Gormenghast

You approach the second novel in the Gormenghast series as a journeyman or a veteran, thanks to your tour of duty during which you read the first. As a result you are ready to digest the richness of Peake's language, and to savour the growing power and clarity of his themes, characters and story. NOW we know what Gormenghast is all about!

Consistent with Peaks's unique and complex style, the book titled "Gormenghast" is much more about the character Titus Groan than the preceding novel which carries his name. In that first book Titus was a baby with no agency, but the second in the series begins with Titus as a seven year old schoolboy. A key part of the story is his growing independence and rebellion against the strictures placed on him by virtue, or more appropriately by the CURSE of his noble birth.

Gormenghast is a society where conformity to ritual and tradition is paramount. It is a crumbling, ancient, decaying world, so you might not immediately think of the wealth and glamour of the British monarchy. But Peake's fantasy world seems to be inspired by the meaningless imprisonment of the class system headed by the house of Windsor. Occasionally in their real-world castles you see the captives in their gilded cages show the signs of distress seen in animals tortured in the cruelest of zoos. Our caged royals never seem to make their escape, and for Titus the chains binding him are also powerful.

One again the psychotic Steerpike is on hand to inject himself into this ancient system of tradition, and to use it to bring glory unto himself. We also get to meet the mouldy edifices of education, romance and marriage in Gormenghast, where the participants are locked in their own moribund traditions and roles which the stone walls around them seemingly enforce.

For a few moments we see some of the characters come up for air and gulp in a few sweet breaths of freedom, which the stagnant of waters of their castle home deny them. Titus' sister Fuchsia in particular, takes her brother's hand and guides him, for a while at least, to the light and air of the surface.

It has been a pleasure to discover the source material which has inspired some of my other favourite books. Michael Moorcock in particular, who knew Mervyn Peake, pays tribute to the older writer in wonderful ways. More recently Susanna Clarke seems to have been a Peake fan. And the great China Mieville writes a splendid introduction to the edition I have.

In my review of the first book I talked about the comparison to Tolkien. In "Gormenghast" it has far less meaning. The intensely personal, detailed interior life of Peake's characters is a world away from Tolkien's huge world-scale battles. The other difference I am enjoying is Peake's fundamental anti-establishment position, a stark contrast to the stuffy lexicographer Tolkien who was buddies with theological bore CS Lewis.

Also noteworthy is the tragedy of Peake's degenerative neurological condition which meant he was barely able to finish the third novel in the Gormenghast series, and never wrote others that he had planned. But he did finish book 3, and I now look forward to enjoying this final installment.