Talk:The Graveyard Book

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Question: It's clear that Gaiman is playing with the literary/historical associations with the name "Jack". I'm trying to narrow them down and assign them to the individual members of the "Jacks of All Trades". Is the man Jack in any way representative of "Jack the Ripper"? He later is associated with "Jack Frost". The dude who falls down the 20 ft. grave at the end could embody the Jack from the nursery rhyme -- "Jack fell down and broke his crown". What about the other Jacks mentioned. Any ideas who they might embody? JACK and Jill? JACK and the Beanstalk? Help me think through this. Record your ideas here!

Gaiman has hinted that there will be a sequel to The Graveyard Book-- perhaps we'll get some answers then? Until then, it's an open and interesting question: who or what are the Jacks? Although Gaiman uses a werewolf and hints at a vampire, the Jacks seem to be his own invention. Jack the Ripper is a possible allusion, given the Jacks' homicidal nature, Jack the Ripper's appearance in works by Gaiman's contemporaries (most notably, From Hell), and, above all, Gaiman's perennial use of English history in The Graveyard Book and many other works. Bleakhouse 13:04, 15 March 2009 (MST)
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