Search This Blog

Monday, December 16, 2013

Gornenghast trilogy by Mervyn Peake

Gormenhast trilogy -- what do you think?  If you like it, why?

Here are other people's assessments:




















***

I've only read the first quarter of the first book, but it's slow slogging.  Current assessment:

The Good

  • Characterization:  Quick and deft as Dickens--you get a vivid sense of them
  • Writing: Sometimes juicy and inspired
  • Setting:  Unusual, labyrinthine, byzantine


The Difficult 

  • Characters: hate each other (or soon will), little development (perhaps that's the point--seems a critique on classed society)
  • Plot:  The characters are going nowhere very slowly
  • Writing:  Sometimes dry and academic

I'll keep at it to see for myself if it's worth the effort.  If you're a Peake fan or not, I'd be interested in your opinion.

No comments:

Post a Comment