Two temptation scenes in Jonathan Stroud’s Bartimaeus books

There are several posts that describe and comment on temptation scenes in Jonathan Stroud's Lockwood books.  The first temptation article lists some elements that these scenes have in common with temptation scenes in books by other writers. The “you deserve better” ploy is just one example of this.

There are also some typical temptation scenes in Jonathan Stroud’s Bartimaeus books. A new angle here is that the tempted later becomes the tempter!

In this further extract from The Amulet of Samarkand, an old magician tempts the young apprentice magician Nathaniel, whose official name is John Mandrake:

“...there will soon be spaces, vacancies to fill in the higher reaches of the Government. We shall require talented new magicians to help us rule. Great wealth and the relaxations of power await our allies. Well now, you are young, Mandrake, but we recognize your ability. You have the makings of a great magician. Join with us, and we shall provide you with the apprenticeship you have always craved. Think about it—no more experiments in solitude, no more bowing or scraping to fools who are scarcely fit to lick your boots! We will test and inspire you, we will draw out your talent and let it breathe. And one day, perhaps, when Simon and I are gone, you will be supreme....”

There, we have the usual offer of immense power and the 'you deserve better' approach. 

Nathaniel rejects the offer – for a while.

What is of particular interest in this temptation scene from The Golem's Eye is that it is Nathaniel, aka John Mandrake, who is now a junior magician and working for the government, who does the tempting. His target is a girl called Kitty Jones:

“If you share this information with me,” Nathaniel said, “if you talk candidly about your time in the Resistance, I will do more than set you free.” ... “I can give you wealth, too,” he said. “Yes, and status beyond your wildest dreams. Commoners such as yourself—with brains, bravery, and aptitude to spare—can win roles at the heart of government, positions of real power. That’s no secret. You will work daily with the great ones of our society, and learn such things that will make your head spin. I can take you away from the drabness of your life, give you glimpses into the marvelous past, the days when the magician-emperors bestrode the world. Then you can become part of our own great story. When the current wars are won, for instance, we shall establish a renewed Colonial Office in America, and will need intelligent men and women to enforce our will. They say there are vast estates to be won out there, Ms. Jones, tracts of land with nothing on them but beasts and a few savages. Imagine—you as a great lady of the Empire …”

Flattery and offers of power, money, a better life, the chance to get in on something big...same old, same old...

A bingo card would be very useful in this and all those other temptation cases! 

Kitty Jones declines the offer. 

Something about Jonathan Stroud’s magicians

Terry Pratchett's wise words about magic and witches have been featured or mentioned in several articles. I said this in More magic and witch wisdom:

“The points he makes and the warnings he gives have a much wider application than to just his imaginary world and characters.”

The above extract has a wider application than to just Terry Pratchett: it has relevance to Jonathan Stroud and his magicians, an elite group who operate in an alternative modern London that is ruled by magic.

The Amulet of Samarkand, the first book in Stroud's Bartimaeus series, has been referenced in an article about William Gladstone and in one about disowning unworthy people in favour of books. I have selected some more material from The Amulet in order to highlight some of what Stroud says about his magicians. 

While Terry Pratchett respects and is fond of his witches, Jonathan Stroud obviously dislikes and despises most of his magicians. They certainly seem to be a very unpleasant bunch indeed; they remind me of David Icke's reptilians! 

Some characteristics of magicians
Jonathan Stroud's magicians are very status conscious. They seek out opportunities for social climbing. Image is everything; they are fixated with the trappings of wealth. They are always greedy for more. 

The magicians are hierarchical and authoritarian; they flatter their superiors and are arrogant with anyone they see as their inferior. They have nothing but contempt for ordinary people or 'commoners', i.e. those with no magical abilities.

Who is being described here?
These extracts remind me of another group of people:

“With magicians it's usually pretty simple: they fall into three distinct types, motivated by ambition, greed, or paranoia.”

“Magicians are the most conniving, jealous, duplicitous group of people on earth, even including lawyers and academics. They worship power and the wielding thereof, and seek every chance they can to undercut their rivals.“

“You believed in the notion of the honourable magician, who takes responsibility for his actions. Mere propaganda. Such a thing does not exist. There is no honour, no nobility, no justice. Every magician acts only for himself, seizing each opportunity he can. When he is weak, he avoids danger—which is why second-raters plod away within the system.”

This sounds rather like something that Taylor Caldwell  would say about politicians!

Another edition of this entertaining book:

A few wise words from William Gladstone

The UK statesman and former four-time Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone has been mentioned in a few articles, including one about his enemy and rival Benjamin Disraeli's rise to political power.

I knew very little about Gladstone at the time; unlike Disraeli, he had never caught my interest or appealed to my imagination. I did know though that he is mentioned many times in Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus books, the wonderful fantasy trilogy that features London, magic and alternative history.

This extract is from The Amulet of Samarkand, the first book in the series:

"...Gladstone...was the most powerful magician ever to become Prime Minister. He dominated the Victorian Age for thirty years and brought the feuding factions of magicians under government control. You must have heard of his duel with the sorcerer Disraeli on Westminster Green?”

I suddenly remembered the Bartimaeus references recently; it then occurred to me that if Gladstone had inspired Jonathan Stroud enough to be featured in his books, the great Victorian politician might be worth a quick investigation.

I soon found a few good quotations to highlight here.

Feeling versus thinking
I have found this statement to be very true – and the examples I have seen very annoying:

“Men are apt to mistake the strength of their feeling for the strength of their argument. The heated mind resents the chill touch and relentless scrutiny of logic.”

These words may seem unoriginal and to state the very obvious, but they come close to home. People who get all emotional, won't listen to reason and ignore the evidence are a big pain!

The love of books and reading
William Gladstone is said to have been a voracious reader and great scholar from an early age.

A few words about disowning unworthy people in favour of books

This post was inspired by a striking passage in Jonathan Stroud's fantasy novel The Amulet of Samarkand, the first in the series that features magic, alternative history and the amusing djinni or demon Bartimaeus.

Here, the young apprentice magician Nathaniel mentally disowns his master, opts out of his position and transfers his allegiance elsewhere:

“...Nathaniel did not regard Arthur Underwood as his true master any longer. His masters were the magicians of old, who spoke to him through their books, allowing him to learn at his own pace and offering ever-multiplying marvels for his mind. They did not patronize or betray him. 

Arthur Underwood had forfeited his right to Nathaniel's obedience and respect the moment he failed to shield him from Simon Lovelace's jibes and physical assaults. This, Nathaniel knew, simply was not done. Every apprentice was taught that their master was effectively their parent. He or she protected them until they were old enough to stand up for themselves. Arthur Underwood had failed to do this.”

This is a very good description of what can happen internally when someone permanently loses respect for and faith in the authority figure – or parent – they are dependent on. They may indeed mentally reject and disown the person who has let them down so badly.

A disillusioned victim of betrayal who has no other options in the real world may try to fill some gaps by reading. If they can't get what they need, want and expect from the people around them, they will turn away from them and get it from the world of books instead.