Jack Spratt
Encyclopedia
Jack Spratt is the protagonist
in a series of alternate history science fiction
fantasy
novel
s by Jasper Fforde
. He is the same character from the English nursery rhyme
. As revealed in The Big Over Easy
, for example, he hates eating fat, and was once married to a woman who ate nothing else (hence, she died).
Spratt is an obvious satire on the general detective stereotype. Whereas famous detectives such as Sam Spade
, Philip Marlowe
and Sherlock Holmes
have been portrayed as confident, successful, substance-abusing loners, Spratt does not have a substance abuse problem, and is happily married with five children. In addition, he is shown in the beginning of The Big Over Easy
to be an experienced and accomplished police detective, but low on self-confidence, virtually incapable of securing convictions and never recognized for the ones he does make. The reason for this is that police funding is based on public approval, which is in turn influenced by the news magazine Amazing Crime Stories. This enormously popular "true crime" magazine prints glamorous police cases--usually involving noir clichés like secret societies, mafia assassins and baffling, meticulously planned murders--that are allegedly true and unedited, but actually largely fabricated. It is revealed that early on in Spratt's career, his ambitious and self-obsessed partner Friedland Chymes stole most of the credit for their greatest cases, thereby rising to the top to become one of the most popular detectives in England. Jack, being totally honest and unwilling to cater the media's demand for glamorous hero detectives, was unable or unwilling to stand up for himself; Friedland and Jack have been enemies since. However, as the story progresses it becomes clear that Jack is not only honest, but highly intelligent and a much better detective than Chymes.
Spratt is a Detective Inspector with the Reading, Berkshire
Nursery Crimes Division, with his assistant Sergeant Mary Mary (another nursery rhyme
character). Spratt and Mary were originally introduced into the alternate Fforde universe in the Thursday Next
novel The Well of Lost Plots
(2003) before taking over their own "Nursery Crimes" series:
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
in a series of alternate history science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s by Jasper Fforde
Jasper Fforde
Jasper Fforde is a British novelist. Fforde's first novel, The Eyre Affair, was published in 2001. Fforde is mainly known for his Thursday Next novels, although he has written several books in the loosely connected Nursery Crime series and begun two more independent series: The Last Dragonslayer...
. He is the same character from the English nursery rhyme
Jack Sprat
"Jack Sprat" is an English language nursery rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 19479.-Lyrics:The most common modern version of the rhyme is:...
. As revealed in The Big Over Easy
The Big Over Easy
The Big Over Easy is a novel written by Jasper Fforde and published in 2005. It features Detective Inspector Jack Spratt and his assistant, Sergeant Mary Mary....
, for example, he hates eating fat, and was once married to a woman who ate nothing else (hence, she died).
Spratt is an obvious satire on the general detective stereotype. Whereas famous detectives such as Sam Spade
Sam Spade
Sam Spade is a fictional character who is the protagonist of Dashiell Hammett's 1930 novel The Maltese Falcon and the various films and adaptations based on it, as well as in three lesser known short stories by Hammett....
, Philip Marlowe
Philip Marlowe
Philip Marlowe is a fictional character created by Raymond Chandler in a series of novels including The Big Sleep and The Long Goodbye. Marlowe first appeared under that name in The Big Sleep published in 1939...
and Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
have been portrayed as confident, successful, substance-abusing loners, Spratt does not have a substance abuse problem, and is happily married with five children. In addition, he is shown in the beginning of The Big Over Easy
The Big Over Easy
The Big Over Easy is a novel written by Jasper Fforde and published in 2005. It features Detective Inspector Jack Spratt and his assistant, Sergeant Mary Mary....
to be an experienced and accomplished police detective, but low on self-confidence, virtually incapable of securing convictions and never recognized for the ones he does make. The reason for this is that police funding is based on public approval, which is in turn influenced by the news magazine Amazing Crime Stories. This enormously popular "true crime" magazine prints glamorous police cases--usually involving noir clichés like secret societies, mafia assassins and baffling, meticulously planned murders--that are allegedly true and unedited, but actually largely fabricated. It is revealed that early on in Spratt's career, his ambitious and self-obsessed partner Friedland Chymes stole most of the credit for their greatest cases, thereby rising to the top to become one of the most popular detectives in England. Jack, being totally honest and unwilling to cater the media's demand for glamorous hero detectives, was unable or unwilling to stand up for himself; Friedland and Jack have been enemies since. However, as the story progresses it becomes clear that Jack is not only honest, but highly intelligent and a much better detective than Chymes.
Spratt is a Detective Inspector with the Reading, Berkshire
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
Nursery Crimes Division, with his assistant Sergeant Mary Mary (another nursery rhyme
Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary
"Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary" is a popular English nursery rhyme. The rhyme has been seen as having religious and historical significance, but its origins and meaning are disputed...
character). Spratt and Mary were originally introduced into the alternate Fforde universe in the Thursday Next
Thursday Next
Thursday Next is the main protagonist in a series of comic fantasy, alternate history novels by the British author Jasper Fforde. She was first introduced in Fforde's first published novel, The Eyre Affair, released on July 19, 2001 by Hodder & Stoughton. , the series comprises six books, in two...
novel The Well of Lost Plots
The Well of Lost Plots
The Well of Lost Plots is the third book by Jasper Fforde and the continuation of the adventures of literary detective Thursday Next from The Eyre Affair and Lost in a Good Book...
(2003) before taking over their own "Nursery Crimes" series:
- The Big Over EasyThe Big Over EasyThe Big Over Easy is a novel written by Jasper Fforde and published in 2005. It features Detective Inspector Jack Spratt and his assistant, Sergeant Mary Mary....
(20052005 in literatureThe year 2005 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*February 25 - Canada Reads selects Rockbound by Frank Parker Day as the novel to be read across the nation....
) - The Fourth BearThe Fourth BearThe Fourth Bear is a mystery/fantasy novel by Jasper Fforde published in July 2006. It is Jasper Fforde's sixth novel, and the second in the Nursery Crimes series...
(20062006 in literatureThe year 2006 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Literature:*Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Half of a Yellow Sun*Chris Adrian - The Children's Hospital *Martin Amis - House of Meetings...
)