The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde vividly reimagines world history and the intellectual hierarchies that hold power over our society. In Fforde's world, which contains more advanced technology and a shared understanding and passion for literature, alternative regimes have carved out new political power structures unseen by the world today. The primary political difference lies in the continued existence of the Crimean War — which, starting in 1854, saw the alliance of Britain, France, Turkey, and Sardinia against Russia ("Crimean War"). While this portion of the timeline acts as one of the central points of tension within Fforde's worldbuilding, the political state of Wales in the United Kingdom is a smaller, but vital digression from our current world as well. The political state of Wales, or in the case of The Eyre Affair: The People's Republic of Wales, furthers the ongoing tension to the story by functioning as both a reprieve and enabler to the political violence found within the story.

Within The Eyre Affair, the mention of Wales is brief; however, the implications of the information is vastly detrimental. After Thursday Next's Uncle, Mycroft, is abducted by Acheron Hades, Mycroft finds himself in a remote but luxurious hotel. By the griffin motifs and "absence of any advertising," Mycroft deducts that he's in "The People's Republic of Wales." Fforde goes on to note that this location is "well out of reach of the conventional law enforcement agencies" (Fforde 152).

Any country with the title of "people's republic," refers to a self-identified "left-wing or communist state" ("People"). Currently in our world, this only pertains to The People's Republic of China and the Lao People's Democratic Republic. However, in The Eyre Affair, Fforde's choice to make Wales one of these states affords the nation freedom from the war and political struggle faced by the United Kingdom and other nations involved in the Crimean war. 

In real life, Wales remains majorly attached to the United Kingdom. Though the country itself maintains some personal authority due to devolution, which refers to the decentralization of power from the UK parliament, the British government and parliament still maintain a notable hold over the country ("Devolution: A beginner's guide"; "Wales"). In 1999, Wales adopted the National Assembly for Wales, which corresponds with British Parliament as the major law-making body within the country. This group is responsible for many, but not all, laws within the country ("Wales"). "Defense and national security" is of the powers that are not devolved in Wales (or those that Britain still has primary control over) ("Devolution: A beginner's guide"). This is the most impactful difference between Fforde's Wales and real life's, as it sets the precedent for the precarious situation Mycroft finds himself in. In our world, Hades' flight to Wales would not carry the same criminal protection that he enjoys in the book. In Hades' case, Wales offers a reprieve from the political regimes that pursue him. However, to our protagonist Tuesday, the country's new and imagined state creates yet another point of tension within her journey.   

 Works Cited

"Crimean War." National Army Museum. https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/crimean-war. Accessed 10 April 2022.

"Devolution: A beginner's Guide." BBC News. 29 April 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/election_2010/first_time_voter/8589835.stm. Accessed 10 April 2022.

Fforde, Jasper. The Eyre Affair. Penguin Books.

"People." The Oxford English Dictionary. March 2022. https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/140404?redirectedFrom=People%27s+republic#eid31142862. Accessed 10 April 2022.

"Wales." Encyclopedia Britannica. 30 November 2021. https://www.britannica.com/place/Wales/additional-info#history. Accessed 10 April 2022.