The Graveyard Book - Favorite Chapter

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

Since this is more a collection of inter-related short stories, in a way, I was wondering what everyone's favorite vignettes were.

My favorites were "A New Friend" and "Danse Macabre". I also thought "Nobody Owens' School Days" was pretty good.

[Libby]

blackrose wrote: "Since this is more a collection of inter-related short stories, in a way, I was wondering what everyone's favorite vignettes were.

My favorites were "A New Friend" and "Danse Macabre". I also t..."

I just finished my re-read of this one and think the last chapter may be my favorite. It's tough to read once you love the character so much but it has that beautifully tragic tone that makes so many novels so moving.

Off-topic – it’s really fun to examine where Gaiman takes certain aspects of the book from. Most of what is writes is intentional so I looked up a number of the things he chose to include in the book. A number of these are obvious and may be familiar to you but a few were new to me –

Nobody Owns – “nobody owns” – may recall the scene in the Odyssey where Odysseus tells the Cyclops that his name is Nobody.

Jacks
Jack Frost – well-known character - In English folklore, Jack Frost appears as an elfish creature who personifies crisp, cold, winter weather – interestingly also used by Terry Pratchett
Mr. Dandy - Jack`-a-dan´dy n. 1. A little dandy; a little, foppish, impertinent fellow.
Mr. Ketch - John (Jack) Ketch (died 1686) was an English executioner employed by King Charles II. An immigrant of Irish extraction, he became famous through the way he performed his duties during the tumults of the 1680s, when he was often mentioned in broadsheet accounts that circulated throughout the Kingdom of England. The knot more commonly known as a hangman's knot is also sometimes known as Jack Ketch's knot.
Mr. Tar - Jack Tar was a common English term used to refer to seamen of the Merchant or Royal Navy, particularly during the period of the British Empire. Both members of the public, and seafarers themselves, made use of the name in identifying those who went to sea. It was not used as an offensive term and seafarers were happy to use the term to label themselves.

Location of Honor Guard stand against Jacks
Kraków's pre-history begins with evidence of a Stone Age settlement on the present site of the Wawel Hill. A legend attributes Kraków's founding to the mythical ruler Krakus, who built it above a cave occupied by a dragon, Smok Wawelski. Krakus Mound, which exists to this day, was previously believed to contain Krakus' remains. It has been the subject of thorough archeological research from 1934-38, however, no grave has ever been found in it. The mound has a diameter of over 50 meters. According to research, it was erected between the 8th and 10th centuries as a central element of an ancient grave site, which does not exist today.

The Sleer - Sle´er - n. 1. A slayer.

An interesting example of Gaiman repurposing a (more or less) forgotten English phrase. "Hounds of God" or "Hounds of the Lord" was a name historically given to the Dominican friars. Wikipedia

Gaiman on where he got the idea of using werewolves as Hounds of God: "I'm pretty sure it came from a sentence in Carlo Ginzberg's The Night Battles (Witchcraft & Agrarian Cults in the Sixteenth & Seventeenth Centuries). (Amazon link.) A book I learned about from John Crowley (I wrote about his suggested reading list for fantasy writers here -- and that book was on it)." Neil Gaiman's Journal 4/26/2009

*Most info from Wikipedia

[Peregrine]

Cool! Thanks. Another bit: the Dominicans were the order active in the Inquisition.

[Kathy Anne]

This has been my fav book for so long.I need to do a reread tho and it will be interesting now with all your info to compare Libby