Peake

Dean,

Hi. Nice to meet you.

As far as the position of Peake in the general literary spectrum, you will get useful information from the article by Mike Moorcock on my site - better still download the ZIPped version, which is unabridged. As far as the spectrum of fantasy novels, it is difficult to place Peake, because he is unique. The Gormenghast novels are not Gothic, and they are not the kind of donnish fantasy represented by the Tolkein books. Stylistically they belong to the general literary mainstream, a style which has its roots in the diverse but fertile soils of both Dickens and Dylan Thomas.

The characters of the novel are extremely grotesque - so much so that the characters in the TV adaptation, being played by human beings, were of necessity toned down a great deal. Yet Peake manages to make them come alive, so that we understand and sympathise with their concerns, which are basically the concerns of all of us, but writ large.

I think one of the most striking things about the Gormenghast books is that they portray a world unlike our own, but this world is described by a writer with enormous verbal facility, and also the eye of a painter. The world of Gormenghast is so real that many people become involved with the books to an extent that doesn’t happen with other writers. I remember the first time I read the books, I was reading Gormenghast on a tube train when I encountered the death of one of the main characters. I made a horrified noise which caused some interest in my fellow passengers!

I think the best place to start is with Titus Groan, the first book of the Gormenghast trilogy. You might find you need a few chapters to become accustomed to the style. If you are still slightly puzzled by the time you meet Fuchsia, then you probably won't really connect with the books. If you find you are living in a whole new world and are desperately concerned about the people living there, then you will be one of the many people enchanted by the power of these books.