivative of <b>Jacob</b>, which means <i>supplanter</i>, appropriate for the one who would write his youngest brother off in retaliation for this foolish decision to join the cult. , while <b>Edward</b>, or <i>wealth guardian, </i>fits for the one who would restore the family unity, particularly in his insistence that James should not blame Will's cult activities for the failure of their mother to get her tumor diagnosed in time. As for <b>Qing</b>, a name probably chosen by Mazu, it means <i>blue</i>. It is not clear what significance that has, except possibly the color of the tot's miniature track suit when she escaped the cult with her dad. It's probably just as well they</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> re-christened her <b>Sally</b> at the end of the book; the newfound granddaughter will undoubtedly be indulged given her history of deprivation in the cult and as the lone girl in a family of all men.</span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>Wace</b>: Wace is the name of a legendary sea giant, which certainly fits for this family who rules the cult only a few miles from the ocean, and associated with two drownings. <b>Jonathan</b> means <i>God has given</i> which is appropriate for the cult leader who thinks, or would have his followers believe, that he has special powers, gifted from the "Great Divinity." <b>Mazu</b> has perhaps the most ironic name of the family, that of a Chinese sea goddess who was supposed to appear to lost mariners and protect them from drowning. <b>Taio</b> can have multiple meanings, depending on the language, but in Chinese, presumably his mother's first choice, it can mean <i>long life</i> or <i>large waves</i>. The large waves meaning seems to match the ocean theme of the rest of this family, while <b>Jiang</b>, which means <i>river, </i>is named for a lesser body of water, in keeping with his relatively low status within the family. <b>Daiyu</b> means <i>black jade,</i> a stone associated with nobility and wealth, which works for the potential heir to the Graves fortune. Black jade is also a stone associated with protection, which is ironic given the false "Drowned Prophet's" horrific fate. Finally, <b>Abigail's</b> name also carries a lot of irony, meaning "my father's joy" given the fact that she seems to have brought very little joy to her "Popsicle" after the age of 7 or so, and made particular trouble for him when she chopped up her step-sister and fed her to the pigs. </span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;">I'll add two other Chinese names here, <b>Wan</b>, the pregnant woman whose baby Robin helped deliver, means <i>gentle </i>or<i> gracious. </i>In English, of course, "wan" means a pale complexion, as might be expected from illness or exhaustion. This would fit with Robin's clain that Wan looked terrible after her difficult delivery. <b>Yixin</b>, the name given to Wan's baby, means <i>one heart.</i> One can only hope that Wan got her baby back after the Wace family's arrest and that the child became the one true love of her gentle and gracious mother. </span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>Pirbright</b>:This name means <i>clearing with a pear tree</i>. I guess JKR/RG could not find a surname meaning "clearing with a carrot patch." <b>Kevin</b>, meaning handsome, is certainly ironic for the boy whose acne made the cult characterize him as too unattractive for public display. <b>Becca</b> is short for <b>Rebecca, </b>which means <i>to bind or tie</i>, an indicator for the way she was "bond" to the cult, teachings after being taken from her family at age eleven and so thoroughly indoctrinated, hat not even the arrest of the leadership for horrible crimes could sway her faith. <b>Emily</b> has several possible meanings, but the one that fits the character best is <i>rival</i> given her jealousy and resentment of her sister's high position. Finally, mother <b>Louise</b> means <i>warrior-maid, </i>a sadly ironic name for a woman so thoroughly beaten down by cult practices. </span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>Doherty</b>: a Scotch-Irish name meaning <i>hard-hearted </i>or<i> unlucky, </i>which certainly fits this family destroyed by the UHC. Father <b>Ralph</b> means,<i> wolf-counsel </i>which is supposed to connotate courage but in his case might be interpreted as more savage, although I suppose it took a certain amount of bravery and wisdom to escape the cult with his three oldest children. <b>Deidre</b> means <i>broken-hearted</i>, which she certainly was after her rape by Jonathan Wace and her abandonment by her husband. <b>Niamh</b>, the sibling who seems to have emerged from the cult the healthiest of the family, means <i>bright</i> or <i>radiant</i>. <b>Lin</b>, Deidre's youngest daughter, whose name was presumably chosen by Mazu, is a Chinese name that can mean either <i>jade</i> (like Daiyu) or <i>forest, </i>It is possible that Mazu named Lin as a tribute to Daiyu, but the the forest meaning seems more appropriate given Lin's clandestine meetings there with Will, her spying Robin's hiding place and the gathering of plants there to induce a miscarriage. </span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>Graves: </b><i>Dweller near the grove </i>fits the family with the country manor house. We have another <b>Edward</b> who is apparently a <i>wealthy guardian</i> and his daughter, <b>Phillipa, </b>lover of horses, is apparently an enthusiastic equestrian. The family calls the colonel "<b>Archie</b>" indicatin a possible middle name of <b>Archibald</b>, which means <i>genuine bravery, </i>fitting for the man who wants to "go after the UHC with both barrels" after the cult's smear campaign begins. It is less clear what significance the names <b>Alexander </b>(<i>warrior</i>), <b>Barbara</b> (<i>foreign</i> or <i>strange</i>), <b>Nicholas</b> <i>(victory of the people</i>-- so the same meaning as Colin) or <b>Delauney</b> (<i>dweller by the alder-tree</i>) could mean, except that the Delauneys expect and desire to inherit the family estate (and thus have a vested interested in Daiyu remaining dead), so the whole "dweller by trees" thing will repeat in the next generation. Alexander's nickname, <b>Allie</b>, is most likely to be seen as a nickname for <b>Albert</b> or <b>Alison</b>, which mean <i>noble</i>. </span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The second part of this post will pick up with other potentially significant names in the book. </span></p>Louise Freeman Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10723489503466474801noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371193667176654722.post-50989509052286587582023-10-15T21:32:00.005-04:002023-10-20T20:46:48.235-04:00Notes on The Running Grave Re-listen Part I<p> For me, the best part of a Cormoran Strike book is not the first reading, but the re-reads, knowing full spoilers. and seeing the hints you missed and the red herrings you fell for. Here's some thoughts.</p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Spoilers below. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmvCgrAq35kooe803feXTozVdonR5i3j0l3HBPItDbP63bThFDacXsdvx6qGSw0Ki6zYWbJ1JPvd3OFN9ikHgMAZMekIiG0aGu0zrni4TXT8Mn6gdrv0rKQmoy8G81S4B4udTINyzI5vOH8il9RiiINUCR9uNy8IQUirAofTXOLN7l1ROHkmN9XsGNAmLG/s275/cromer%20pier.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmvCgrAq35kooe803feXTozVdonR5i3j0l3HBPItDbP63bThFDacXsdvx6qGSw0Ki6zYWbJ1JPvd3OFN9ikHgMAZMekIiG0aGu0zrni4TXT8Mn6gdrv0rKQmoy8G81S4B4udTINyzI5vOH8il9RiiINUCR9uNy8IQUirAofTXOLN7l1ROHkmN9XsGNAmLG/w479-h319/cromer%20pier.jpeg" width="479" /></a><span><a name='more'></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Kevin Pirbright was right on his blog. The UHC lawyers may have threatened legal action to get it taken down, but he was truthful on at least a couple of points. </span></li><ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">"Those lucky enough to escape prosecution." Mazu Wace was not the only holdover from the Aylmerton Community to Chapman Farm. Rusty Anderson seemed to live on the outskirts of the community; we don't know if he was part of the pedophilia ring. But Harold Coates, Lucy's abuser, was part of both communities and seemed to escape prosecution for his crimes. Why did Mazu testify against the Crowther's and not Coates? Is it because she was the latter's accomplice, rather than victim?</span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Kevin also seemed to be correct that the money collectors were pressured to get a certain quota in for donations or face punishment from Taio. </span></li></ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">When Strike promises Henry not to approach Flora. this is the second time he has made a promise not to look for this specific woman, though he doesn't know it. </span></li><ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">It's also interesting that Strike first thinks that Henry might work at an art gallery. He met another Henry, art vendor to the rich and famous, and an acquaintance of Charlotte, in <i>LW</i>.</span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Charlotte ambushes him right after that meeting too.</span></li></ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">I thought it was interesting that Naimh had a Charlotte Bronte quotation on her shirt. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Are we supposed to believe that Mazu genuinely was the daughter of Malcolm Crowther? Her mother Anna was 14, so that fits. If so, that would make it less likely that she was abused by the Crowther brothers; while there are certainly some pedophiles that wouldn't be put off by incest, we don't know that that was the Crowthers' thing. If so, it would seem that she genuinely was more of their accomplice than a victim. </span></li><ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">But, it also seems that she did testify against them and speak about the child abuse. Did Wace turn her against her father?</span></li></ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The pregnancy echoes are interesting. Robin worries about Wan working outside while pregnant in the same way Henry was concerned about Deidre. Robin also hears of 14 YO Anna's difficult delivery of Mazu, and participates in Wan's difficult breech delivery, then hears how Flora's baby died under similar circumstances. Her actions at the end assure that little Yixin won't have the same sexual abuse and early pregnancy as Lin. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">I wonder if there is a story behind Dev's unexpectedly harsh reaction to the possibility of Will having fathered a child with an underage girl. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">I think the mother-of-pearl fish pendant is analogous to the Locket horcrux of <i>Deathly Hallows</i></span></li></ol><p></p>Louise Freeman Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10723489503466474801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371193667176654722.post-73312399480409730352023-10-13T23:45:00.001-04:002023-10-14T17:46:15.236-04:00Chestnut Hill's Harry Potter Academic Conference Online for 2023. <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL3PAVc_5H_Q29ByBsoANW2nlVX7Ae8EkH8ejbz-ndXhCL4hF12L30jbncmYQiG5opqfLzl_Fl7Kn4wzxNTs51_8Kybzk4QqrjpW4mVKbyCaD6OLAVOcQsZEGpXS9-PA5OycEGpFPWADHJF7Lo0BrzXk3JsSeeGpUqKfY6JA2HtlibZknVoWAXp1l2o8Px/s651/73562ecf5cf673ae8ea7ecf3af29fdce.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="635" data-original-width="651" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL3PAVc_5H_Q29ByBsoANW2nlVX7Ae8EkH8ejbz-ndXhCL4hF12L30jbncmYQiG5opqfLzl_Fl7Kn4wzxNTs51_8Kybzk4QqrjpW4mVKbyCaD6OLAVOcQsZEGpXS9-PA5OycEGpFPWADHJF7Lo0BrzXk3JsSeeGpUqKfY6JA2HtlibZknVoWAXp1l2o8Px/s320/73562ecf5cf673ae8ea7ecf3af29fdce.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>Chestnut Hill College in Pennsylvania has sponsored an <a href="http://www.harrypotterconference.com/home.html" target="_blank">academic conference on Harry Potter</a> since 2012, and I have attended and presented for eight of those years. This year, the conference is going to an online-only format, as it did during COVID and will alternate between online- and in-person going forward. This year is therefore a great opportunity for people all over to attend the conference, without the issue of travel expenses. At $15, it is far cheaper than any other academic conference you will find out there. <p></p><p>You can find out more about the history of the conference and see past programs <a href="http://www.harrypotterconference.com/past-programs.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </p><p>This year's schedule is available <a href="https://nebula.wsimg.com/c1ec6d460849959f1a7532ac158ed046?AccessKeyId=CC7B12CCDA9DDFE63512&disposition=0&alloworigin=1" target="_blank">here</a>. </p><p>Tickets for this year's conference are available <a href="https://harrypotterconferencechc.ticketleap.com/digi-hpac-23/" target="_blank">here</a>. </p><p>In 2020, I spoke on the psychology of humor in the Harry Potter series. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="495" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hUrRSxH1bgA" width="595" youtube-src-id="hUrRSxH1bgA"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In 2021, my talk was on the significance of knitting in the series. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="494" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kT3VQSqy_QQ" width="595" youtube-src-id="kT3VQSqy_QQ"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This year, I will be speak about the connections between <i>The Running Grave</i> and <i>Harry Potter and the Dealthly Hallows</i>. </div><br /></div><br /><p></p>Louise Freeman Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10723489503466474801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371193667176654722.post-80597230672114123522023-10-13T13:27:00.001-04:002023-10-13T13:27:35.297-04:00Divergent as YA Wednesday Weekend Pick, The Harry Potter Academic Conference and Author Chat on The Running Grave<p> I'm still hard at work on my cratylic names post, which is taking a while, given the number of names in <i>The Running Grave</i>, but I wanted to share a few bits of news that I am excited about. First, although <i>The Running Grave</i> and other Strike posts have understandably dominated here for the last few weeks, I never intended this blog to center exclusively on Strike, or Strike/Harry Potter connections. My first love is young adult literature and, while my scholarship into psychological themes in YA literature was triggered by Harry Potter, my interests spread well beyond that series. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCM3gsIPWTacQ5-PVf1y1nICJ6_GlY3I9jUhXYIKxBzVquJb49g8HgforLuF3YAxfKAFwEeZZW5ObnuTddBAEiNgiBVlm4-EBO4q_F-AI_cRTu8rXLyzlUKMTMCx8xRZJ90cB3Vg7Y5Bo_xl7vWTxwTTqQquiuyqwx2F9mCFiFjDAyax1iUOuuWtjA8gJD/s954/Screenshot%202023-10-13%20at%2012.27.29%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="954" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCM3gsIPWTacQ5-PVf1y1nICJ6_GlY3I9jUhXYIKxBzVquJb49g8HgforLuF3YAxfKAFwEeZZW5ObnuTddBAEiNgiBVlm4-EBO4q_F-AI_cRTu8rXLyzlUKMTMCx8xRZJ90cB3Vg7Y5Bo_xl7vWTxwTTqQquiuyqwx2F9mCFiFjDAyax1iUOuuWtjA8gJD/w425-h288/Screenshot%202023-10-13%20at%2012.27.29%20PM.png" width="425" /></a></div><p></p><p>I was delighted to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Dr.BickmoresYAWednesday" target="_blank">see on Facebook</a> that Veronica Roth's <i>Divergent</i> was the featured weekend pick on <a href="http://www.drbickmoresyawednesday.com/" target="_blank">Dr. Bickmore's YA Wednesday page. </a>If you teach YA literature or, like me, simply enjoy reading it, this page is well worth following. For <i>Divergent</i> enthusiasts out there, here are some links to some of my earlier posts on that series, as well as to some talks and podcasts I have done on the topic. </p><p>Two key posts on the Divergent Factions and their connections to Five Factor Personality theory. <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/a-dip-in-the-ocean-divergent-factions-and-the-big-five-personality-factors/" target="_blank">Part I</a> and <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/a-dip-in-the-ocean-ii-double-dipping-dauntless-can-the-neurotic-be-brave/" target="_blank">Part II. </a></p><p>Those posts became <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/scientific-evidence-that-the-factions-of-divergent-are-meaningful/" target="_blank">my first Hogpro material ever cited in in a scientific conference paper</a>. That research was eventually published in <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5635728/?fbclid=IwAR0_uyeGLIooCHxuNihsziRtOh_dQfEGSbdn4aVPUdMudUjgsxxWrVQmSYg" target="_blank">a peer-reviewed journal</a>.</p><p>I wrote about a few other <i>Divergent</i>-based topics, too:</p><p><a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/mirror-mirror-on-the-wall/" target="_blank">The use of mirror neurons. </a></p><p><a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/a-zip-to-the-marshland-the-significance-of-triss-high-flying-adventure/" target="_blank">The significance of the zip-lining adventure,</a></p><p><a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/divergent-movie-first-impressions/" target="_blank">The movie screening with the Mary Baldwin psychology department.</a> </p><p><a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/did-roth-miss-the-epigenetic-boat/" target="_blank">Why <i>Allegiant</i> might have worked better with epigenetic rather than genetic experimentation. </a></p><p>Finally, for those interested in Divergent-Harry Potter connections, I will point you to:</p><p>My Mugglenet Academia appearance: <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/mugglenet-academia-divergent-and-harry-potter-at-the-movies/" target="_blank">Tris Transfigured!</a></p><p>And </p><p>My Chestnut Hill presentation on Tris Prior and Hermione Granger as twin personalities. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pTrMsxFSCmw" width="421" youtube-src-id="pTrMsxFSCmw"></iframe></div><p>Speaking of the <a href="http://www.harrypotterconference.com/home.html" target="_blank">Harry Potter Academic Conference</a>, we are only a week away! It is all online this year and, though I will miss seeing all my favorite Potter buddies in person, it is a great opportunity for anyone to attend, without the expense of travel. For $15, you can get two days of amazing Potter and Rowling scholarship. My own talk, which, I believe, will be the first-ever academic presentation on <i>The Running Grave,</i> is Friday morning. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs9gUf_IFpULH4VwlYy19jSaX_8B79QZReP9iFmLB6vrXSzArKejstcVZhQm3PKB_zM8FTgv1sLd_wAPrDGFn5C8Wm49ODdt2jZpZydEfsAm8seV8yF4TPRUziga4_8iCgXyHRFZi5xKeSRzPHJ7MzNk1QRb6m3_4nW-uMz-DdIMvJJqmVtvvO15t-Rsc8/s2026/Screenshot%202023-10-04%20at%205.36.52%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1132" data-original-width="2026" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs9gUf_IFpULH4VwlYy19jSaX_8B79QZReP9iFmLB6vrXSzArKejstcVZhQm3PKB_zM8FTgv1sLd_wAPrDGFn5C8Wm49ODdt2jZpZydEfsAm8seV8yF4TPRUziga4_8iCgXyHRFZi5xKeSRzPHJ7MzNk1QRb6m3_4nW-uMz-DdIMvJJqmVtvvO15t-Rsc8/w423-h237/Screenshot%202023-10-04%20at%205.36.52%20PM.png" width="423" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Finally, speaking of TRG, there will be a<a href="https://www.facebook.com/CormoranStrikeNovelsOfficial" target="_blank"> Facebook discussion with the author</a> on Thursday, October 19th, at 7 PM BST, (2 PM EST, for those of us in the US). I may well be on the road from Tennessee to Virginia then, but maybe I can time lunch at a fast food joint with Wifi and tune in then, </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That's it for now; back to the name game. </div><p></p>Louise Freeman Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10723489503466474801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371193667176654722.post-34266314207526751542023-10-11T21:26:00.004-04:002023-11-11T19:03:08.380-05:00The Double Wedding Band Model: a Possible New Model for a 10-Part Strike and Ellacott Series<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzDAh_f9pquIXqhUK2dBSEjZC8KcCE48QRNRq2doYMR90l699o1UX1EgDrjDqcnzBggnd2NdMfHgIXdeV1GB2KE7zKOhraSEBoQu9F5pw-KF6QT5qUpw4KLCaSG7i-l-93yyPo1U4IYmDtJ7eA9Zixwv1GPE5cZdCjXTYot5J0rt6XPkj_tq0F7bOCfTh_/s299/Two%20bands.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="299" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzDAh_f9pquIXqhUK2dBSEjZC8KcCE48QRNRq2doYMR90l699o1UX1EgDrjDqcnzBggnd2NdMfHgIXdeV1GB2KE7zKOhraSEBoQu9F5pw-KF6QT5qUpw4KLCaSG7i-l-93yyPo1U4IYmDtJ7eA9Zixwv1GPE5cZdCjXTYot5J0rt6XPkj_tq0F7bOCfTh_/w232-h130/Two%20bands.jpeg" width="232" /></a></div>As many of you know, I am fond of applying structural models to both Harry Potter and Cormoran Strike novels. I owe a debt of gratitude to John Granger for his inspirational work on <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/updated-the-ring-composition-pillar-post/" target="_blank">Ring Composition</a> and <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/27902-2/" target="_blank">Parallel Series. </a> John is doing some very interesting work on ring structure within the nine parts of <i>The Running Grave, </i>which, if you are interested in the book's internal structure, is worth checking out on his <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/" target="_blank">regular</a> and <a href="https://hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/" target="_blank">Substack</a> sites, along with the excellent work by his current colleagues <a href="https://hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/p/running-grave-part-zero-a-ring-reading" target="_blank">Nick Jeffrey</a>, <a href="https://hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/p/evan-willis-running-grave-review" target="_blank">Evan Willis</a> and <a href="https://hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/p/first-thoughts-on-a-first-read-of" target="_blank">Elizabeth Baird Hardy.</a> <p></p><p>Ever since JKR/RG confirmed that the Strike series would be ten books, I've been going over how Ring Structure and Parallel Series models can be adjusted into a a model that fits, especially since so many of the predictions made originally, like <a href="https://fartingsofafaculty.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-cuckoos-lethal-grave-connections.html" target="_blank"><i>The Running Grave</i> linking to <i>Cuckoo's Calling</i> and <i>Lethal White</i></a> and <a href="https://fartingsofafaculty.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-quest-for-deathly-hallows-how-many.html">having lots of <i>Deathly Hallow</i>s echoes.</a>, seem to still be coming true. I've also been scratching my head for something that accounts for the relatively simple observations that <a href="https://fartingsofafaculty.blogspot.com/2023/10/lethal-black-and-leapfrogging.html" target="_blank">even and odd-numbered books seem to pair up with each other well</a>, as well as the special <a href="https://fartingsofafaculty.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-troubled-black-heart-ties-that-bind.html" target="_blank">connections and resets between <i>Troubled Blood </i>and <i>The Ink Black Heart</i>. </a></p><p>And, I think I have something that works, at least until Book Eight comes out. More information, and <i>TRG</i> spoilers, after the jump. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4GapazIM3Ax14OxHk6pWsY_3JyDdEVt-eVRftoMsudG5_hdbAQCGG-1fbHZlmQPnRQxqh0z0csaSDuZ3lr6k9fzgx3cPIJfl7E9bdzu2xuahxM4kUdjpyEMo-7EQuV_Vrnp42tKhZ2nMKYkqDyXIdt_v9tCdmOeqpUaDpmQUdk4zBURXqOLIg-MkjOsO5/s225/The%20Running%20Grave.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4GapazIM3Ax14OxHk6pWsY_3JyDdEVt-eVRftoMsudG5_hdbAQCGG-1fbHZlmQPnRQxqh0z0csaSDuZ3lr6k9fzgx3cPIJfl7E9bdzu2xuahxM4kUdjpyEMo-7EQuV_Vrnp42tKhZ2nMKYkqDyXIdt_v9tCdmOeqpUaDpmQUdk4zBURXqOLIg-MkjOsO5/w370-h370/The%20Running%20Grave.jpeg" width="370" /></a></div><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="color: #2b00fe;">I'm starting with the model that worked so well for the Harry Potter series, the 7-part ring. For those unfamiliar with it, I will share an adapted diagram from a joint <a href="http://www.queencitymagic.com" target="_blank">Queen City Mischief and Magic</a> presentation John Granger and I did back in 2020.</span><p></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-f7kwkkV8YMwZjejWB7QkAGC69rrF_nCX9KkTYl0c74HEib-7uzZvpRHWoNCOJliV8ezqFCUmTE8dxT2GckvBxtvehuSGSJqTHXoNA_GOqifE_T-T3ReXJhyphenhyphenXRWzIqX-NtwPdtxI8DgsG2m31sBAuzaTQ0pHEGLa0bDuvEW4xxW2L-NWHMYdDhG-edUZe/s812/Screenshot%202023-10-10%20at%2011.22.02%20PM.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="796" data-original-width="812" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-f7kwkkV8YMwZjejWB7QkAGC69rrF_nCX9KkTYl0c74HEib-7uzZvpRHWoNCOJliV8ezqFCUmTE8dxT2GckvBxtvehuSGSJqTHXoNA_GOqifE_T-T3ReXJhyphenhyphenXRWzIqX-NtwPdtxI8DgsG2m31sBAuzaTQ0pHEGLa0bDuvEW4xxW2L-NWHMYdDhG-edUZe/w236-h231/Screenshot%202023-10-10%20at%2011.22.02%20PM.png" width="236" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The "turtleback" structure places the seven books in a circle, with the repeated elements of 1. <i>Philosopher's Stone</i> and 7. <i>Deathly Hallows</i> forming a latch, and both connecting vertically to the story-turn book in the center, 4. <i>Goblet of Fire</i>. The horizontal lines connect 2. <i>Chamber of Secrets</i> and 6. <i>Half-blood Prince</i>, with their book-within-the-book theme and 3. <i>Prisoner of Azkaban</i> and 5. <i>Order of the Phoenix</i>, the two Sirius Black-focused books. </span><p></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVDJN7Uth7vCqRhV8nzHWwPXBiKLV3a2Zsc9DHVz0uHDnWYLtyCF3BlIeg1QdEj_EDk0bNd5S-dD_hg68UMvtmgp83icn5JxEt9wkfktpQfEW-_7vuZmLYtRcVcn8xq-RZmjqjYPPlecJMP0Qi6btnUK0C2D_F17phlIWqSxsAIGiT35funCoO3Mb_XAvs/s1046/Screenshot%202023-10-10%20at%2011.34.26%20PM.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1046" data-original-width="976" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVDJN7Uth7vCqRhV8nzHWwPXBiKLV3a2Zsc9DHVz0uHDnWYLtyCF3BlIeg1QdEj_EDk0bNd5S-dD_hg68UMvtmgp83icn5JxEt9wkfktpQfEW-_7vuZmLYtRcVcn8xq-RZmjqjYPPlecJMP0Qi6btnUK0C2D_F17phlIWqSxsAIGiT35funCoO3Mb_XAvs/w205-h219/Screenshot%202023-10-10%20at%2011.34.26%20PM.png" width="205" /></a></div><br />At the time of the talk, 5. <i style="color: #2b00fe;">Troubled Blood</i><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> had just been published and we assumed a similar pattern would follow, looking something like this. However, when seven books became ten, this model would clearly no longer work. My initial solution, <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/the-pentagram-idea-what-if-cormoran-strike-was-originally-intended-as-a-five-book-series/" target="_blank">the Double Pentagram,</a> was not as satisfactory after the publication of 6. <i>The Ink Black Heart</i> and 7. <i>The Running Grave</i>, because it did not account for the connections of those two books to the first five. </span><p></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;">In thinking about a new model, I considered not only the need to accommodate ten books, but the fact that Books 5 and 6 were linking to all three of the last Harry Potter texts, and that Book Five was structured on the <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/pentagram-predictions-iii-troubled-blood-as-alchemical-twin-to-deathly-hallows/" target="_blank">same alchemical year-long cycle as <i>Deathly Hallows</i></a>, and could have actually provided a nice ending to Robin's story. That, coupled with the fact that 7. <i>The Running Grave </i>made the expected latch with 1. <i>Cuckoo's Calling</i> and story-turn link to 4. <i>Lethal White,</i> and I was convinced the seven-part ring had to be part of this. And we know any ring demands symmetry</span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;">My solution? Instead of two pentagrams, what about two seven-part rings? But, to give us ten books instead of fourteen, the rings have to be linked not just by the beginning and ending latches, but by the two central books. This gives us overlapping rings. The easiest way to represnt this visually is with two circles. Thie first ring starts with Book 1 on the bottom, moves clockwise past 2 and 3 to 4 at the top, then down past 5 and 6 and latches with seven. The second ring starts with 4 at the top, moves counterclockwise down to 7 at the bottom to latch with 10 at the top. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX07jP-J9q8DgZsdU2w1m6XD13SWovLT0tMHwk7iIFtfUBMltbV56TVkOF4NsSJwuV7ZBK_OLWdB1KnsIHztK9xtDC09HGq0cPP-qbI2gIlE9_9LY-FCWc3i45fQH5W4fqONl57S6BAmMeAjJgY1-yaJE2ajPL3PrVKKVvs20biS1h7t51h2IeYG8aWh_l/s1358/Screenshot%202023-10-10%20at%2011.52.16%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1358" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX07jP-J9q8DgZsdU2w1m6XD13SWovLT0tMHwk7iIFtfUBMltbV56TVkOF4NsSJwuV7ZBK_OLWdB1KnsIHztK9xtDC09HGq0cPP-qbI2gIlE9_9LY-FCWc3i45fQH5W4fqONl57S6BAmMeAjJgY1-yaJE2ajPL3PrVKKVvs20biS1h7t51h2IeYG8aWh_l/w468-h277/Screenshot%202023-10-10%20at%2011.52.16%20PM.png" width="468" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizxLSF3mG-4R2uSk6XHuL5a7tBxYpSFdWiMucyTtr2D7rm-kzr8J7OrgihPcy7o5KRY-UN9Dfxc3ibQg-4gZYyfQGceVEk3ffFbdKRS2WF7vN3sK37UkImJgRa0PviNtIvjpU4IkM2Bn0_46piibLtKH_2Hg8GuqMZclrEeMx5fNgPBa5bHNvWWMj0NT4x/s227/double%20wedding%20band.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="222" data-original-width="227" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizxLSF3mG-4R2uSk6XHuL5a7tBxYpSFdWiMucyTtr2D7rm-kzr8J7OrgihPcy7o5KRY-UN9Dfxc3ibQg-4gZYyfQGceVEk3ffFbdKRS2WF7vN3sK37UkImJgRa0PviNtIvjpU4IkM2Bn0_46piibLtKH_2Hg8GuqMZclrEeMx5fNgPBa5bHNvWWMj0NT4x/w152-h148/double%20wedding%20band.jpeg" width="152" /></a></div>Thus, the series begins with the first book of a 7-part ring, and ends with the 7th book of a 7 part ring. They're just different rings. </span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Because this model looks like the pattern on a Double Wedding Band quilt, and because lots of us are predicting a wedding for Strike and Robin in the series finale, I am going to tentatively call this the Double Wedding Band model.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">One cool aspect of this: Book 5 is where Robin's cousin Katie tells her Robin was "moving in the opposite direction from the rest of us." Under this model, Book 5 is the first stop after the counterclockwise ring begins. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">If you draw in the expected "turtleback lines, you get something that looks like this. (solid lines = observed, dashed = predicted). </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiAiywHCB1s2ti1G7R1npxnpUaoctObsO-WmMJ2bpvValOyxyLTSIjrbIWOonwMMkpbH5QaKSicfb9o6Fy98v63SFmfOqx54IDSNNJN2vmz9gpMm_ke-3nNikz8S4HvVo2WmYwpARxwn8o3_RkOvl1mowRlAQHLcSoxpaw4cu8036GInyfDXC3G4IbvMvZ/s1334/Screenshot%202023-10-11%20at%2012.02.18%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="808" data-original-width="1334" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiAiywHCB1s2ti1G7R1npxnpUaoctObsO-WmMJ2bpvValOyxyLTSIjrbIWOonwMMkpbH5QaKSicfb9o6Fy98v63SFmfOqx54IDSNNJN2vmz9gpMm_ke-3nNikz8S4HvVo2WmYwpARxwn8o3_RkOvl1mowRlAQHLcSoxpaw4cu8036GInyfDXC3G4IbvMvZ/w470-h285/Screenshot%202023-10-11%20at%2012.02.18%20AM.png" width="470" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">And, if you add in the observed (1-4-7) and predicted (4-7-10) latch-story turn links, then you'd get a diagram like this. I am also assuming there will be a final closing latch between the first (1) and last (10) books of the series, (red = observed, blue = predicted.)</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3g0kBqBagKxWEWIGwudVUGBnUZxi60V3huXxuj1pR-d6C8EGO__K0iwpE8UO3oJxYpU6rQTYpUPVe4rwtvPguLIBt2bFTAMf9c3MEMO4BSFEOt1fGwUZX7qD1YtStIl0MTurqI0D8imRCZc-rS2ri-ce28uYKtJgoIAoDQRYGrVJGMpSkrzvZ1eOj49SO/s1344/Screenshot%202023-10-11%20at%2012.07.09%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="786" data-original-width="1344" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3g0kBqBagKxWEWIGwudVUGBnUZxi60V3huXxuj1pR-d6C8EGO__K0iwpE8UO3oJxYpU6rQTYpUPVe4rwtvPguLIBt2bFTAMf9c3MEMO4BSFEOt1fGwUZX7qD1YtStIl0MTurqI0D8imRCZc-rS2ri-ce28uYKtJgoIAoDQRYGrVJGMpSkrzvZ1eOj49SO/w489-h286/Screenshot%202023-10-11%20at%2012.07.09%20AM.png" width="489" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Put together the turtle back lines and the story-turn/latch lines and it looks like this: <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUDIJcNOoABPn8ktRXexjJKDl92D4U6ENWIy8JOTPk_ztxOY1zgWpCrTCFzERXHcCsSAdpmRA6EgBMfI5FH5eAipRbhh4VfrLnwIkDU7vwQD7fQGMl0-2Rd7Ma54mX8t5fUTrBU_8HCfek7EGc1UMg8Tv4QtBdY14gpf10RQNmDFIoqGGfl1wePWO2AJez/s1342/Screenshot%202023-10-11%20at%2012.17.02%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1342" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUDIJcNOoABPn8ktRXexjJKDl92D4U6ENWIy8JOTPk_ztxOY1zgWpCrTCFzERXHcCsSAdpmRA6EgBMfI5FH5eAipRbhh4VfrLnwIkDU7vwQD7fQGMl0-2Rd7Ma54mX8t5fUTrBU_8HCfek7EGc1UMg8Tv4QtBdY14gpf10RQNmDFIoqGGfl1wePWO2AJez/w498-h288/Screenshot%202023-10-11%20at%2012.17.02%20AM.png" width="498" /></a></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>However, , this isn't all the connections we see.</b> As has been observed before, the <a href="https://fartingsofafaculty.blogspot.com/2023/10/lethal-black-and-leapfrogging.html" target="_blank">connections seem to "leapfrog" between books,</a> with even books connecting to even and odd to odd. Some of those even-even and odd-odd lines are accounted for in the horizontal turtleback lines, but I have added the diagonal lines here, again with observed in red, and predicted in blue, The story-turn/latch lines have been removed for clarity. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwNQaaPU-7m9_IdDv0nskI0wMcD0gCuxpEZ-RDIzJH3U-DHyQGZz1bKxoD1ZOUDqC_I36ZUJxEK7jKFNYNdKNXPDYz_ffSxuLy2yIL9PFa_xKnR2g0kPU_K5nMrWE_EieeQ3wSVBGcRgND7pESJA5N7DncLrb3Hn5ibdxML1WsuH2Hr2dNx2BnXUy0udfq/s1384/Screenshot%202023-10-11%20at%2012.20.18%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="848" data-original-width="1384" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwNQaaPU-7m9_IdDv0nskI0wMcD0gCuxpEZ-RDIzJH3U-DHyQGZz1bKxoD1ZOUDqC_I36ZUJxEK7jKFNYNdKNXPDYz_ffSxuLy2yIL9PFa_xKnR2g0kPU_K5nMrWE_EieeQ3wSVBGcRgND7pESJA5N7DncLrb3Hn5ibdxML1WsuH2Hr2dNx2BnXUy0udfq/w495-h303/Screenshot%202023-10-11%20at%2012.20.18%20AM.png" width="495" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As you can see, 6-point "stars of David" appear inside the circles. Add the vertical story-turn/latch lines back and you have this.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN0iSR_q2dG41XsRWS9ihkkqNBSjRpkZqmBPPd4n5wQBVz3NFN8Idl6Y1UKmbMn7jc3T1HORwvamwF2RplHq2-Be9HodFKFFM2xoWBFZoxPhOuNkZjYksOK4XhiSwtOa4exRQzIi8wE3NV64hjm1Gcw0YTseMSkFHKuC-LRbWQwNDCv2TMrb4uTw_pm3sQ/s1334/Screenshot%202023-10-11%20at%2012.23.45%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="782" data-original-width="1334" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN0iSR_q2dG41XsRWS9ihkkqNBSjRpkZqmBPPd4n5wQBVz3NFN8Idl6Y1UKmbMn7jc3T1HORwvamwF2RplHq2-Be9HodFKFFM2xoWBFZoxPhOuNkZjYksOK4XhiSwtOa4exRQzIi8wE3NV64hjm1Gcw0YTseMSkFHKuC-LRbWQwNDCv2TMrb4uTw_pm3sQ/w501-h294/Screenshot%202023-10-11%20at%2012.23.45%20AM.png" width="501" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What I like about this is, that if you move the circle from outside the triangles to inside the hexagon, you get what looks like two Deathly Hallows symbols, overlaid on each other. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc9fVW0tn6wKgeh1jxLukeIWomK-fPxZq1xBfrQhFq-6cqRYcT1RsnS3ZuvP9qNcFKPqyMfYn2XoC3ldBgEAoQrOq_c9OeXi2YS9mYL4haBVcDFnqB55iX4P5QX8kRUHQYgo0YAnVldb6kN5S9bhRqw8zMfh7xUj5sIh34LFVu4M9pADTiewjH8G-J3_E-/s1688/Screenshot%202023-10-11%20at%2012.27.57%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="844" data-original-width="1688" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc9fVW0tn6wKgeh1jxLukeIWomK-fPxZq1xBfrQhFq-6cqRYcT1RsnS3ZuvP9qNcFKPqyMfYn2XoC3ldBgEAoQrOq_c9OeXi2YS9mYL4haBVcDFnqB55iX4P5QX8kRUHQYgo0YAnVldb6kN5S9bhRqw8zMfh7xUj5sIh34LFVu4M9pADTiewjH8G-J3_E-/w503-h252/Screenshot%202023-10-11%20at%2012.27.57%20AM.png" width="503" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This probably means absolutely nothing, but it is cool, aesthetically. One of the reasons I liked my original Pentagram model is because it matched the pentagrams Bill Talbot drew all over his notebook. But I digress. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>However, this is still not all the connections you see</b>. As I showed a little over a year ago, 5. <i>Troubled Blood,</i> had the expected links to 3. <i>Career of Evil,</i> but also had lots of connections to 2. <i>The Silkworm. </i>You can see a long list<i> </i><a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/the-5-6-flip-hypothesis-part-1-was-troubled-blood-originally-meant-as-the-sixth-book-of-the-strike-series/" target="_blank">here</a><i>, </i>but for starters: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>a mystery with a dark, disturbing book at its core.</li><li>connections to real-life severe weather.</li><li>the first indicator that Robin likes personalized gifts way more than flowers.</li></ul></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At the time, I even speculated that <i>TB</i> had originally been planned as the sixth book of the series. I also <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/__trashed-3/#more-27444" target="_blank">speculated</a> that 6. <i>The Ink Black Heart</i> would have both the predicted turtle-back connections to 2. <i>The Silkworm,</i> but also complementary connections to 3. <i>Career of Evil. </i><a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/flips-pentagrams-and-expanded-playlists-why-did-the-tone-we-expected-in-book-5-wind-up-in-book-6/" target="_blank">That prediction also came true.</a> The most obvious connection?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>An annoying character who uses a wheelchair but can walk. </li><li>That character runs an online support group for patients who share the condition and complain loudly about unhelpful or unsympathetic health care providers.</li><li>Robin persuades a frightened teenage user of the site to speak with her. </li></ul></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, I am adding red 2-5 and 3-6 diagonals to the first ring, and predicting the same ones for the second ring. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I also added another vertical line between 5 and 6, <a href="https://fartingsofafaculty.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-troubled-black-heart-ties-that-bind.html">given the connections seen between those two. </a> Those books have a special position as the two points of overlap on the rings. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_aAkH4zq_ier6DeeNq-pGhwjigmVpPcUhomExhdIlvTmyrVHyOmakw7Vef1-uN8FkU0B3u0EDS0MMG8tC26Z6gVkt1ynqFwbSm9-AgF0BagRov8cYSdA_UqYCRRDOQwCJVAdM7FPzxF6F-VMq3bezcHM7Ilk-8AbE4gBuJRJ-JM5cMQySlyzTYM4fGxt/s1350/Screenshot%202023-10-11%20at%203.57.37%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="822" data-original-width="1350" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_aAkH4zq_ier6DeeNq-pGhwjigmVpPcUhomExhdIlvTmyrVHyOmakw7Vef1-uN8FkU0B3u0EDS0MMG8tC26Z6gVkt1ynqFwbSm9-AgF0BagRov8cYSdA_UqYCRRDOQwCJVAdM7FPzxF6F-VMq3bezcHM7Ilk-8AbE4gBuJRJ-JM5cMQySlyzTYM4fGxt/w499-h304/Screenshot%202023-10-11%20at%203.57.37%20PM.png" width="499" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once we see the model, the oddness around Books Five and Six starts to make a bit more sense. <i>Troubled Blood </i>is #5 on the first ring, but #2 on the second. #5 is a position we would predict for a dark, <i>nigredo</i>-type story, where the protagonist is broken down. But, #2 in the Strike series, <i>The Silkworm</i>, was a wet, snowny reverse-<i>albedo</i>, at least for Robin. Hence, Strike's <i>nigredo</i> came in a wet form, not a hot and dry one as might be expected, and was mixed in with a lot of traditionally <i>albedo</i> images like the name Margot (pearl), queen Cynthia Phipps, the moons on the tarot cards, etc. 6. <i>The Ink Black Heart</i> was much more "pure" <i>nigredo</i>: Strike's physical breakdown, the name Darcy (dark) and the fiery destruction of the office. However, there was a dry <i>albedo</i> element I predicted: the bleached white coral decor in at the Marine Hotel. It is interesting that in <i>TRG</i>, when Robin recalled that trip, that coral image is what she remembered: "The white coral on the mantelpieces, set against slate-coloured walls, and the sight of Strike laughing opposite her." </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This model also predicts that <i>TRG</i>, like <i>LW</i> will provide a major turn in the story. For Robin, her major turn came when she left Matthew; for Strike, that turn came with Charlotte's death. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, putting the entire model together gives a pretty complex drawing, but then again, JKR/RG is writing a pretty complex series.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIIuBPZFbziGkiuLDYuheS-6zwMAXy0oP-eynACzEQbBTQu4akHhpuHYuiJ_2gQcZiDVa_YwEZ1LDGZG6gjeFJBH6D7jgDphyRORVr9Zq_Ev_RKQ1psJv67o1PUVDP5f88ARfti3a2IXJahXDzEUpbTs2TIkW657Aiue_ZsgqQbetCrXi-AqUytYy1lp0J/s1612/Screenshot%202023-10-11%20at%204.14.05%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1076" data-original-width="1612" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIIuBPZFbziGkiuLDYuheS-6zwMAXy0oP-eynACzEQbBTQu4akHhpuHYuiJ_2gQcZiDVa_YwEZ1LDGZG6gjeFJBH6D7jgDphyRORVr9Zq_Ev_RKQ1psJv67o1PUVDP5f88ARfti3a2IXJahXDzEUpbTs2TIkW657Aiue_ZsgqQbetCrXi-AqUytYy1lp0J/w598-h400/Screenshot%202023-10-11%20at%204.14.05%20PM.png" width="598" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What should be fun, as we re-read <i>TRG</i>, is to see what my be expected in Books 8 and beyond, based on this model. But I'm going to give myself some time to process, and re-process, the latest book first. </div></div></div></div></span></div></div></div>Louise Freeman Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10723489503466474801noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371193667176654722.post-46708414336460340362023-10-10T19:09:00.008-04:002023-11-11T21:07:03.374-05:00The Troubled Black Heart: The ties that bind Strike Five and Six together. <p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbceQK4rC3EiREvsHFPd9cr2Jytfn0Y-nJp0SMczoV4ELAZkBRffK6drGlriiXcomz_cWjJcAJ7JRnKI01-4Wat2uPq-8Nr2nfbdOhaodS0_x78oL-ar_fSyUchkTM-SUCwS6WW2xUk4lKYZHmTuR6X3wEuqJ-0JDYvznBiFkxiyzXwL9AbQVo6A_xkOfU/s2560/Troubled%20blood.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1689" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbceQK4rC3EiREvsHFPd9cr2Jytfn0Y-nJp0SMczoV4ELAZkBRffK6drGlriiXcomz_cWjJcAJ7JRnKI01-4Wat2uPq-8Nr2nfbdOhaodS0_x78oL-ar_fSyUchkTM-SUCwS6WW2xUk4lKYZHmTuR6X3wEuqJ-0JDYvznBiFkxiyzXwL9AbQVo6A_xkOfU/s320/Troubled%20blood.jpeg" width="211" /></a></div>Both <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/updated-the-ring-composition-pillar-post/" target="_blank">Ring Compositio</a>n and the <a href="https://fartingsofafaculty.blogspot.com/2023/10/lethal-black-and-leapfrogging.html" target="_blank">Leapfrog model</a> imply that consecutive books in the Strike seres should have fewer echoes than other pairs in the series. This is generally true; however, the Blood Book (Strike Five) and the Heart Book (Strike Six) have some very strong connections that are not seen in other consecutive books.<p></p><p><b>First</b>, Book Six picks up right where Book Five leaves off: at Robin's birthday celebration at the Ritz. We have only seen this once before; after the cliffhanger ending of Book Three, Book Four pretty much had to pick up at the wedding. But, <i>Troubled Blood</i> did not explicitly end on a cliffhanger; the author didn't have to show us the drinks at the Ritz in the same way that she had to show the wedding. The inclusion of the Ritz ties Books Five and Six to each other in a more seamless way than any other two adjacent books in the series. <i>Lethal White</i> takes a year-long time-jump after the cliffhanger is resolved. <i>The Ink Black Heart</i> has no such jump, in fact, we are told about plenty of crucial events (Strike's birthday dinner, Robin's trip to Zermatt, New Years Eve at Annabel's) in the time between the Ritz and when the mystery proper starts with Edie's arrival at the agency. </p><p><b><span></span></b></p><a name='more'></a><b>Second</b>, there are similarities is in the nature of the killers. We have not one but two more-or-less "typical" sadistic misogynists in <i>Troubled Blood: </i>Mucky Ricci and Dennis Creed. Then we have the third, atypical and most "successful" serial killer, Janice Beatty, who seemed to kill both in revenge and for the sheer pleasure of it. <i>The Ink Black Heart'</i>s Gus Upcott is also a sociopath with multiple victims, and shares similarities to all three <i>Troubled Blood</i> killers. <p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Certainly Gus shares both Creed's and Ricci's misogyny.</li><ul><li> Like Creed, Gus hated women but desires to exploit them for his own sexual pleasure. He does this primarily through online sexual harassment when his Kosh lines fail, but his reaction to Robin at the end shows what he really wants. </li></ul><li>Creed wanted the world to know that he was responsible for the <span style="color: red;">Essex Butcher</span> <strike>Shacklewell Ripper</strike> killings, though, of course, he never wanted to be identified. In contrast, Janice's many murders remained unconnected and unrecognized as foul play for decades. </li><ul><li>Gus, cloaked as Anomie online, freely admits to killing Edie in the game and in Youtube commentary. Like Creed, he wants credit for his crime. </li></ul><li>Gus is a classic "incel"-- frustrated over the lack of sexual partners he feels he deserves. </li><ul><li>Janice is a female twist on the incel theme, complaining that she "never got her day in church" because no man wanted to marry her. In her mind, matrimony is a commodity that she is denied, both because people like Margot and Irene are taking more that their fair share of the desirable men, and because men are too short-sighted to appreciate her charms. This is clearly similar to how Gus feels about his lack of success with women.</li><li>Janice's attitude towards Douthewaite, in particular, shows she shares Gus's tendency to interpret any bit of friendliness as a declaration of romantic interest, and feels she's been "led on" if it doesn't materialize. She literally wants to punish Steve for taking up with someone else more than a decade after she last saw him, by killing his love interest. </li></ul><li>Janice also kills members of her own family, dispatching her common-law husband Eddie (described as "not much of a catch") and making attempts on both her son and granddaughter's lives. </li><ul><li>Gus kills his father (who is clearly not much of a dad) and attempts to kill his mother and sister. </li></ul><li>Mucky Ricci had Kara Wolfson gang-raped and murdered to punish her for informing on him to the police. </li><ul><li>Gus killed Morehouse fearing Morehouse would inform the police about the Halvening infiltration and his suspicions about the knife attacks on Josh and Edie. </li></ul><li>Finally, Shanker makes it clear Mucky and sons will kill, maim or mutilate anyone who crosses them. </li><ul><li>Gus does this as well, primarily through his online attacks, but eventually graduates to in-person, as his attack on Oliver Peach and his threats against Strike and Robin show. </li></ul></ul><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB4ePa5n_3JrvT0tdZSmZzshm2lCgZrCW-1u09Rr4JfFh0hcitYAZ371MVZzldAU3EMxwEZw8JCBt-m5xTyGpBqSdOJAGOVT4z80L7AEj5l94327Pxv2FTEXKqCnf8LW_z9rSEFPnIiaBYc68LtDvo7u5wPBKdHtjFzrjDVnjDaGWP5SJLFzh7VoKXGCSs/s225/Pat.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB4ePa5n_3JrvT0tdZSmZzshm2lCgZrCW-1u09Rr4JfFh0hcitYAZ371MVZzldAU3EMxwEZw8JCBt-m5xTyGpBqSdOJAGOVT4z80L7AEj5l94327Pxv2FTEXKqCnf8LW_z9rSEFPnIiaBYc68LtDvo7u5wPBKdHtjFzrjDVnjDaGWP5SJLFzh7VoKXGCSs/s1600/Pat.jpeg" width="225" /></a></div>Third</b>, another "glue" that binds Books Five and Six together is the arrival of Pat Chauncey as a much-needed competent office manager. She has all of Robin's house-elvish efficiency, but doesn't aspire to full-time detection. Strike initially dislikes her and even hints about getting rid of her before her probationary period ends. However, she proves herself indispensable, much like Robin does in <i>CC</i>, even to the point of bringing Strike food and presents during his Christmas flu and baking fruitcake to boost team morale. </div><div>But it is the bombing in <i>IBH</i> that establishes how vital a team member she is. While we laughed at her naive "in the post?" query about Morris's dick pic in <i>TB</i>, her quick thinking regarding the bomb that arrives "in the post" in <i>IBH</i> saves both her and Strike's lives. She shows herself as good an observer and witness as Robin, as she recalls the details of the package, address and postmark to the police, despite the recent trauma, just as Robin did with the leg package of <i>CoE</i>. Most importantly, she reveals that her family was touched by the same type of terrorist-related trauma that Strike experienced, with her uncle being killed by an IRA bomb. Her words "in the wrong place at the wrong time" are the same as those Strike used to describe his own bombing. She is clearly irreplaceable to the agency, and Strike tells her so. When Strike receives his second fruitcake at the end of <i>IBH</i>, he completely reverses his <i>TB</i> opening position, saying "I always liked that woman." </div><div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIUIFo4F7rfA678E3GGKk1tupjLmt3tJ8hdmRAp1w9Ev_BPbh99e-dOyxBRw7tZp1_DtPPSXVKXNEyUPx9C9LvC9jd8zAtjwtMrChEgQUP1OrvGt6dvFxFa4TlTLLBeac5Ov7DugWunhCPcuukrcIOEvsXO7UWpBSXZ3jg1eMKZsnGf7Pk4PYuh6fzYnOC/s499/IBH.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="321" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIUIFo4F7rfA678E3GGKk1tupjLmt3tJ8hdmRAp1w9Ev_BPbh99e-dOyxBRw7tZp1_DtPPSXVKXNEyUPx9C9LvC9jd8zAtjwtMrChEgQUP1OrvGt6dvFxFa4TlTLLBeac5Ov7DugWunhCPcuukrcIOEvsXO7UWpBSXZ3jg1eMKZsnGf7Pk4PYuh6fzYnOC/s320/IBH.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>Fourth</b>: There is a type of almost-there-then-hit-the-reset-button vibe within the Five-Six pairing. Both books, as I have written before (in my original <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/the-5-6-flip-hypothesis-part-1-was-troubled-blood-originally-meant-as-the-sixth-book-of-the-strike-series/" target="_blank">5-6 flip idea</a>, which Rowling herself refuted) have an odd mix of wet <i>nigredo</i> and dry <i>albedo, </i>with <i>IBH</i> absolutely darker and more <i>nigredo</i>-like than <i>TB: </i>which is<i> </i>not what we is expected in an alchemical cycle. </div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>In addition<i>, Troubled Blood</i> <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/pentagram-predictions-iii-troubled-blood-as-alchemical-twin-to-deathly-hallows/" target="_blank">is structured very much like <i>Deathly Hallows</i>,</a> taking place over a full year, with the same irregular pacing and with the same Christmas <i>nigredo</i>, Epiphany-to-Easter <u><i>albudo</i></u> and transition to <i>rubedo </i>at an Easter burial. The links are so strong that, in my <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/the-pentagram-idea-what-if-cormoran-strike-was-originally-intended-as-a-five-book-series/" target="_blank">Double Pentagram</a> model (soon to be discarded in favor of the new ring model I plan to unveil soon) I speculated that <i>Troubled Blood</i> might have originally been conceived as the series finale.* </div><div><br /></div><div>I have argued before that, if <i>TB</i> had ended with a real kiss and "I love you" exchange between Robin and Strike at the perfume counter, it could have been a very satisfactory ending to Robin's story**. </div><div>After going through a <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/robin-ellacott-and-reverse-alchemy-transformation-through-the-first-three-strike-texts/" target="_blank">reverse alchemical transformation</a> in books 1-3, she underwent her true alchemical transformation*** in books 3, 4 and 5, with <i>albedo</i> in <i>Lethal </i><u style="font-style: italic;">White,</u> (hence all the swans) and <i>rubedo</i> in <i>Troubled Blood</i> (hence all the <u>blood-red </u>nosebleeds, received and inflicted). She's rid of the Flobberworm, has her dream job as a full partner at the agency, **** and is no longer having panic attacks, even when grabbed from behind by a disgusting pervert.***** If she'd walked off to the Ritz in the glowing sunset with her True Love, instead of her Best Mate, she'd have had her fairy tale ending. </div><div><br /></div><div>But, a lot of elements get reset in Book Six, for both partners. </div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Robin's and Strike's romance which appeared ready to blossom, is set back several steps with the missed kiss at the Ritz. </li><li>We thought that, after Lorelei, Strike had learned not to distract himself from Robin with meaningless long-term relationships, but he takes several steps backwards when he takes up with Madeline. </li><li>Just when Strike has opened his f*cking eyes, dumped the Madwoman and is ready to admit his love for Robin, she takes a few step backwards by agreeing to date Ryan, who, as we learn in <i>TRG</i>, is a bit more Matthew-like than might first be apparent.</li><li>Strike's leg is injured so badly that it is almost back to the state it was in when newly amputated, with muscle spasms and requiring weeks of rest.</li><li>Strike even muses that, when Robin lands the interview with Rachel and asked to do it alone, that "this was the first time he had seen her as a full partner, an equal." Good thing she didn't know that when she was running the agency for all those weeks you were in Cornwall last year, Diddy. </li><li>If that's not enough, the office gets blown up and has to be rebuilt, though it looks better afterwards.</li></ul></div><div>These resets, I think, will allow the romance to be stretched out over the now-ten books, where I believe it will culminate in a wedding, with 1) Robin in her Green Dress and 2) a celebratory fruitcake by Pat. </div><div><br /></div><div>Appropriately, the new ring model I have sketched out resembles a double-wedding band. Books Five and Six have their special relationship because they are the points of overlap in the two rings. With that as the preview, look for a full post coming up within the next few days. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo7ddZSE2c_T1OirIQSpsgJWi2o-su8cyf9ngnQsAdxxuheSSbi7GFCMoiM9WBUnb0pyreFCp4Di1siSAqqUFqU5uAxg5A_nqewUbSpLsWoqetOgO8F21A5S_7bG1jNIglcHSzZHkUCumH9kFN7FSJXmuntSOQ0nBsWUBV92-6pab7qwa6rPZIAgNt6sWq/s299/Two%20bands.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="299" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo7ddZSE2c_T1OirIQSpsgJWi2o-su8cyf9ngnQsAdxxuheSSbi7GFCMoiM9WBUnb0pyreFCp4Di1siSAqqUFqU5uAxg5A_nqewUbSpLsWoqetOgO8F21A5S_7bG1jNIglcHSzZHkUCumH9kFN7FSJXmuntSOQ0nBsWUBV92-6pab7qwa6rPZIAgNt6sWq/w353-h198/Two%20bands.jpeg" width="353" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As always, comments, questions and retweets are welcome!</div><br /></div><div>* In 2014, shortly before the publication of <i>The Silkworm</i>, the <a href="https://www.csmonitor.com/Books/chapter-and-verse/2014/0224/Reports-of-a-second-JK-Rowling-series-has-fans-on-alert" target="_blank"><i>UK Sunday Times</i> announced</a> that JKR/RG a had "mapped out a series of <b>up to seven</b> crime novels featuring Cormoran Strike, <u>in a repeat of the approach taken to her popular Harry Potter book</u>s." The <a href="https://staging.mhpbooks.com/jk-rowlings-publisher-denies-plans-for-an-seven-part-crime-series/" target="_blank">publisher almost instantly denied</a> this report, saying "there were not seven books planned." For the record, I don't think either the <i>Times</i>, the publisher or JKR/RG were intentionally lying at that point. I think that the simplest explanation was the the series was originally planned to be either five or seven books, depending on both their success and how long the Galbraith disguise held. JKR is meticulous enough in planning that she could have had both 5-book and 7-book bases covered. Once JKR/RG was unmasked, which appears to have happened much earlier than intended, the author likely rethought the plan, secure in the knowledge that she could tell as many Strike and Robin stories as she wanted, and with the realization of how well certain post-2013 events (like the 2014 Cornwall floods, and later, Scottish independence) would fit into the narrative. The map of the earlier, shorter series could well have been expanded to ten. </div><div><br /></div><div>I think this is why that Books Five and Six connect to all three of the last <i>Harry Potter </i>books, rather than having the one-to-one correspondence seen with the first four. You can see <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/the-5-6-flip-hypothesis-part-1-was-troubled-blood-originally-meant-as-the-sixth-book-of-the-strike-series/" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/flips-pentagrams-and-expanded-playlists-why-did-the-tone-we-expected-in-book-5-wind-up-in-book-6/">here</a> for examples of connections, but in a nutshell:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Troubled Blood: </i></li><ul><li>Story set in motion when medium goes into trace and makes a prophecy; death of a surrogate parent; Saul Morris as Umbridge-echo (<i>OotP</i>)</li><li>Blood as a title word; old handwritten book gives strange but helpful instructions; well-attended funeral with atypical burial with beautiful white container for earthly remains. (<i>HBP</i>)</li><li>Alchemical year-long cycle; showdown with Creed resembles Harry's with Voldemort; Creed is caught with his own mental trick, like Voldy is hit with his own rebounding spell. (<i>DH) </i></li></ul><li><i>I</i><i>nk Black Heart: </i></li><ul><li>Story centers on power of media to defame and harass, and how quickly revered figures can become hated. (<i>OotP</i>)</li><li>No surprise twist about villain: Draco really was a junior Death Eater trying to kill Dumbledore, just like Anomie really killed Edie. (<i>HBP</i>) </li><li>Good guys versus "pureblood" supremacists (Halvening, Death Eaters); Anomie's faceless cloaked appearance in Drek's Game is like Voldemort's; like Voldy, Anomie brutally slaughters his right-hand man. (<i>DH</i>) </li></ul></ul>Will <i>The Running Grave</i> also make multiple Harry Potter connections? So far, I'm not seeing huge <i>OotP</i> or <i>HBP</i> connections jumping out at me, but I reserve the right to change my mind after re-reading. </div><div><br /></div><div>**Strike still has Rokeby/Leda baggage to sort out; that's why we needed more books. </div><div><br /></div><div>*** Details of this transformation will also be fleshed out in a future post. </div><div><br /></div><div>****I think that if <i>TB</i> had been the last book, Robin would have broken the glass in the door when slamming it after the argument over St. Peter's and Strike would have, eventually, replaced it it with both their names.</div><div><br /></div><div>***** I hate Morris, can you tell?</div>Louise Freeman Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10723489503466474801noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371193667176654722.post-37228131991563847292023-10-09T18:08:00.006-04:002023-11-11T20:39:44.612-05:00Lethal Black and Leapfrogging: Connections between the Strike & Ellacott Books Four and Six (plus links to many other pairings!)<p> In looking over various connections between the Strike books and structural models that have been proposed to explain them, onc thing has become very clear: so far, there is a strong pattern of even-numbered books connecting with even, and odd-numbered books connecting to odd. Some of these connections, like Book 2-Book 6 and Book 3-Book 5, are predicted by ring composition, but many are not. For lack of a better term, I'll call this the Leapfrog Model. </p><p>Some of the compiled lists are available among mine and others' writings the old Hogwarts professor site, more recent are on this site. </p><p>In the interest of having all connections in one place, I will compile a full set here.</p><p><u>Odds:</u> <u> Evens</u></p><p><a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/pentagram-predictions-i-cuckoo-career-of-evil-links/" target="_blank">Book 1 and Book 3</a> <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/pentagram-predictions-ii-silkworm-lethal-white-links/" target="_blank"> Book 2 and Book 4</a></p><p><a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/troubled-blood-week-placeholder-post-3-parallels-with-cuckoos-calling-and-other-strike-books-more-spoilers/" target="_blank">Book 1 and Book 5</a><a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/troubled-blood-week-placeholder-post-3-parallels-with-cuckoos-calling-and-other-strike-books-more-spoilers/" target="_blank"> </a> <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/beatrice-groves-silkworm-and-ink-black-heart/" target="_blank"> Book 2 and Book 6</a>: See also <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/ink-black-heart-the-silkworm-parallels/" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/beatrice-groves-silkworm-and-ink-black-heart/" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p><a href="https://fartingsofafaculty.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-cuckoos-lethal-grave-connections.html" target="_blank">Book 1 and Book 7</a> ; see also <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/running-grave-cuckoos-calling-links/" target="_blank">here</a>. </p><p><a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/troubled-blood-week-placeholder-post-1-parallels-with-career-of-evil-spoiler-warning/" target="_blank">Book 3 and Book 5</a></p><p><a href="https://fartingsofafaculty.blogspot.com/2023/10/ths-silkworms-career-of-running-black.html" target="_blank">Book 3 and Book 7</a></p><p><a href="https://fartingsofafaculty.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-running-troubled-blood-connections.html" target="_blank">Book 5 and Book 7</a>; see also <a href="https://threebroomstickspod.com/episode-17-strike-7-the-strike-agency-camping-trip/" target="_blank">here</a>. </p><p>More after the jump. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtRXtxd7SBzsxF0Ebb8_isEbe5H6TWqwaxsP_iN77onsA-pgrVnZ3NBaKZG_nzNJDjr4f9JNoxJRBwY1bFuoPd-GDGocoTS-wJ0_u15ozj0PqfNgoOU1FYm9tN74wcnV6yokbFHI3ED8_hFTG_dSN9fL5egmS9_ncpETeQ3779p3bF2o_3oEUHnOlflfoT/s339/leapfrog.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="149" data-original-width="339" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtRXtxd7SBzsxF0Ebb8_isEbe5H6TWqwaxsP_iN77onsA-pgrVnZ3NBaKZG_nzNJDjr4f9JNoxJRBwY1bFuoPd-GDGocoTS-wJ0_u15ozj0PqfNgoOU1FYm9tN74wcnV6yokbFHI3ED8_hFTG_dSN9fL5egmS9_ncpETeQ3779p3bF2o_3oEUHnOlflfoT/w474-h209/leapfrog.jpeg" width="474" /></a></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZYbFQgGLJEcX1TCmXBNzwSOfe97fNm4H7C8zyRtsFRawVuZvPrzAM3ze-0ImqMFUeZB8hMHYO6InXjT5GPUP-JNrO1WwH1nRF6nyVNgzZWTzv1cfzlJwMtIATwwa30cbTtPfCTq0ldi5QzWLWxCqG2NiHAWdhvdi44UPcJxelZGHtlVnfAi_C2fkMeCw9/s280/Lethal%20White.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="180" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZYbFQgGLJEcX1TCmXBNzwSOfe97fNm4H7C8zyRtsFRawVuZvPrzAM3ze-0ImqMFUeZB8hMHYO6InXjT5GPUP-JNrO1WwH1nRF6nyVNgzZWTzv1cfzlJwMtIATwwa30cbTtPfCTq0ldi5QzWLWxCqG2NiHAWdhvdi44UPcJxelZGHtlVnfAi_C2fkMeCw9/w159-h248/Lethal%20White.jpeg" width="159" /></a></div>There is one pairing conspicuously absent from this list, that of Book 4 and Book 6. There was an early mention of the Billy Knight-Edie Ledwell similarity <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/ink-black-heart-synopsis-pointers-mythological-and-ring-suggestions" target="_blank">here</a>, but, as far as I can see, no definitive list. The <a href="https://thesefilespod.com/" target="_blank">Strike and Ellacott files podcast</a> identified many on their poscast series covering the re-read of <i>IBH</i>, and I suppose someday I'll give them a re-listen, but for now I am going to fill the gap by posting my own list, many of which will undoubetedly duplicate theirs. BTW, their prediction of many Book 5-Book 7 connections came through in spades, so kudos to them for the great contribution to Strike & Ellacott scholarship. <p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Lethal Whit</i>e-<i>The Ink Black Heart</i> Connections</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>First note, these are the only two books with colors in the title, and good alchemical colors the are, too, albeit in the wrong order. Wouldn't it be interesting if Book 8 had "red" in the title. Or. was red covered by the Blood in Book 5, making an alchemical trio?</li><li>As noted, Billy Knight and Edie Ledwell both turn up unannounced in office, dishevelled and in a "bit of a state" to ask for help. </li><ol><li>Both scare the receptionist, who thinks they are crazy and call a detective for assistance.</li><li>Both visit the bathroom.</li><li>Both leave with the detective who saw them wishing they could help, but without any formal agreement to do so. </li><li>Both trigger follow-up consultations with the police. </li></ol><li>After he remains celibate throughout <i>TB</i>, we thought Strike had learned the "restaurants and brothels" lesson: that a long term relationship without love or serious commitment will ot work; it's essentially a series of one-night stands with the same woman. Then enter Madeline. Other than missing the restaurant part--she doesn't make any effort to keep Cormoran fed-- she is basically Lorelei II. </li><ol><li>Both are successful business owners. </li><ol><li>Lorelei is a vintage clothing dealer who wears "jewel tones;" Madeline is a jeweler. </li></ol><li>Both recently ended long-term live-in relationships. </li><li>Both want more from the relationship than Strike wants to give and accuse him of using them. </li><li>Strike hopes for a quick break-up with both by phone; they both want a public scene. </li></ol><li>Strike's close relationship with Jack, which started in <i>LW, </i>continues with texts and communications, even if their outings are put on hold. </li><li>Robin goes undercover multiple times as Venetia Hall and in other identities (Bobbi Cunliffe, Jessica Robbins).</li><li>Another serious leg injury that keeps Strike from wearing his prosthesis. </li><li>Strike and Robin both turn up for each other when they are overwhelmed with obligations and worried about a hospitalized family member. </li><ol><li>Both feel similar washes of relief when they see the partner had shown up unexpectedly to help: Robin in the ICU, Strike at her new apartment </li></ol><li>Robin faces the weapon-wielding killer at the end, and manages to survive long enough for help to arrive. </li><ol><li>The barge's wooden door is splintered when Strike shoulders it in to save Robin; Gus is in the process of splintering the bathroom door when help arrives at the Upcott home. </li></ol><li>Our heroes are urged to dig up graves for clues: Billy says "she'd let you dig" in the dell; Flavia makes anonymous calls telling them to dig up Edie. </li><li>Nutley is hired and leaves the agency in disgrace in both books, even though he isn't named in the first. </li><li>A suspect becomes romantically interested in Robin in one of her undercover identities (Raff, Pez). </li><li>We have a group of left-wing political radicals in <i>LW</i>, right-wing political radicals in <i>IBH</i>. </li><li>A pregnant Charlotte tells Strike she doesn't to be "tied down" to her twins in LW and intends to leave once they are born; her actions in <i>IBH</i> show she does not genuinely care for them and is willing to have them be with their abusive father if it frees her up for her own pleasure (whether with Strike or Landon). </li><li>Charlotte and Strike's meeting in Franco's is covered in the tabloids, Raff (disguised as Matthew) uses it to coerce Robin into meeting him, which endangers her life. Jago Ross threatens tabloid coverage of Charlotte and Strike to coerce Charlotte into a divorce settlement and threaten Strike's business.</li><li>Robin has to explain to a non-horse-fancier what an outdoor school is. </li><li>Both Jasper Chiswell and Jago Ross favor their one legitimate son over their daughters. So does Inigo Upcott. </li><li>Robin moves house in both books. She insists on renting when she and Matthew can't find the right flat for purchase in <i>LW</i>, in <i>TB</i> she buys her own place. </li><li>Robin is invited to a young goth-ish woman's very cheap flat in both books (Flick's, Zoe's). Both flats have no room for clothes storage, lots of stuff pinned on walls and substandard plumbing. </li><ol><li>Both women have abusive "boyfriends" that leave them in tears during much of the book. </li></ol><li>A privileged but mistreated son kills his father. </li><li>An out-of-control dog is an important clue. </li><li>Strike and Robin bug Winn's office; Gus bugs family home. </li><li>Maverick films wants Anomie's identity so they can dig up dirt and neutralize the threat he poses to their film project. Chiswell wants dirt on Winn so he can neutralize the threat Winn poses to his political career. </li><li>Strike and Robin check in with each other regarding physical (Strike) and mental (Robin) health in both books. </li><li>A dead body is found sitting upright in a chair after the detectives illegally enter the victim's residence. </li><li>A new hire is made at the beginning of the book who proves to be good at undercover work (Sam, Dev). </li><ol><li>Both are men with a wife and child. </li></ol><li>Andy Hutchins joins the firm in <i>LW</i>, and departs in <i>IBH</i>. </li><li>Strike calls Hutchins a "stupid f*cker" for not telling Strike his MS was flaring. Barclay calls Strike a "stupid f*cker" for not telling his agency his leg was bad. </li><li>The detectives are interviewed by people they suspect of being MI5 agents but who do not reveal their affiliation in both books. </li><li>Strike tells Robin "I'm afraid you're going to wind up f*cking dead and I'll have to live with that" in <i>LW</i>; Robin tells Strike "I don't want to f*cking kill yourself." in <i>IBH</i>. </li></ol><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzbv74x8GytS5mlPk5LdeHDAB4cdwScMQrh8zK8x217CbuHRF-JzGY9U2_La4I5HZ3cCFT2IqX7oA6Krj74QFX0SeubXowZSBGKKvzQCb59qxTHdrg4ZrJoh8l_r0vIPdfRBo2HK_pHm5cMPBAxxgtl-MEtO8MsCCnLAxKPJ4GcZMzm-YqZpYl2u8ct9zP/s499/IBH.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="321" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzbv74x8GytS5mlPk5LdeHDAB4cdwScMQrh8zK8x217CbuHRF-JzGY9U2_La4I5HZ3cCFT2IqX7oA6Krj74QFX0SeubXowZSBGKKvzQCb59qxTHdrg4ZrJoh8l_r0vIPdfRBo2HK_pHm5cMPBAxxgtl-MEtO8MsCCnLAxKPJ4GcZMzm-YqZpYl2u8ct9zP/s320/IBH.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>I am sure I will add more after a re-listen to the SE Files, assuming I ever have time during the next year, when I look forward to their <a href="https://thesefilespod.com/upcoming-episodes/" target="_blank">re-read of <i>The Running Grave</i></a>. In the meantime, if you haven't heard their reaction show to the latest book, be sure to check that out. </div><div><br /></div><div>The Leapfrog model predicts that there will be the fewest echoes between consecutive books. In general, that holds for the Strike series. If anything, we see more contrasts: such as John Bristow yelling at Strike that he doesn't look like he can afford to turn down paying clients in Book 1, and Strike sacking a paying client in Book 2 to take on Leonora Quine. But there is one major exception to that, which is the many connections between books 5 and 6. More about that, and why my new structural model predicts it in a future post. </div>Louise Freeman Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10723489503466474801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371193667176654722.post-55099544896511257692023-10-08T22:18:00.005-04:002023-11-08T21:58:27.218-05:00Ths Silkworm's Career of Running Black Ink: What connections are there between the The Running Grave and Strike 2, 3, and 6?<p><a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/updated-the-ring-composition-pillar-post/" target="_blank">Ring Composition</a> predicts that there would be far few connections between <i>The Running Grave</i> and Books 2, 3 and 6 than seen with books 4 and 7. But, you never know. John Granger has shown that a simple turtle-back ring diagram does not explain all connections in <i>Harry Potter</i> (such as the many echoes between books 1 and 5 and between books 3 and 7); for explanation, see his <a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/ink-black-heart-synopsis-pointers-mythological-and-ring-suggestions/" target="_blank">asterisk model</a>. There are multiple connections, such as the many already documented between <i>Troubled Blood</i> and <i>The Running Grave</i>, that, best I can tell, are predicted neither by ring structure or the asterisk. I myself fell into the trap of being so busy looking for connections between <i>Troubled Blood</i> and <i>Career of Evil</i>, that<a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/the-5-6-flip-hypothesis-part-1-was-troubled-blood-originally-meant-as-the-sixth-book-of-the-strike-series/" target="_blank"> I missed many equally strong connections between <i>Troubled Blood</i> and <i>The Silkworm.</i> </a> </p><p>I am working on a new, comprehensive model of how remainder of the series might be structured, now that we have seen Book seven and know to expect ten, but it will likely take a while to get that together. So, this is where we need sharp-eyed Serious Strikers, who are perhaps not as biased towards specific hypotheses as I am, to not be shy about identifying connections that come up. As I said, I am not expecting as many compared to the long lists already compiled for <a href="https://fartingsofafaculty.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-cuckoos-lethal-grave-connections.html" target="_blank">Books 1, 4 </a>and <a href="https://fartingsofafaculty.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-running-troubled-blood-connections.html" target="_blank">5,</a> but I would be happy to be proved wrong. Given the connections seen between <i>Prisoner of Azkaban</i> and <i>Deathly Hallows</i>, we might expect more with <i>CoE</i>, but who knows?</p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Spoilers below. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJrA7ZCEC5rzA_-h6blfXNXduh1H0dPQDIDal7IIqd20wSu6W9tLSnW_CbbPxbnQ8dW2ook3dC2ayp3-hCLX3kIL64DVBIRMNV8rpKu30ptGrGvNGPQEjKQyN5Qup6WdOKS4pnuk90yeDYJUfaqe0uz1vlDEwBgpe5e4riRyAtABRrVJZEzdwsu2_fTTZ/s928/Screenshot%202023-10-08%20at%207.47.22%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="928" height="399" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJrA7ZCEC5rzA_-h6blfXNXduh1H0dPQDIDal7IIqd20wSu6W9tLSnW_CbbPxbnQ8dW2ook3dC2ayp3-hCLX3kIL64DVBIRMNV8rpKu30ptGrGvNGPQEjKQyN5Qup6WdOKS4pnuk90yeDYJUfaqe0uz1vlDEwBgpe5e4riRyAtABRrVJZEzdwsu2_fTTZ/w500-h399/Screenshot%202023-10-08%20at%207.47.22%20PM.png" width="500" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u><span></span></u></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u><i><br /></i></u></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u><i>The Silkworm</i> Echoes</u></span></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Jonathan Wace explicitly recalls Liz Tassel to Strike, with her cold, black, shark-like eyes. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Roper Chard also gets a mention as Kevin Pirbright's potential publisher. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Strike buys his nephews identical combat-related gifts at Hamley's, just as he does for Christmas 2010 (and 2013, in <i>TB</i>). </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Kinky pictures of people having sex are found.</span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Strike does not initially pick up the phone when Leonora Quine calls him to say she's been arrested. He also does not pick up Michael Ellacott's first calls saying Robin has been taken in for questioning. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Robin saves the day with her advanced driving skills. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Ilsa helps Strike in her capacity as a lawyer. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">In the aftermath Mrs. Cunliffe's death, Robin reflects, while sitting in the church that, as a child, she always wanted to know why there was a stone crab on the wall. In the aftermath of Charlotte's death, Strike visits a tower he had seen and always wondered about in the commune; it turns out to be a church tower. He enters and quietly grieves for Charlotte. </span></li><ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Robin, OTOH, was daydreaming at the funeral precisely because she wasn't genuinely grieving over Mrs. Cunliffe, who hadn't liked Robin much.</span></li></ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">When Robin had to come up with fake confessions for her Revelation, she falsely claimed Matthew's offenses against her. The only "real" confession of her own was her nearly missing Mrs. Cunliffe's funeral in <i>SW</i>. </span></li></ol><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><i>Career of Evil</i> Echoes</span></u></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">April Wardle is introduced as a blue-haired. part-time burlesque dancer in CoE; Strike was surprised at her appearance, which made him like Wardle better. We get her first significant mention here, when we learn she has left her husband and taken their young baby. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">We also meet Alyssa and her daughter Angel in <i>CoE</i>, Angel being the child abuse victim Robin saves from Brockbank, with Shanker's help and nearly at the cost of her job. While little sister Zahara got a mention in <i>IBH</i>, this is the first we have heard of Angel since <i>CoE</i>. This time, Strike aids Shanker in helping her find her birth father, after April is diagnosed with leukemia. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Dominic Culpepper is also mentioned, both by new improved journalist Fergus Robertson and near the end, apparently sleeping with a woman for stories, which is what he asked Strike if he was doing at the beginning of </span><i style="color: #2b00fe;">CoE</i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Tigger the terror terrier barked and bit Strike when our heroes arrived to interview Lorraine McNoughtan. Basil was equally unruly at Niamh Doherty's home. In both cases, our heroes were given an important photograph and other information that would be crucial to the case. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Robin tells Strike (<i>CoE</i>) and Prudence (<i>TRG</i>) of her rape and subsequent mental health issues, though she would have preferred not to. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Strike, while in Melrose, hears men singing a school song at a wake for a deceased friend, and reflects that Ted would one day be mourned this way, in St. Mawes, and hopes it is far in the future. This is a poignant link to Ted's diagnosis of dementia which will likely take his life fairly soon, the necessity of moving him to London and the remark that half his friends are dead. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Strike impersonates a gas inspector to gain entrance to Whittaker's flat; Dev impersonates a heating inspector to get access to the club to trap Bigfoot. </span></li><ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Both Strike and Dev get a busted nose as a result. </span></li></ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The visceral hatred Strike described feeling for Whittaker is similar to that he felt for Macolm Crowther. </span></li><ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Both were responsible for sexual abuse of Lucy. </span></li></ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">We learn that Carver's botching the Ripper case in <i>CoE</i> got him forced out of the Met, and that Mitch Patterson was a friend of his. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Strike offers Robin brandy after the leg is delivered, though he doesn't have any. He gets her brandy after her rescue from the UHC. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Shanker reflects that Robin was like Leda in wanting to help a child in <i>CoE</i>. He points out that Leda loved all her children and reminds Strike about the existence of Switch in <i>TRG</i>. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Wardle and Ekwensi visit the detectives together for information about a case. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Cliffhanger ending!</span></li></ol><p style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><i>The Ink Black Hear</i>t Echoes</span></u></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Phyllis, the philodendron Strike gives her in <i>IBH</i>, is the only one to survive Murphy's care-taking. Note to Robin: ask Pat next time. It's also the only one she names. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Ilsa is concerned about Strike's sexual relationships with Robin-substitutes.</span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Bijou, whose self-chosen nickname means <i>jewel</i>, is an unstable sexual distraction for Strike, just like jeweler Madeline was.</span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Robin gets Pat a medicinal glass of port at the Tottenham in <i>IBH</i>; Strike does the same in <i>TRG</i>. </span></li></ol><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">It looks, for now, like the most, and the most significant echoes, as predicted, are between 3 and 7. The fewest are between adjacent books, as is typical for the rest of the series, with the exception of <i>Troubled Blood</i>, and <i>Ink Black Heart</i>, which are linked by the presence of a misogynistic serial killer, a factor that also links <i>TB</i> to <i>CoE</i>. More on this in a future post. </span></div><p></p><span><!--more--></span><span><!--more--></span>Louise Freeman Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10723489503466474801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371193667176654722.post-38639550051001427482023-10-06T23:34:00.011-04:002023-11-08T14:49:20.181-05:00The Cuckoo's Lethal Grave: Connections between Strike Books 1, 4 and 7.<p><a href="https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/ring-composition/" target="_blank"> Ring Structure</a> predicts that the first and last books of a seven book series. John Grnager has written extensively on within- and between book rings in Harry Potter, producing an <a href="https://www.lulu.com/shop/john-granger/harry-potter-as-ring-composition-and-ring-cycle/paperback/product-14n9k2dz.html?page=1&pageSize=4" target="_blank">entire book </a>on the topic. Given that is clear that Cormoran Strike is a parallel series to Harry Potter, Ring structure has also been an analytic tool for Strike and Robin's adventures. This post will collect links to <i>Cuckoo's Calling </i>and <i>Lethal White</i>, with a bonus section for three-way parallels. <span style="color: #2b00fe;">Spoilers in blue.</span> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm472yuebQS_tYMmdPmP_71kQ2O8TO95_nVP4v-hJHksjjV0R7WRwOdhMKRKkBAA9U9uhs9dmHNb5nC6qrtVKmzs-s8EG5zBJYfhiYrv_GD4DvDZAGrCpkmCmmFPpaiVGQUzfTMvz4HRQfHkwgA_TAzY1tNvd0eI4pePJqZRMpXW-RGppx9W9NBb5X0sGb/s920/Screenshot%202023-10-06%20at%2012.47.55%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="920" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm472yuebQS_tYMmdPmP_71kQ2O8TO95_nVP4v-hJHksjjV0R7WRwOdhMKRKkBAA9U9uhs9dmHNb5nC6qrtVKmzs-s8EG5zBJYfhiYrv_GD4DvDZAGrCpkmCmmFPpaiVGQUzfTMvz4HRQfHkwgA_TAzY1tNvd0eI4pePJqZRMpXW-RGppx9W9NBb5X0sGb/w503-h343/Screenshot%202023-10-06%20at%2012.47.55%20AM.png" width="503" /></a></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u><i>Cuckoo's Calling</i> Echoes</u></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Lady Yvette Bristow and Lady Sally Edensor are both wealthy family matriarchs with three children, Both mothers die (or are close to death) of cancer. </span></li><ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Both of them had middle sons who had fatal/near-fatal accidents. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Lady Yvette has pictures of two of her children by her beside; Lady Sally's dying wish was to see her youngest son. </span></li></ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Tony Landry and James Edensor are both disparaging to their siblings, and specifically complain about them bringing unsuitable children into the family. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Tony Landry also has an analog in Nicholas Delauney, an angry uncle who (with his wife) does not want his dead niece's death investigated.</span></li><ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Strike has great snappy comebacks to them both. </span></li></ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The first mention of Prudence as Rokeby's other illegitimate child is in <i>CC</i>, we meet her in <i>TRG</i>. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Robin gets to try on expensive clothes she could never afford and is surprised to be given some as gifts.</span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Former foster daughters/runaways (Rochelle, Cherie) die within hours of an agency interview.</span></li><ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> In Rochelle's case, Carver accuses Strike of driving her to suicide; in Cherie's case Robin feels guilty, fearing that they have done just that. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">In both cases, someone else bears far more responsibility for the death. </span></li></ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Charlotte probably lied about being pregnant with Strike's baby in CC; she probably lied about having cancer in <i>TRG</i>. In both cases. Strike responds that such lies would be unforgiveable. </span></li><ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">With her death, we will likely never know the truth about either condition. </span></li></ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Charlotte assaults Strike in <i>CC</i> and assaults Landon in <i>TRG</i>. Landon has the good sense to have her arrested. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">A woman is murdered by drowning (Rochelle, Deidre).</span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Both Daiyu and John Bristow are described as rabbity-looking. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Pat mentions difficulty getting a client to pay at the start of <i>TRG</i>. Strike had that problem at hte start of <i>CC</i>. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Alexander Graves had "manic-depression" which his sister said probably had a new name by now. It does, bipolar disorder, which was Lula's diagnosis.</span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Someone calls Strike Monkey Boy when he leaves a message in the office during Robin's first week. Nicholas Delauney calls Strike a monkey in <i>TRG.</i> </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">This one may be a stretch, but Robin glimpses Strike's coconut-matting belly in <i>CC</i>. She finds herself wondering if a different (<i>ahem</i>!) part is hairy in <i>TRG</i>. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">We meet Lucy and hear her nag Strike about his lack of marriage first in <i>CC</i>. At the end of <i>TRG</i> she promises never to do that again. </span></li></ol><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><i>Lethal White</i> Echoes</span></u></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Kevin Pirbright is a Billy Knight echo at the start of book, thinking he was drugged as a child and having doubts about whether horrors he had witnessed were real. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The writing on Kevin Pirbright's wall, and the part that was gouged out is a reminder of Billy's carving the White Horse on Aamir's bathroom. Both pieces of wall art feature farm animals (drawing of a horse, the word pigs). </span></li><ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Strike searches the pockets of a bathrobe hanging up in a bathroom his his visiting (Aamir's, Jonathan Wace's).</span></li></ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Abigail Wace planned a more elaborate murder than Raphael Chiswell, and had three accomplices she sexually exploited, not just one. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The eldest and youngest Edensor brothers (James, William) have the same names as the knight brothers (Jimmy, Billy). Hat tip to the Strike and Ellacott files. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Sam Barclay clears away nettles in the wood under cover of night (Thanks to Strike and Ellacott Files pocdast.)</span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Mitch Patterson Inc. detective agency makes trouble for the good guys. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Illegal bugging of high-level government-affiliated office (Minister's, QC's) A bit ironic that Strike was happy to see Patterson go down for something he himself had done. </span></li><ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Robin also recognizes a bug like the one she used in <i>LW</i> in the farmhouse. </span></li></ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Robin automatically says "I love you" to a partner and doubts her own sincerity.</span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Investigative action is split between London and a more rural community.</span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">There are a lot of Graves-Chiswell family echoes</span></li><ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Big manor house, though the Colonel's is in better repair. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Horsey daughter/daughter-aged wife (Phillipa, Fizzy, Kinvara). </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Older brother whose criminal behavior is dismissed as "naughtiness."</span></li><ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Family pulls strings to get a criminal son a light sentence.</span></li></ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Family believes home and heirlooms should pass to male heirs. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Big, lazy, Labrador dog (Badger, Gunga Din) </span></li><ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Dog leaves large pile on lawn, like <i>LW's</i> other Lab, Gwynn (thank you, Zoesong).</span></li></ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Colonel and Izzy both mispronounce "marijuana" (at least in audiobook). </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Colonel hired detective to get dirt on Wace's, as Chiswell did for Winn and Knight. </span></li></ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">In both <i>LW</i> and <i>TB</i>, the agency is hired by an government official to find discrediting information about someone else, but wind up solving a murder. </span></li><ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The agency is hired after Strike (or Strike and Robin) are taken to an exclusive club by a prominent government minister/civil servant.</span></li></ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">In both books, Strike interviews a man named Henry, who works at a shop that sells things to the rich and famous.</span></li><ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Both Henrys know Charlotte.</span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Charlotte learns of the meeting and ambushes Strike immediately after the meeting and tries to force him to eat in an upscale establishment with her. </span></li></ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Charlotte lies that she is meeting Amelia in Franco's. Strike finally dines with Amelia in <i>TRG</i>. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The Doherty family is structured like the Chiswells: three older siblings favored by the father (or that Ralph at least liked enough to take with him when he left the cult) and a younger illegitimate half-sibling that he does not care about. </span></li><ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The three oldest have proper English/Irish names presumably chosen by the father. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Raphael's name is Italian, presumably his mother's choice, while Lin's is Chinese, chosen by "Mama" Mazu. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Both Ralph and Jasper despise and speak hatefully of their wives after the wife is manipulated into sleeping with a much stronger personality. </span></li></ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The mystery involves digging up bodies. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Strike hires a new ex-Army subcontractor at the start of both books, though Barclay works out way better than Littlejohn. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Sir Colin Edensor mentions that the agency came recommended by the Chiswells, from book 4.</span></li><ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">He also apologizes for his sons' outbursts and Strike replies that they've seen worse. He is discreet enough not to tell them that the Chiswell family was among the worst they had seen.</span></li></ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Strike and Kevin Pirbright both have memories of teenagers being whipped at Forgeman/Chapman Farms. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">A yapping terrier (Rattenbury, Basil) is a hint to an important clue involving a picture. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Both Robin and Becca are described as looking like Girl Guides. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The Latin motto on the floor of the farmhouse, <i>Stet fortuna domas</i>, means "May the house fortune stand." I was reminded of the motto on Freddie Chiswell's money clip: <i>Nec aspera terrent</i>: "Difficulties be damned."</span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Dr. Zhou asks if Robin's scar is a suicide attempt, just as her wedding photographer wondered. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Papa J's sermon in Chapter 34 about the deplorable state of the world thanks to capitalism is a lot like Jimmy Knight's. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">One of the epigraphs mentions a white horse, but as a hero, not an omen of death. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Sir Colin does not eat his food at the Rules, prompting the waiter to ask about it. The same happened to Robin at her wedding</span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Strike initially ignored Lucy's calls when she called to tell him about Jack. He also ignores Michael Ellacott's calls when he calls to tell him about the accusations against Robin. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">While driving herself and Strike in the Land Rover, Robin has to pull over because of emotional distress. In <i>LW</i>, she has a full blown panic attack and Strike has to force her to the verge. In <i>TRG</i> he politely suggests it, she agrees and recovers quickly. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Strike's relative lack of sympathy for Flora compared to Abigail is like what he says to Izzy about Billy versus Raff. He points out that Billy had terrible trauma, but only wanted justice for others and never hurt anyone. He is critical of Flora for not doing the same.</span></li><ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Billy and Flora both mention not being able to drink on their medications. </span></li></ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">At the closing gathering, Sir Colin uses Izzy's near-exact words about Raff when speaking about Abigail, saying she must be mentally disturbed and had a terrible childhood.</span></li><ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Strike replies almost exactly as he did to Izzy. </span></li></ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Both James Edensor and an unnamed stranger in the Red Lion pub spill drinks on Robin, claim not to notice and are ordered by Strike to apologize. </span></li><ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Robin and Strike meet at the Red lion in <i>LW</i> and the Golden Lion in <i>TRG</i>. (Hat tip to Strike and Ellacott files) </span></li></ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">A cop friend of Strike's arrives to arrest the killer, after a long near-monologue by Strike explaining the circumstances behind the crime. I'm counting Ryan as a cop friend, he came to the burger summit and Strike liked him fine before he started dating Robin. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Strike is offered congratulations on solving his latest newsworthy case by Stephen at the wedding and by Ryan at the end of <i>TRG</i>. In both cases, Strike asks them what he's being congratulated for. </span></li></ol></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><u><span style="color: #2b00fe;">1-4-7 Double Echoes</span></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Mysteries involving long-ago murders of children are solved in all three books. In 1 and 7 the killer is identified, in 4 it turns out to be "only" an attempted murder, that a witness believed for years was real. </span></li><ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">In all three cases, the killer (or attempted killer) is an older adopted, half- or step-sibling of the victim. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">In all three cases, a parent either knew or had reason to suspect the older sibling, but chose to ignore, dismiss or cover up rather than take action. </span></li></ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The murderer's motivation in all three books is greed and jealousy over siblings they think have usurped the parent's love or resources. In 1 and 7 the murderer is a sibling; in 4, a son. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Suicide is a huge theme. The killers in <i>LW</i> and <i>TRG</i> try to push their victims into committing suicide, in <i>TRG</i> successfully. And of course, John Bristow "pushed" two victims into what the police initially believed was a suicide. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><i>LW</i> and <i>TRG</i> are the only two books where one of our detectives has been threatened with a gun. Robin faces a killer with a gun at the end of both books. But, we can make this a three-way if we add little Jack shooting his uncle Corm in the stomach with his toy soldier birthday present in <i>CC</i>. Here's hoping that does not echo with a real weapon in Book 10. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Someone comes into a windfall of money at the end of the book, but has mixed feelings about it. In <i>CC</i>, it was Jonah Agyeman inheriting the fortune of the murdered sister he has never met. In <i>LW</i>, it was Izzy now owning a potentially 28-million pound painting that triggered her father's murder and which she claims can go in the rubbish bin for all she cares. (I'm willing to bet, if the Stubbs is reall, she will force herself to bite the bullet, sell it and take the money after all). In <i>TRG</i>, Will Edensor is restored to his family, Prodigal Son-style, and presumably will benefit, along with his child and Lin, of the Edensor fortune, even if he thinks he does not deserve it. Even a modest lifestyle will seem like luxury compared to the cult. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Hidden hand-written notes are important to the case (Lula's will in purse, Chiswell's stolen note in <i>LW</i>, Robin and Strike's hidden correspondence). </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Book 1 opened with an engagement, Book 4 with a wedding, Book 7 with a christening. Could we have a funeral at the start of Book 10? </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Wardle is introduced and is the most helpful Met cop in Book 1. Vanessa is the most important in Book 4, both putting them in contact with Bargate for forensics and giving Robin her couch after she leaves the Flobberworm. Layborn is introduced in Book 4. All three show up for Strike's burger summit in book 7. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The <i>kairos</i> moment that Strike drunkenly confessed to Robin in CC is revisited by Charlotte and the "shared mythology" destroyed. Robin also destroys some of the mythology of her marriage from <i>LW</i>, finally telling Strike that she regretted it almost immediately and wanted to leave Matthew on the honeymoon.</span></li></ol></div>Louise Freeman Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10723489503466474801noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371193667176654722.post-62387481257884567522023-10-06T00:18:00.027-04:002023-11-16T23:37:42.655-05:00The Running Troubled Blood: Connections between Strike Books 5 and 7. <p> The Strike and Ellacott Files Podcast made notes of many connections between <i>Lethal Whit</i>e and <i>The Ink Black Heart</i> and, accordingly, predicted connections between <i>Troubled Blood</i> and <i>The Running Grave.</i> There were certainly plenty. I've mentioned quite a few as I've blogged through, and I'm putting together this post to compile more. <span style="color: #2b00fe;">Spoilers below. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTF3hDx7F_bSl_yG3wj5__gAD7MR90gAChdhSp8Xtq0TtkhgN5dWBY9hoZVQyXQtWzWnXBfRI1LSOZdlm2h605pNvOO_ZZdwF4dcqaurN68fC-C8FQ2X-FUoKbt26pVMphGxUXdnjfB1qXXbvm1JRTaAbPr1gn6J6pC94_y_hMv3NORfvusJZ24u42HY6p/s992/Screenshot%202023-10-05%20at%2010.22.06%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="622" data-original-width="992" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTF3hDx7F_bSl_yG3wj5__gAD7MR90gAChdhSp8Xtq0TtkhgN5dWBY9hoZVQyXQtWzWnXBfRI1LSOZdlm2h605pNvOO_ZZdwF4dcqaurN68fC-C8FQ2X-FUoKbt26pVMphGxUXdnjfB1qXXbvm1JRTaAbPr1gn6J6pC94_y_hMv3NORfvusJZ24u42HY6p/w434-h273/Screenshot%202023-10-05%20at%2010.22.06%20PM.png" width="434" /></a></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Both books have Lucy and Strike dealing with health problems of their Nancarrow relatives in St. Mawes, and struggling with how to best manage their care from London</span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Polworth says "Bit of a fucker, this," when texting Strike about Charlotte's death. We had learned in </span><i style="color: #2b00fe;">TB</i><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> that he said the same thing when Strike's leg was blown off, and Strike recalls that, too. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">We have to assume Robin thought of Margot Bamborough when she was locked in the box. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Prudence contacts Strike for the first time in </span><i style="color: #2b00fe;">TB</i><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> and tells him that building a relationship with Rokeby has been challenging. She tells Robin more about that relationship in </span><i style="color: #2b00fe;">TRG</i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">We have references to real-time severe weather events (Cornwall floods, Storm Katie).</span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">We have references to real-time political separatist events (Scottish independence, Brexit). </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Both Kevin Pirbright and Niamh Doherty have similarities to Anna Phipps. </span></li><ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Kevin mentions the confusion about his parentage and his tendency as a child to "go with the flow" when given explanations that didn't make sense.</span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Niamh would like to know whatever happened to her mom. </span></li><ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The missing mother winds up being dead.</span></li></ol></ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The Frank stalkers are much more sinister versions of <i>TB's</i> Postcard. Both put items through their target's letterbox. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Sheila Kennent, like Gloria Conti's husband. assumed Robin was a male name. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Dr. Zhou's clinic sounds a lot like Symonds House. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Charlotte threatens/ attempts/ and ultimately commits suicide, calling Strike right before. </span></li><ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Strike tells Charlotte she needs to stay alive for her kids in <i>TB</i>. She doesn't, in <i>TRG</i>, and only gives them one line in the suicide note. </span></li></ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Charlotte told Strike in <i>TB</i> she had never been more jealous than she was of "that girl Robin." She is much more explicit on why she is jealous in her phone messages in <i>TRG</i>. </span></li><ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Charlotte also calls Strike late in the night, while drunk, in both books. </span></li></ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Strike and Robin wind up solving the cold cases of Daiyu Wace and Deidre Doherty, just as they did Margot Bamborough's. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Strike handles two suspects with "kid gloves"-- Janice, who he acknowledged, and Abigail, who Robin points out, and they turn out to be the killers (Thanks, Elizabeth C.)</span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Lots of chocolate! Robin is sent some to sustain her at Chapman Farm, then gets éclairs from his her parents. Little Qing is in heaven over chocolate biscuits in the office. </span></li><ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">There is also bad stuff disguised as chocolates: Janice's poison gifts to Margot and Strike, and the porn polaroids in the chocolate biscuit tin. </span></li></ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Strike hires a new subcontractor at the start of the each book who turns out to be trouble. </span></li><ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Near the beginning of the book, Robin tells Strike Pat likes one (Morris) but doesn't like the other (Littlejohn). (Hat-tip to <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/7CQm7DyYjU3JvgtHGY3zgu?si=aZ3QTZFBRF63k1uwQWcieA&nd=1" target="_blank">The Strike and Ellacott files</a>). </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Both suck up to Strike by calling him "boss."</span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Both get in trouble and are warned early one, Morris for not respecting Robin's authority as partner, Littlejohn for leaving his employment with Patterson off his resume. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">When confronted about their bad behavior (Morris by Robin for the dick pic, Littlejohn by Strike for spying for Patterson), they both cry about how much they need the job, with specific reference to their kids, and promise to be good from now on. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">When they are finally fired, both they curse and say "You can't do that!" but of course, Strike can and does. <br /></span></li></ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">After Cherie's interview, Strike and Robin retreat to eat and discuss how she seemed to be recalling things and what in her behavior indicated lies. This is a lot like what they do after the first Janice/Irene interview. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The first public glimpse of Charlotte after her suicide attempt in <i>TB</i> was with her sister Amelia. Amelia follows up with Strike after Charlotte's suicide in <i>TRG</i>. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Robin offers support to people having miscarriages in both books. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Steve and Jenny have their first baby in <i>TB</i> and Robin learns they are expecting a second here. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Paul Satchwell hoped Margot would "melt" over the Valkyrie Viking figure; Jonathan Wace thought Abigail would "melt" over the childhood pet name "Popsicle."</span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The scene where Strike goes alone to confront Abigail, and has the police show up at the end of the long explanation was very similar to his visit to Janice at the end of <i>TB</i>. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Both books have blonde drowning victims who were killed by being deliberately held underwater: Julie Wilkes and Deidre Doherty.</span></li><ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Both murders occurred years ago. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Both were witnessed or strongly suspected by people who did not go public for years. </span></li></ol><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Lucy and Strike have a huge row when he disparages two of her children and she disses Leda in <i>TB</i>. They grow closer in this book, with Strike telling her he's a good mom, bringing presents to all three kids (not just Jack) and acknowledging that Leda was not a fit mother. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Shanker meets Strike while buying gifts for his stepdaughter Zahara in <i>TB</i>, and and he meets Strike to give Angel a more important gift (a visit with her biological father) in <i>TRG</i>. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Joan asks Strike why he's never married in <i>TB</i>; Shanker asks why he never had kids in <i>TRG</i>. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Strike is looking for a good care facility for Ted in <i>TRG</i>. He found a good one, St. Peter's, in <i>TB</i>, but probably does not want to consider it, given that he would likely run into Mucky Ricci's family during visiting hours. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">When Sir Colin apologizes for his son's outburst at the initial interview, Strike says they have seen worse. The Phipps family comes to mind. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Pat, when first introduced in <i>TB</i>, is described as looking 10 years older than she was. She is described in the same way at the start of <i>TRG</i>, and later we learn that she is actually 10 years older than she claimed. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Concerns about subcontractors getting too close to clients (Morris, Midge). </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Reconciliation of Edensor family at the end is similar to final meeting with the Phipps. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Toy Boy was pretty much the opposite of Twinkletoes. An adult child worried about parent with gold-digger lover, versus a father worried about an adult daughter with gold-digger lover. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The drugged beverages the children were given on the night of Daiyu's disappearance were called "special drinks," just like Kevin Beatty's poisoned concoctions. Kevin Pirbright also recalls being drugged, so we have two potential Kevins in that situation. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Lucy unknowingly echoes Joan's dying words when she expresses pride in Strike for helping people. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Robin has to clarify that she is speaking about one of Strike's Rokeby half-siblings: When she calls him in <i>TB</i> to tell him Al is in the office, he asks "Al who?' "Your <i>brother</i> Al!" In <i>TRG</i>, to tell him she had dinner with Prudence and he remains silent, she clarifies "Your <i>sister</i> Prudence." </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The line, "a choice that really was no choice at all" line appears in both books . In <i>TB</i>, it refers to Steve Diouthwaite having to finally acknowledge that he cowardly kept quiet about Janice Beatty being a potential killer. In <i>TRG, </i>it refers to Robin bravely agreeing to "the box." </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Strike buys his nephews identical toy weapons that shoot foam projectiles. </span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">In the aftermath of the meeting with Flora and Will, therapist Prudence ("That was a massive breakthrough for Flora. I've never seen her like that before.") sounds a lot like therapist Kim in the aftermath of the Phipps interview. ("That was close to a miracle, he's never talked about Margot that way").</span></li><li><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The Shift and the Franks cases both turn out to be three-person jobs, and strain the agency's resources. </span></li></ol><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">As always, comments and further suggestions welcome. </span></div></div><p></p>Louise Freeman Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10723489503466474801noreply@blogger.com6