The Great Gormenghast Read discussion

Titus Alone is striking in its contrast to the previous two books, as anyone who has started it has found out. It's pace is driving compared to the ponderous and methodical pace of Gormenghast, its chapter's short. People and place flash by in a quick moment, where before we had a chance to familiarize ourselves with every nook, cranny, and eyebrow.

In his personal life, Peake was quickly spiraling out of control both mentally and physically; he was literally losing his mind. Does this book reflect his drastic deviation from reality, or is there more going on here? Is this book instead a more logical continuation of Titus's journey beyond the dream-like and enclosing arms of Gormenghast?

How much of this book "makes sense" to you, and how much of this book is simply craziness?

The first time I read it, it made very little sense: a rapid but rambling plot, with echoes of fifties sci-fi, Oscar Wilde, Dickens and lots more. Subsequently, it has retained its strangeness, and I can't really "explain" it, and yet it does seem more meaningful. However, I don't want to give too much away plotwise, yet.

I think it's intriguing, but for me, there are far too many radial arms of the spiderweb, and far too few connectors. It's got a lot of almost-thereness, but also a lot of 'what was that about?'

For me, it's chaotic and all over the place, but yet, the writing style still has moments of Peake brilliance... If I focus on the writing, more than the plot, I like it a lot more...I'm about halfway through...

midnightfaerie wrote: "For me, it's chaotic and all over the place, but yet, the writing style still has moments of Peake brilliance... If I focus on the writing, more than the plot, I like it a lot more..."

I guess that's what I do, although I hadn't quite realised it. Even so, there's not as much rich language as earlier works, but still far more than most writers manange.

Now that I've finished it, I do think that the whole series is a lot more systematic then I first thought, and I'm not so sure he wasn't more lucid than we first thought when writing Titus Alone.