The Merthyr Rising of 1831 was the climax of the working class uprising in Wales. It occurred in Merthyr Tydfil and was said to be the first time the red flag of revolt was flown in the United Kingdom. The workers rose up in response to wage cuts and general unemployment (Wiki). A prominent figure in this revolt was the martyr Dic Penderyn who “was charged with stabbing a soldier with a bayonet. The people of Merthyr Tydfil doubted his guilt, and signed a petition for his release. However, he was found guilty and hanged on 13 August 1831” (Wiki). This lead to Penderyn becoming a prominent figurehead in Wales. Many towns and streets were duly named after him. According to Jasper Fforde in his novel, “The Eyre Affair,” “Dr. Penderyn had been executed in 1831 for wounding a soldier during the Merythyr riots—he was innocent and so became the first martyr of the Welsh rising and something of a figurehead for the republican struggle. Even if Goliath could infiltrate Wales, they wouldn’t know which Penderyn to start with” (Fforde 257). This passage tells me that Fforde used the uncertainty of Penderyn’s guilt to allude to the uncertainty of which Penderyn Goliath would need to search. Acheron Hades is a cunning villain to cleverly hide himself in a place with such a common name. This adds to the literary fan fiction element of the book because it brings in historical events from Victorian area United Kingdom, Wales, which was a part of the rule of the English crown, at the time. This deepens the mystery and gives the reader the possibility that Acheron could have an ulterior motive in his pursuit of manuscripts. Perhaps Hades’ use of the prose portal has more of a revolutionary motive then the reader is initially led to believe. And perhaps Goliath is part of what Hades is revolting against.
Works Cited
Merthyr rising, Wikipedia, accessed 4/17/22. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merthyr_Rising
Did Penderyn, Wikipedia, accessed 4/17/22 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dic_Penderyn
Jasper Fforde, The Eyre Affair, Penguin Books, 2001, accessed 4/17/22