History Literature / Gormenghast

Although often called the "Gormenghast Trilogy", it is important to note this is a publisher's and critic's convention and not intended by the author. Only the first two novels constitute a single two-part story, He intended ''Titus Groan'' to be the central hook of the series and not Castle Gormenghast as it has come to be understood by critics. Sadly Peake's rapidly-evolving Parkinson disease prevented this goal from being realized; the fourth novel would have been entitled ''Titus Awakes'', the first few pages of which Peake wrote while he was still physically capable of doing so, along with a list of events which would have taken place in the following volumes. The fragment was made into the basis of a book by Peake's widow and published in June 2011, but it only contains a few pages of Peake's actual writing.

# ''Titus Groan'' (1946) -- The first novel introduces the Gormenghast castle, environs, and the plots concern the changes brought in the staid world of the court of the Earl of Groan with the birth of Titus Groan, and the arrival of Steerpike. Steerpike starts as an underling to Chef Abiatha Swelter but after getting lost in the castle, embarks on a picaresque adventures that raise his profile.

* {{Foil}}: Steerpike serves as one to Titus. In many respects they're NotSoDifferent; both are rebelling against the established order, but they go about it in very different ways.

%% ** Steerpike's actions, in a CrazyAwesome BatmanGambit. Please add context before un-commenting

Although often called the "Gormenghast Trilogy", it is important to note this is a publisher's and critic's convention and not intended by the author. Only the first two novels constitute a single two-part story, He intended ''Titus Groan'' to be the central hook of the series and not Castle Gormenghast as it has come to be understood by critics. Sadly Peake's rapidly-evolving Parkinson disease prevented this goal from being realized; the fourth novel would have been entitled ''Titus Awakes'', the first few pages of which Peake wrote while he was still physically capable of doing so, along with a list of events which would have taken place in the following volumes. The fragment was made into the basis of a book by Peake's daughter and published in June 2011, but it only contains a few pages of Peake's actual writing.

* DeadlyDecadentCourt: Probably the only thing that stops more people in Gormenghast from killing each other is the stultifying tradition. It's deadly for the ''soul''.

* RedEyesTakeWarning: Steerpike's eyes are red in colour, contributing to his ambiguous status as an EvilAlbino.

* EvilAlbino: Steerpike is described in terms reminiscent of albinism - pale skin, red eyes - but it is not clear that he is actually an albino (his vision appears to be unimpaired, for example).

* PurpleEyes: Titus's unusually coloured eyes are remarked upon even on the day of his birth.

In 2000, the BBC adapted the work for television as a project explicitly for the new millennium, focusing on the first two books involving Steerpike. Brian Sibley adapted the books for BBC [[{{Radio}} Radio]] on two occasions. ' He initially adapted the first two books as separate plays. ''The History of Titus Groan'', adapting the entire trilogy.

-> ''"Home is a room dappled with firelight: there are pictures and books. And when the rain sighs, and the acorns fall, there are patterns of leaves against the drawn curtains. Home is where I was safe. Home is what I fled from."''
-->-- '''Carrow''', ''Titus Alone''

The ''Gormenghast trilogy'' by Mervyn Peake are three fantasy novels which take place in a ConstructedWorld notable for eschewing the supernatural and the menagerie of beings associated with Creator/LewisCarroll and Creator/JRRTolkien. The novels revolve around a series of [[DysfunctionJunction grotesque and idiosyncratic characters]] who live inside a [[CityInABottle huge castle with surrounding huts]] which appears to be cut off from the rest of the world.

# "Boy in Darkness" (1956) -- An [[{{Interquel}} novella set between the first two books but does not directly reference them. Here "a boy" (Titus, presumably) escapes the castle and wishes he hadn't.
# ''Titus Alone'' (1959) -- The third and shortest novel departs dramatically from the first two. Saying more would constitute a spoiler.

It is important to note that Mervyn Peake intended the series to be a sequence of books, and ''not'' a trilogy. He died before he could write subsequent novels.

The name is often called the "Gormenghast Trilogy" but this is a publisher's and critic's convention and not intended by the author. Only the first two novels constitute a single two-part story, He intended ''Titus Groan'' to be the central hook of the series and not Castle Gormenghast as it has come to be understood by critics. Sadly Peake's rapidly-evolving Parkinson disease prevented this goal from being realized; the fourth novel would have been entitled ''Titus Awakes'', the first few pages of which Peake wrote while he was still physically capable of doing so, along with a list of events which would have taken place in the following volumes. The fragment was made into the basis of a book by Peake's daughter and published in June 2011, but it only contains a few pages of Peake's actual writing.

* TheSociopath: As Steerpike frequently observes, part of his manipulation of people involves having to fake such things as empathy, love, basically any human quality beyond personal ambition. Everyone he meets is just a tool he wants to learn how to use to his benefit.

* TwoPartTrilogy: As noted by Michael Moorcock, Peake saw the series as a Saga more than a single long story. ''Titus Groan'' and ''Gormenghast'' is largely a single extended story with a complete beginning-middle-and-end, a common cast of regulars and single setting. ''Titus Alone'' was intended by Peake to start a new story in the saga and is essentially a separate tale, while ''Boy in Darkness'' is similar in style and scope but not really fitting into the series canonically.
* UpperClassTwit: Almost every character except Steerpike and Swelter, who aren't upper class. Gormenghast was written as a parody of English society.

''Gormenghast'' is the name of a series of stories by Mervyn Peake. They are fantasy novels which take place in a ConstructedWorld but is notable for eschewing the supernatural and the menagerie of beings associated with Creator/LewisCarroll and Creator/JRRTolkien. The novels revolve around a series of [[DysfunctionJunction grotesque and idiosyncratic characters]] who live inside a [[CityInABottle huge castle with surrounding huts]] which appears to be cut off from the rest of the world.

The three books concern Titus Groan, the 77th Earl of Groan. He dreads the long life before him, a life of ruling a single building, never leaving the moth-eaten, rusted-shut, claustrophobic, crumbling halls of pointless, decaying ritual. The castle/city's other inhabitants include the MagnificentBastard NietzscheWannabe terrorist Steerpike, Titus's sister [[BrokenBird Fuchsia]], the good Dr Prunesquallor, [[EvilChef chef Abiatha Swelter]], Titus's gloomy father [[MeaningfulName Sepulchrave]], and Titus's mother Gertrude, the original CrazyCatLady.

# ''Gormenghast'' (1950) -- The second novel more or less continues where ''Titus Groan'' leaves off, showing the Earl as a Young Man bored with the life of the castle, his school lessons and fascinated with an androgynous creature who lives in the wild. Steerpike likewise, continues his ascent and lust for power in parallel to Titus.
# ''Boy in Darkness'' (1956) -- A novella that is generally considered to [[{{Interquel}} take place sometime before the second book]], set in the same world but is more or less a standalone with no references to the events and characters of the series. It concerns a boy (Young Titus presumably) wandering of the grounds where he encounters malevolent men, and then tries to escape their clutches.
# ''Titus Alone'' (1959) -- The third novel radically departs from the setting and situations of the previous books, and features Titus visiting a modern city with automobiles, factories, and other amenities. An entirely new set of characters, chiefly Muzzlehatch, Cheetah and Juno, as well as the denizens of the Under River form the focus of the bulk of what is the shortest of three published books.

It is important to note that Mervyn Peake intended the series to be a sequence of books, and ''not'' a trilogy. It is often called the "Gormenghast Trilogy" but this is a publisher's and critic's convention and not intended by the author. Only the first two novels constitute a single two-part story, and Peake intended the later series to be standalone. He also intended Titus Groan to be the central hook of the series and not Castle Gormenghast as it has come to be understood by critics. Sadly Peake's rapidly-evolving Parkinson disease prevented this goal from being realized; the fourth novel would have been entitled ''Titus Awakes'', the first few pages of which Peake wrote while he was still physically capable of doing so, along with a list of events which would have taken place in the following volumes. The fragment was turned into a book by Peake's daughter and published in June 2011, but it only contains a few pages of Peake's actual writing.

In 2000, the BBC adapted the work for the small screen as a project explicitly for the new millennium, focusing on the first two books involving Steerpike. Brian Sibley adapted the books for BBC [[{{Radio}} radio]] ''twice'' - the first time also adapting the first two books as separate plays, the second as a series, ''The History of Titus Groan'', adapting the entire trilogy.

* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Both played straight ''and'' inverted with Steerpike in the TV series. The books (and Peake's own illustrations) depict Steerpike as skinny and very creepy-looking, whereas in the series, he looks perfectly handsome and debonair. On the other hand, after [[spoiler:being badly burnt while murdering Barquentine, the series has him looking hideous, while the books describe his facial scarring as giving him a striking appearance that Fuchsia even seems to find attractive.]]
* AdaptationalHeroism: To a certain extent in the 2000 miniseries. While Steerpike's actions are still evil and are not glossed over, they're partly motivated by his love for and desire to attain Fuchsia; in the books he cared nothing for her and was only using her for his own ends.
* AmbiguouslyGay: Prunesquallor:
** His vocal disgust with Steerpike's naked chest (demonstrated on ''two'' separate occasions!) is a little ''too much'' protest. Also, in TheSeries, he is played by StraightGay actor John Sessions...
** Relatively early on in TheSeries, Steerpike flirts with him, presumably to gain an advantage in the arm of his schemes that he needs Prunesquallor for; Prunesquallor responds by calling him a clever little monster, but ends up complying with Steerpike anyway; the implication is more that the flirting wasn't an attempt at seduction as much as a threat that Steerpike could out him.

* CrapsackWorld: Gormenghast. In quite an original way - full of pointless rituals that must never be broken or ignored, at the expense of everybody's sanity and lives.

* CreepyTwins: Cora and Clarice. Although "grotesque" twins would be more accurate.
* CringeComedy: The way the characters behave in the books qualifies as this, though this is played UpToEleven in the television miniseries.

* FauxAffablyEvil: Steerpike can be charming and witty in a twisted way, notably to Fuchsia -- but it's all manipulation.

* PuttingOnTheReich: In the 2000 mini series, once Steerpike takes over, the Master Secretary's office suddenly boasts 1930s file cabinets, type writers and electric lamps, signifying Steerpike's evil influence.

%% ** Steerpike's actions, in a crazy-awesome BatmanGambit. Please add context before un-commenting

* AffablyEvil: Steerpike can be charming and witty in a twisted way, notably to Fuchsia -- but it's all manipulation.

%% ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.

* ArtifactTitle: Peake never quite conceived the series in terms of a trilogy or franchise, but it's generally called the Gormenghast series, and Gormenghast is the setting of the first two books alone, while the third one doesn't take place in Gormenghast at all.

* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Both played straight ''and'' inverted with Steerpike in the TV series. The books (and Peake's own illustrations) depict Steerpike as skinny and very creepy-looking, whereas the in the series, he looks perfectly handsome and debonair. On the other hand, after [[spoiler:being badly burnt while murdering Barquentine, the series has him looking hideous, while the books describe his facial scarring as giving him a striking appearance that Fuchsia even seems to find attractive.]]

The three books concern Titus Groan, the 77th Earl of Groan. He dreads the long life before him, a life of ruling a single building, never leaving the moth-eaten, rusted-shut, claustrophobic, crumbling halls of pointless, decaying ritual. The castle/city's other inhabitants include the MagnificentBastard NietzscheWannabe {{Antihero}} (or AntiVillain) terrorist Steerpike, Titus's sister [[BrokenBird Fuchsia]], the good Dr Prunesquallor, [[EvilChef chef Abiatha Swelter]], Titus's gloomy father [[MeaningfulName Sepulchrave]], and Titus's mother Gertrude, the original CrazyCatLady.

''Gormenghast'' is the name of a series of stories by Mervyn Peake. They are fantasy novels which take place in a ConstructedWorld but is notable for eschewing the supernatural and the menagerie of beings associated with Creator/LewisCarroll and Creator/JRRTolkien. The novels are set on a series of [[DysfunctionJunction grotesque and idiosyncratic characters]] who live inside a [[CityInABottle huge castle with surrounding huts]] which appears to be cut off from the rest of the world.

''Gormenghast'' is the name of a series of stories by Mervyn Peake. They are fantasy novels which take place in a ConstructedWorld but is notably for eschewing the supernatural and the menagerie of beings associated with Creator/LewisCarroll and Creator/JRRTolkien. The novels are set on a series of [[DysfunctionJunction grotesque and idiosyncratic characters]] who live inside a [[CityInABottle huge castle with surrounding huts]] which appears to be cut off from the rest of the world.

Stories published in the series, in chronological order:

## ''Titus Groan'' (1946) -- The first novel introduces the Gormenghast castle, environs, and the plots concern the changes brought in the staid world of the court of the Earl of Groan with the birth of Titus Groan, and the arrival of Steerpike. Steerpike starts as an underling to Chef Abiatha Swelter but after getting lost in the castle, embarks on a picaresque adventures that raise his profile.
## ''Gormenghast'' (1950) -- The second novel more or less continues where ''Titus Groan'' leaves off, showing the Earl as a Young Man bored with the life of the castle, his school lessons and fascinated with an androgynous creature who lives in the wild. Steerpike likewise, continues his ascent and lust for power in parallel to Titus.
## ''Boy in Darkness'' (1956) -- A novella that is generally considered to [[{{Interquel}} takes place sometime before the second book]], set in the same world but is more or less a standalone with no references to the events and characters of the series. It concerns a boy (Young Titus presumably) wandering of the grounds where he encounters malevolent men, and then tries to escape their clutches.
## ''Titus Alone'' (1959) -- The third novel radically departs from the setting and situations of the previous books, and features Titus visiting a modern city with automobiles, factories, and other amenities. An entirely new set of characters, chiefly Muzzlehatch, Cheetah and Juno, as well as the denizens of the Under River form the focus of the bulk of what is the shortest of three published books.

A series by Mervyn Peake made of the novels ''Titus Groan'', ''Gormenghast'', and ''Titus Alone'' and the lesser-known novella "Boy In Darkness", which [[{{Interquel}} takes place sometime before the second book]]. They are fantasy and take place in an [[TheVerse imaginary world]] but do not have any elves, dragons, magic, or PatchworkMap. They focus on [[DysfunctionJunction a group of weird and horrible people]] who live inside a [[CityInABottle huge castle with an apparently self-sustaining structure and no contact with the outside world other than a few villages, some lakes, and a mountain]].

Titus Groan, the 77th Earl of Groan, is the ruler of Gormenghast, the eponymous castle. He dreads the long life before him, a life of ruling a single building, never leaving the moth-eaten, rusted-shut, claustrophobic, crumbling halls of pointless, decaying ritual. The castle/city's other inhabitants include the MagnificentBastard NietzscheWannabe {{Antihero}} (or AntiVillain) terrorist Steerpike, Titus's sister [[BrokenBird Fuchsia]], the good Dr Prunesquallor, [[EvilChef chef Abiatha Swelter]], Titus's gloomy father [[MeaningfulName Sepulchrave]], and Titus's mother Gertrude, the original CrazyCatLady.

The novels are ''very'' gloomy, disguising their actually fairly left-handed place on the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism. They have been described variously as [[ThisIsYourPremiseOnDrugs Shakespeare on acid]], an Edward Gorey drawing that goes on for a thousand pages, Kafka mainlining Yorkshire pudding and opium, and a DarkerAndEdgier Dickens. They are also cluttered and sprawling in a way that few major authors have managed to get away with before or since. The physical clutter of Gormenghast's sprawling castle and spiritual clutter of pointless custom and ritual are all lovingly described, sometimes at great length. In addition, there are [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment whole passages where Peake departs from the plot(s)]] to stage dialogues and visit places and characters that are not even vaguely tied to the story and are never referred to again. Think ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' needed some ruthless editing? ''Gormenghast'' will have you reaching for the shears.

The series should have been the first three in a series which should have followed the protagonist's entire life; sadly Peake's rapidly-evolving Parkinson disease prevented this goal from being realized; the fourth novel would have been entitled ''Titus Awakes'', the first few pages of which Peake wrote while he was still physically capable of doing so, along with a list of events which would have taken place in the following volumes. The fragment was turned into a book by Peake's daughter and published in June 2011, but it only contains a few pages of Peake's actual writing.

Creator/MichaelMoorcock is a great admirer of ''Gormenghast'', which he judges a masterpiece of fantasy and has praised vocally in several instances.

In 2000, the BBC adapted the work for the small screen as a project explicitly for the new millennium, focusing on the first two books involving Steerpike. Peake purists criticized it for being LighterAndSofter than the books.

Brian Sibley adapted the books for BBC [[{{Radio}} radio]] ''twice'' - the first time also adapting the first two books as separate plays, the second as a series, ''The History of Titus Groan'', adapting the entire trilogy.