1. Jim, the budding playwright, regularly sends manuscripts to the Lyceum Theater for perusal but always receives polite rejections from Henry Irving and Bram Stoker. Who were these gentlemen and what is their connection to England's literary tradition? (In regard to Bram Stoker, look at the publication date of his most famous work, Dracula, and compare it to the date of Shadow in the North's action. Is Pullman sharing a joke with the audience?)

2. One criticism of Pullman's Ruby in the Smoke trilogy has been that while they use Victorian England as a setting, some of his ideas and characters—Sally, in particular—are too modernistic. Read Gillian Avery's A Likely Lad (1971) and compare the characterizations and actions. Which appears more accurate? Which is more interesting?

3. Jim spends a great deal of time at London's music halls, which ran...