I have tried twice to post this to the old CJ thread, and each time the system logs me out and won't let me log on to that thread location.
So I am forced to create a new thread.
What I want to post:
I think I have identified an Easter egg in Carpe Jugulum. Please bear with me, it's a little tangled.
The Lyke-Wake Dirge (it's on Wikipedia) was an old song the women of Yorkshire used to sing at funerals, from the Middle Ages to at least the seventeenth century. (Several good performances are on youtube.)
1. Sir Terry was good friends with both Neil Gaiman and Diana Wynne Jones, who were also good friends with each other.
2. It has been made known that Neil has lost many hats over the years. It became almost a joke. He finally gave up wearing hats.
3. Neil Gaiman is known for wearing black a lot.
4. In 1996, Neil Gaiman published the novelization of Neverwhere (originally a TV show). In it, he used elements of the Lyke-Wake Dirge, metaphorically (I'm told; sorry, but I can't get through that book).
5. In 1997, Diana Wynne Jones published Deep Secret, which uses elements of the Lyke-Wake Dirge as part of the major plot line. If you haven't read it, go read it now. I'll wait. She wrote Neil into the book in two places.
6. In 1998, Sir Terry published Carpe Jugulum, which also uses elements of the Lyke-Wake Dirge. In it, a stalwart young man who wears black a lot has developed a supportive relationship with an older woman. In one important scene, he just happens to lose his hat.
It's tenuous, but I think the character of Mightily Oats was pTerry writing Neil Gaiman into the book.
So I am forced to create a new thread.
What I want to post:
I think I have identified an Easter egg in Carpe Jugulum. Please bear with me, it's a little tangled.
The Lyke-Wake Dirge (it's on Wikipedia) was an old song the women of Yorkshire used to sing at funerals, from the Middle Ages to at least the seventeenth century. (Several good performances are on youtube.)
1. Sir Terry was good friends with both Neil Gaiman and Diana Wynne Jones, who were also good friends with each other.
2. It has been made known that Neil has lost many hats over the years. It became almost a joke. He finally gave up wearing hats.
3. Neil Gaiman is known for wearing black a lot.
4. In 1996, Neil Gaiman published the novelization of Neverwhere (originally a TV show). In it, he used elements of the Lyke-Wake Dirge, metaphorically (I'm told; sorry, but I can't get through that book).
5. In 1997, Diana Wynne Jones published Deep Secret, which uses elements of the Lyke-Wake Dirge as part of the major plot line. If you haven't read it, go read it now. I'll wait. She wrote Neil into the book in two places.
6. In 1998, Sir Terry published Carpe Jugulum, which also uses elements of the Lyke-Wake Dirge. In it, a stalwart young man who wears black a lot has developed a supportive relationship with an older woman. In one important scene, he just happens to lose his hat.
It's tenuous, but I think the character of Mightily Oats was pTerry writing Neil Gaiman into the book.
