#mervyn peake

[kestarren]

Illustration by Alan Lee for Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast books. In Alan Lee's book Castles.

[enchantedbook]

From Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, illustrated by Mervyn Peake, 1946.

[bannedfrombookclub]

Some Gormenghast insights for Locked Tomb fans.

I feel like the fan base is very aware of the influence and references to Homestuck, the Illiad, and the Bible but another contributing text is Mervyns Peake's Gormenghast trilogy.

My sources:

"I was really aiming for with the book was an irreverent tone to balance out the horror aspect and some of the heavier, more Gormenghastian stylings."

"I’m never sure how to sum it up in a snappy way — it’s been called ‘dark science fantasy’, but I think of it as being basically Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast meets Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, only with swordfights." [Link]

Now, the Gormenghast books (Titus Groan, Gormenghast, and Titus Alone) are dense weird bricks. They have been influential to a number of fantasy writers including George RR Martin, China Mielville, and some say Terry Pratchett.

The first book, Titus Groan, predates the LOTR trilogy, and is considered a kind of grotesque fantasy of manners. It is a long fever dream of a read, very character focused, ponderous, and full of extended descriptions of architecture (can we perhaps see some Gideon the Ninth similarities already?)

The clearest parallels are in the initial Drearburgh setting, but also Canaan House; a labrythian, isolated, inward place ruled by endless rituals. This is very like the insular castle Gormenghast. Strong decrepit, Gothic overtones.

Like Drearburgh, the ruling family of Gormenghast are a dwindling line, with their final heir a young person with the weight of generations upon them. Both revered and abused.

The heir is assisted/imprisoned by a devoutly faithful servant (Crux/Flay) both characters are ancient, decrepet hulks with clicky knees. The way Crux speaks also reminds me of Ballantine, Gormenghast's master of ceremonies. I can definately see shades of Flay and Titus in Crux and Harrowhark.

There are a couple of dreadful old aunts.

There is an outcast foundling child whose rebellion facinates and inspires the trapped heir.

Duty and tradition are revered, but they also shackle the characters.

There's whole communities of characters festering in their own insular worlds, divorced from everyday normality and totally unaware of how strange their lives and obsessions are.

The story slowly pulls out focus, gradually revealing how weird and isolated Drearbrugh/Gormenghast is compared with the real world, how perverse their obsessive way of life is.

Other influences I can see is the lack of exposition, characters are put in a scene and live their lives, have their weird conversations, readers watch their actions play out and we bloody figure out the rest.

Anyway if you're looking for something to do during in the Alectopause, these books will definately fill your time and I found them weirdly compelling. Maybe there's some clues about the themes and potential endings.

[elvisomar]

Steerpike and the Twins Drinking a Toast to the Burning of the Library (1973) by Charles W. Stewart for an unpublished edition of Gormenghast, volume two of Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast Trilogy.

[tyger-land]

𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐝, 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞,

𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐥𝐝;

𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐲,

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞-𝐢𝐧-𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐞

𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐧'𝐬 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐝.

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (l. 190-194); 1798, by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Artwork, 1943, by Mervyn Peake.

[augmentedchordsofficial]

all of these poems give the same vibe ngl

From top to bottom: “Kinder Than Man” by Althea Davis, “The Two-Headed Calf” by Laura Gilpin, part of the Minecraft End Poem by Julian Gough, “Dead Rat” by Mervyn Peake, and “First Dog In Space” by Brennig Davies

[the-hearth-and-the-wild]

P.J. Lynch, Illustration for Mervyn Peake's novella, Boy in Darkness

[missgreezy]

The Flood, 1974 by Charles W. Stewart