My husband and I got diplomas in the mail a couple of days ago. In Applied Danverology. I was so proud of mine that I scanned it and posted it on my Facebook page for all my friends to see. Lots of them liked it, and some commented. More than a few were a little confused. In the interest of clarifying, AND in my perpetual promotion of the previously blogged-about Fforde Ffiesta, I will herein attempt to explain what this diploma means. (Don’t I already sound smarter? My diploma does say With Honours, after all.)
This is what my diploma looks like.
Danvering is a verb based on Mrs. Danvers, the antagonist in the book Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier. She’s a formidable character. Scary, even. In Jasper Fforde‘s Thursday Next series, she is cloned and the resulting multitude of Danvers are used as a special forces team to thwack the Mispeling Vyrus .
This is the the letter that accompanied our diplomas. We are really happy that we didn’t have to take out school loans for this course of study. Phew.
This is a photo of the Danvers Brigade mustering for inspection.
Please note that the The Legion of Danvers is an equal opportunity movement. All that’s required for membership is a black dress, a grey granny wig, dark glasses, and a fearsome demeanor. Oh, and you must learn the following marching song:
We are Danvers, we are clones . . . we will never be alone . . .
That’s all there is to it. Follow those simple steps, spend a lovely weekend in Swindon at the Fforde Ffiesta, and you, too, might one day obtain a Higher Diploma in Applied Danverology.
You will be the better for it. Trust me.
A Wilderness of Words 
Okay, that is really, really Wwierd, because my boyfriend and I just watched the Hitchcock version of Rebecca the day before yesterday, which is the only reason I have any idea what you’re referring to. What do you suppose are the odds of that? And I can’t even blame my psychic-ness, because he’s the one who ordered the movie. 🙂
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I really am grateful you did this post, because I have been trying to remember Jasper Fforde’s name for some time! A close friend of mine was really taken with the Tuesday Next series a few years back and strongly recommended them to me, but I was too busy writing my own books to read much. Now I’m too busy publishing them, but at least I have a reference and I added the Fforde website to my favorites list so I won’t forget his name again! And maybe I’ll get around to reading his books someday!
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I’m really grateful you read my post. And I’m happy to have helped you stumble upon Jasper Fforde again. I think you’d like his work which exists in a parallel universe and incorporates sci-fi/fantasy/mystery elements with a large dose of humor and wit. Don’t we all wish there were more hours in a day for reading as much as we would like?!
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Ha! That’s funny, Jennifer. It does seem like we’re connected in some way, though. So, now you know how scary Mrs. Danvers is and why it’s so much fun to be part of the “Danvers Brigade.”
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Greatly Relieved! Thought you had become part of a witches’ coven.
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Ha! I hadn’t thought about it before, but I can see where a group of people milling about, wearing black dresses, dark glasses, and grey wigs does look kind of coven-ish!
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So you get a diploma for dressing up weird?
Sign me up! 😉
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Yes, you do. And you get to act weird, too! I highly recommend it.
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Hilarious. And I love your explanation and your photos. That yellow diploma is the best! Please tell me where this place is and did it really take three years to get the diploma. I am intrigued. It sounds as fun as charring marshmallows and eating all the black off and then re-charring… you know what I mean. 😉
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Ha! Renee. No, it didn’t really take three years. It was one wonderful, wacky weekend. In fact, it’s a lot like summer camp, only with costumes (though not a requirement) and marzipan instead of s’mores. Oh, and you have to travel to Swindon in England, but I promise the long trip is worth it.
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Outstanding! Sounds fabulous!
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Oh my, you should sound smart… I did notice the ‘With Honors’.
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Thanks for noticing. 🙂 And thanks for stopping by.
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