Enjoyed this so much - such an insightful commentary Colin!
Even though I’m still finishing off re-reading Titus Groan I had to race straight over to check this out, because given the passage of time and changing attitudes, and knowing I’m approaching the books with (I assume/hope!) greater awareness than I would’ve on my first read decades ago, this is the area I’ve been worrying about the most. Would Peake’s narrative stand the test of time, or would his writing now appear horribly inappropriate and dated?
As I knew Peake’s writing came from a place of personal experience I’ve been hopeful this area would’ve been treated with empathy and understanding, but It’s a real relief to read your feedback and know I don’t have deep disappointment lying ahead in a work I’ve loved my whole life.
I read somewhere that Peake had a nervous breakdown after the war and then visiting Bergen-Belsen as a war artist, and it was after this experience that his mental-health issues began - something I wasn’t aware of during my previous readings. On this reading I found myself wondering if Lord Sepulchrave was to some degree an avatar for either Peake, or for some of the people he would’ve known during this period. The lurid visual of the fire and someone having the thing they love most, their connection to stability, reason and rational thought ripped away from them so violently, felt to me like Peake must’ve been deeply influenced by the wartime atrocities he was witness to.
And picking up on the astute points you’ve made about Steerpike and his inner monologue - another detail I read somewhere was from his son. He said he believed Steerpike was influenced by aspects of a specific Nazi who had been sentenced to death by the war crimes tribunal. Apparently Peake met the condemned man in his cell hours before the execution, which had a massive impact on Peake. Apparently Peake’s sketches of the man are remarkably similar to his sketches of Steerpike.
And this seems appropriate in relation to your thoughtful assessment - because I so agree about how lovely it would be to believe Steerpike’s choices are motivated by anarchistic, anti-establishment sensibilities, but as I read he most often reminds me of many of our populist politicians - and the pathocracies we’re seeing emerge in our governments today with ever greater frequency.
I’m still gathering my thoughts on Cora and Clarice. A lot to think about there.
I also found an absolutely amazing YouTube video on Peake’s art and bg which I thought might be of interest to anyone wanting to discover more about him: https://youtu.be/QE8M_dSLzh0?si=8A29IzXnN-ScM-JI
Thank you Selina, for this beautifully phrased and considered comment. I genuinely had to process it a little before formulating a response. I was only thinking that the entire series is beautifully unproblematic, unlike many fantasy or other genre titles of that era. Peake's wartime experiences most certainly contributed to his perception of good and evil. I wasn't aware of the story you mention here, however. That is fascinating. I will have to explore that one further.
Many additional thanks for providing the link to the YouTube video, as this is also something I wasn't aware of and am very eager to explore.
And I’ll bet there’s more to learn again on this aspect of the history than the bit I’ve heard. It’s interesting isn’t it because so often I’ve heard people say Peake wrote something that was outside of time or reality etc, and yet in some ways I feel it has very contemporary concerns - which i guess plays a part in the work avoiding the problematic elements found in many other works of that era.
Excellent, Colin. You raise many central themes here that run parallel to what I've been thinking as I reread the books.
The sense of Gormenghast as long past its prime, as a place, a polity, and an idea, certainly pervades the book, and puts me in mind of Taoist criticism of Confucians that said "Ritual is the dry husk of faith." By the time we encounter Gormenghast, ritual is the only thing holding the place together: there is no real faith and feeling left, which is perhaps why mental breakdown is so constant (on the books' own terms; Peake's own problems certainly contributed). Each crisis features a breakdown in ritual, at times is even presaged in ritual: most obviously, Titus' Earling, with his dropping the ritual objects into the lake, foretells his own role in breaking lines of descent. (And this reminds me of the climax of the Gempei Wars in Japan that resulted in the founding of the first Shogunate: the imperial heir, a child, is drowned at sea (the Inland Sea) after the battle of Dannoura, losing the imperial sword (one of three ritual symbols of imperial rule) into the sea. Warrior rule followed.) But the dry husk is itself a prison: the characters are all trapped to some degree in the rituals of the place and when ritual breaks down, freedom emerges. Think of Flay in his initial exile discovering the beauty of his caves and woods in the absence of his daily duties in the Castle. The problem is, without ritual, there's nothing, and nothingness gives no markers by which to orient oneself. Which is a pretty clear path to madness. Too much freedom.
This may be why Steerpike has a certain ambiguity to him. The appeal of freedom lurks in his apparent anarchism. But he would substitute for ritual his own will, with no gain of freedom for anyone else.
Speaking of Taoism, the symbolic (and real) role of water in washing away aspects of Gormenghast, cleansing it perhaps, with the great flood but again foreshadowed in the rain-soaked day of Titus' Earling (and hinted at in the downpour that created the "inland sea" where Swelter met his end, and that washed away any evidence that his and Sepulchrave's disappearance into the Tower of Flints might have left)... well, water is the supreme Taoist image of the power of the humble, always seeking the lowest point, giving way before brute force, but always returning and capable of eroding away the most obdurate rocks of real stone or institutional "permanence". There's a Taoist reading of the books there for the taking, I think.
A final plaintive note: I'm engrossed in the experience of rereading the books, but cannot force myself to rush through them, and so am WAAAY behind our supposed schedule. Need another month of reading and discussion at a proper Gormenghastly pace. Partly into the second book -- the third is still barely a distant rock on the horizon. And I owe a book review of Michael Mann's On Wars (over 900 pages), so I've got other reading duties as well! Whine whine, sorry, but I'm enjoying the ride with y'all, so I'm hoping it doesn't end too soon.
The historical associations which you raise here are all so valid Stephen. Thank you so much for taking the time to compose and formalize your ideas like this. "Ritual is the dry husk of faith." is such a magnificent quote.
The metaphoric 'cleansing' of Gormenghast was something which I hadn't considered, but it makes so much sense now. A very astute observation. Additionally, what you say about each fractured ritual accumulating in a sense of active deconstruction is fascinating. I love these kinds of insights and really appreciate you taking the time to share them here.
Regarding pacing, you're doing exactly the right thing. Enjoy it. Savor it. Live it.
Thank you so much for this insightful break down of the castle’s ritual Stephen! Youve given me loads to think about. And if it helps - you’re ahead of me - I agree about keeping a Gormenghastly pace! 😆
This is brilliantly written, Colin! Thank you. I had not known of the author’s unfortunate mental condition. Oddly, I suppose, it makes this literary work even more impactful. This literary work is such an outstanding legacy and a testament to his true genius despite such challenging circumstances.
Thank you so much for reading it Christina. It does appear that Gormenghast is a work of great understanding and empathy when it comes to mental struggles and that makes it all the more admirable. It's been such an impactful experience reading it with you all. Thanks for being a part of that journey
Colin (and others interested in a tangent) -- Just viewed your TikTok on China Mieville's Bas Lag trilogy (which is certainly its own sort of Gothic, especially Period Street Station). (I'm not on TikTok, my wife is, thus the comment here.) Totally agree that they are brilliant, and agree that The Scar is the best of the three, though PSS is the most Gothic -- it took me a long time to get through it because the slake moths were so terrifying that I couldn't read it before going to bed! I've read all of Mieville's books (The City and the City is probably my favorite), including the published version of his PhD dissertation, _Between Equal Rights_, which is a Marxist analysis of international law. One of the densest books I've ever read (and I'm an academic historian!) -- "gothic" in its own way! 😄 If I had another half a year with nothing else I had to read or write, I'd suggest a Gothic Book Club session on Mieville.
I won't say more for fear of spoilers, but I join your recommendation.
Enjoyed this so much - such an insightful commentary Colin!
Even though I’m still finishing off re-reading Titus Groan I had to race straight over to check this out, because given the passage of time and changing attitudes, and knowing I’m approaching the books with (I assume/hope!) greater awareness than I would’ve on my first read decades ago, this is the area I’ve been worrying about the most. Would Peake’s narrative stand the test of time, or would his writing now appear horribly inappropriate and dated?
As I knew Peake’s writing came from a place of personal experience I’ve been hopeful this area would’ve been treated with empathy and understanding, but It’s a real relief to read your feedback and know I don’t have deep disappointment lying ahead in a work I’ve loved my whole life.
I read somewhere that Peake had a nervous breakdown after the war and then visiting Bergen-Belsen as a war artist, and it was after this experience that his mental-health issues began - something I wasn’t aware of during my previous readings. On this reading I found myself wondering if Lord Sepulchrave was to some degree an avatar for either Peake, or for some of the people he would’ve known during this period. The lurid visual of the fire and someone having the thing they love most, their connection to stability, reason and rational thought ripped away from them so violently, felt to me like Peake must’ve been deeply influenced by the wartime atrocities he was witness to.
And picking up on the astute points you’ve made about Steerpike and his inner monologue - another detail I read somewhere was from his son. He said he believed Steerpike was influenced by aspects of a specific Nazi who had been sentenced to death by the war crimes tribunal. Apparently Peake met the condemned man in his cell hours before the execution, which had a massive impact on Peake. Apparently Peake’s sketches of the man are remarkably similar to his sketches of Steerpike.
And this seems appropriate in relation to your thoughtful assessment - because I so agree about how lovely it would be to believe Steerpike’s choices are motivated by anarchistic, anti-establishment sensibilities, but as I read he most often reminds me of many of our populist politicians - and the pathocracies we’re seeing emerge in our governments today with ever greater frequency.
I’m still gathering my thoughts on Cora and Clarice. A lot to think about there.
I also found an absolutely amazing YouTube video on Peake’s art and bg which I thought might be of interest to anyone wanting to discover more about him: https://youtu.be/QE8M_dSLzh0?si=8A29IzXnN-ScM-JI
Thank you Selina, for this beautifully phrased and considered comment. I genuinely had to process it a little before formulating a response. I was only thinking that the entire series is beautifully unproblematic, unlike many fantasy or other genre titles of that era. Peake's wartime experiences most certainly contributed to his perception of good and evil. I wasn't aware of the story you mention here, however. That is fascinating. I will have to explore that one further.
Many additional thanks for providing the link to the YouTube video, as this is also something I wasn't aware of and am very eager to explore.
And I’ll bet there’s more to learn again on this aspect of the history than the bit I’ve heard. It’s interesting isn’t it because so often I’ve heard people say Peake wrote something that was outside of time or reality etc, and yet in some ways I feel it has very contemporary concerns - which i guess plays a part in the work avoiding the problematic elements found in many other works of that era.
Excellent, Colin. You raise many central themes here that run parallel to what I've been thinking as I reread the books.
The sense of Gormenghast as long past its prime, as a place, a polity, and an idea, certainly pervades the book, and puts me in mind of Taoist criticism of Confucians that said "Ritual is the dry husk of faith." By the time we encounter Gormenghast, ritual is the only thing holding the place together: there is no real faith and feeling left, which is perhaps why mental breakdown is so constant (on the books' own terms; Peake's own problems certainly contributed). Each crisis features a breakdown in ritual, at times is even presaged in ritual: most obviously, Titus' Earling, with his dropping the ritual objects into the lake, foretells his own role in breaking lines of descent. (And this reminds me of the climax of the Gempei Wars in Japan that resulted in the founding of the first Shogunate: the imperial heir, a child, is drowned at sea (the Inland Sea) after the battle of Dannoura, losing the imperial sword (one of three ritual symbols of imperial rule) into the sea. Warrior rule followed.) But the dry husk is itself a prison: the characters are all trapped to some degree in the rituals of the place and when ritual breaks down, freedom emerges. Think of Flay in his initial exile discovering the beauty of his caves and woods in the absence of his daily duties in the Castle. The problem is, without ritual, there's nothing, and nothingness gives no markers by which to orient oneself. Which is a pretty clear path to madness. Too much freedom.
This may be why Steerpike has a certain ambiguity to him. The appeal of freedom lurks in his apparent anarchism. But he would substitute for ritual his own will, with no gain of freedom for anyone else.
Speaking of Taoism, the symbolic (and real) role of water in washing away aspects of Gormenghast, cleansing it perhaps, with the great flood but again foreshadowed in the rain-soaked day of Titus' Earling (and hinted at in the downpour that created the "inland sea" where Swelter met his end, and that washed away any evidence that his and Sepulchrave's disappearance into the Tower of Flints might have left)... well, water is the supreme Taoist image of the power of the humble, always seeking the lowest point, giving way before brute force, but always returning and capable of eroding away the most obdurate rocks of real stone or institutional "permanence". There's a Taoist reading of the books there for the taking, I think.
A final plaintive note: I'm engrossed in the experience of rereading the books, but cannot force myself to rush through them, and so am WAAAY behind our supposed schedule. Need another month of reading and discussion at a proper Gormenghastly pace. Partly into the second book -- the third is still barely a distant rock on the horizon. And I owe a book review of Michael Mann's On Wars (over 900 pages), so I've got other reading duties as well! Whine whine, sorry, but I'm enjoying the ride with y'all, so I'm hoping it doesn't end too soon.
Cheers!
The historical associations which you raise here are all so valid Stephen. Thank you so much for taking the time to compose and formalize your ideas like this. "Ritual is the dry husk of faith." is such a magnificent quote.
The metaphoric 'cleansing' of Gormenghast was something which I hadn't considered, but it makes so much sense now. A very astute observation. Additionally, what you say about each fractured ritual accumulating in a sense of active deconstruction is fascinating. I love these kinds of insights and really appreciate you taking the time to share them here.
Regarding pacing, you're doing exactly the right thing. Enjoy it. Savor it. Live it.
Thank you so much for this insightful break down of the castle’s ritual Stephen! Youve given me loads to think about. And if it helps - you’re ahead of me - I agree about keeping a Gormenghastly pace! 😆
This is brilliantly written, Colin! Thank you. I had not known of the author’s unfortunate mental condition. Oddly, I suppose, it makes this literary work even more impactful. This literary work is such an outstanding legacy and a testament to his true genius despite such challenging circumstances.
Thank you so much for reading it Christina. It does appear that Gormenghast is a work of great understanding and empathy when it comes to mental struggles and that makes it all the more admirable. It's been such an impactful experience reading it with you all. Thanks for being a part of that journey
Colin (and others interested in a tangent) -- Just viewed your TikTok on China Mieville's Bas Lag trilogy (which is certainly its own sort of Gothic, especially Period Street Station). (I'm not on TikTok, my wife is, thus the comment here.) Totally agree that they are brilliant, and agree that The Scar is the best of the three, though PSS is the most Gothic -- it took me a long time to get through it because the slake moths were so terrifying that I couldn't read it before going to bed! I've read all of Mieville's books (The City and the City is probably my favorite), including the published version of his PhD dissertation, _Between Equal Rights_, which is a Marxist analysis of international law. One of the densest books I've ever read (and I'm an academic historian!) -- "gothic" in its own way! 😄 If I had another half a year with nothing else I had to read or write, I'd suggest a Gothic Book Club session on Mieville.
I won't say more for fear of spoilers, but I join your recommendation.