Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell characters

Also known as Mr Norrell

Appears from the start

A wealthy, reclusive gentleman of Hurtfew Abbey who has spent years buying almost every important book of English magic. He insists that he is the only practical magician left in England and disapproves of traditions he regards as disorderly or unsafe, especially magic involving fairies.

Appears from the start

A modest member of the York society of theoretical magicians. His sincere question about why magic is no longer performed leads the society to Mr Norrell and helps bring practical English magic back into public life.

Appears from the start

A genial York magician and friend of John Segundus. More enthusiastic than rigorous, he accompanies Segundus to Hurtfew and is delighted by the possibility that the old art may still be practiced.

Also known as The Raven King, The Black King

Appears from the start

The legendary magician-king who once ruled northern England and parts of Faerie. Though absent from England for centuries, his history dominates English magical scholarship and divides those who revere his wild tradition from those who fear it.

First appears in chapter 2

Mr Norrell's sharp, taciturn servant and confidential agent. He is far less conventional than his master and handles difficult errands with independence, practical courage, and an instinctive sensitivity to magic.

First appears in chapter 4

A fashionable, talkative gentleman who attaches himself to Mr Norrell in London and promotes him among influential people. His social connections and appetite for gossip make him useful, though his friendship is plainly tied to status.

First appears in chapter 4

A polished man of fashion who becomes part of Mr Norrell's London circle. Cooler and more forceful than Drawlight, he supports Norrell's campaign to control the public reputation and acceptable practice of magic.

First appears in chapter 5

A government minister who asks Mr Norrell to save his gravely ill young wife. He is rational, courteous, and politically useful to Norrell, but knows little about the methods or consequences of the magic performed on his behalf.

Also known as Emma Pole, Emma Wintertowne

First appears in chapter 5

Sir Walter Pole's young wife, introduced at the point of death before Mr Norrell attempts an extraordinary cure. Her place in fashionable society makes the result a public test of whether restored English magic can achieve what medicine cannot.

First appears in chapter 6

An elegant fairy with pale hair who appears when Mr Norrell calls for supernatural help. Courteous and amused, he offers the magician a bargain by which Lady Pole may be restored to life in exchange for a share of her time.

First appears in chapter 6

Sir Walter and Lady Pole's dignified Black butler. Competent and reserved within a society that restricts him by race and rank, he attracts the interest of the fairy gentleman after Lady Pole's restoration.

First appears in chapter 8

A ragged street magician who confronts Mr Norrell's circle with a prophecy about the restoration of English magic. Unlike respectable theoretical magicians, he deals in performance, folklore, and claims of direct allegiance to the Raven King.

First appears in chapter 10

A wealthy young country gentleman whose restless search for an occupation changes when he discovers that he can perform magic. Imaginative, sociable, and willing to experiment, he approaches the subject with a freedom very different from Mr Norrell's guarded scholarship.

First appears in chapter 10

Jonathan Strange's clear-sighted, capable wife. She loves him but has little patience for his earlier aimlessness, and his sudden success at magic gives her hope that he has at last found work suited to him.

First appears in chapter 47

A young Englishwoman living in Venice with her father. Warm, observant, and self-possessed, she befriends Strange during his solitary stay in the city and tries to help when his conduct becomes increasingly alarming.