The Great Gormenghast Read discussion
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Titus Groan
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Titus Groan - thoughts before group reading (spoiler free)
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Jonathan , Master of Ritual
(last edited Apr 18, 2013 02:55AM)
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Apr 18, 2013 01:18AM
This is for those who have not read Titus Groan to post questions and thoughts before the group read. Please keep everything spoiler free. I'll post up another topic for those who have already read the books to post in. Of course people who have read the books can answer any questions.
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The synopsis doesn't really give me a good idea about the book, it is giving me a good feel. But what is the story about? It is the epic-fantasy sort? (Because the titles and covers give me that idea.)
I've read the first book and I want to re-read and then read the others. It's not an epic fantasy but it is a fantasy in a sense. It's a story about power structures within an eerie magical castle location. I've been told that the other books help clarify the entire story better. It could be best described as a 'fantasy of words'.
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Cecily, Gormenghast Librarian
(last edited Apr 18, 2013 05:19AM)
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Fatin wrote: "The synopsis doesn't really give me a good idea about the book, it is giving me a good feel. But what is the story about? It is the epic-fantasy sort? (Because the titles and covers give me that idea.)"No synopsis can do justice to a unique book/collection of books.
Gormenghast is often classed as fantasy, but there is no real magic, though perhaps a dash of magic realism. It has an apparently medievalish setting - until you get to Titus Alone. It has aspects of gothic fiction, but also episodes of pure comedy. There are political shenanigans, peans to nature and much more.
For me, the immersive beauty of the language is the most outstanding feature. Gormenghast is a “porous shadow-land... not so much a darkness... as something starved for moonbeams.” And “There is nowhere else... you will only tread a circle... everything comes to Gormenghast.”
It's worth knowing that Peake was an artist as much as a writer, and before you read Titus Alone (which is very different to the previous two), it's worth knowing that he was suffering from Parkinson's Disease, depression/bipolar, and the treatment thereof.
sounds so intriguing! i can't wait! will try and order my books soon. i love how he said dickens and treasure island were some of his earlier influences! can't wait!
midnightfaerie wrote: "sounds so intriguing! i can't wait! will try and order my books soon. i love how he said dickens and treasure island were some of his earlier influences! can't wait!"Though Peake is most assuredly possessed of his own voice (more so than any other writer I know of), you can notice hints of his Dickension influence (luckily the things I actually like about Dickens). If you're a Dickens fan, you will really appreciate some of the names of the characters in the books. :)
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Cecily, Gormenghast Librarian
(last edited Apr 18, 2013 12:23PM)
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midnightfaerie wrote: "i love how he said dickens and treasure island were some of his earlier influences! can't wait!"He illustrated an edition of Treasure Island: http://www.amazon.co.uk/TREASURE-ISLA....
Cecily wrote: "He illustrated an edition of Treasure Island."And it's AMAZING!
These are all about 400-ish pages, correct?Want to make sure I get this slotted correctly.
Fatin wrote: "The synopsis doesn't really give me a good idea about the book, it is giving me a good feel. But what is the story about? It is the epic-fantasy sort? (Because the titles and covers give me that id..."It's hard to give a good idea of a synopsis of the plot. The book descriptions talk about the sprawling castle of Gormenghast, and its outlandish inhabitants. They also mention Titus Groan as being the young heir to the castle...
Honestly, the current book descriptions are about the extent of what I'm willing to summarize about the plot: Titus Groan, young heir to sprawling castle Gormenghast, which is inhabited by some wild characters. :)
Ryan wrote: "These are all about 400-ish pages, correct?Want to make sure I get this slotted correctly."
Titus Groan and Gormenghast are probably about 400 pages. Titus Alone is about half the size, and reads faster.
Give yourself a little more time than you might normally for a 400-page novel. You will want to give yourself the freedom to take your time, and go at your own pace with them.
message 12:
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Cecily, Gormenghast Librarian
(last edited Apr 18, 2013 01:06PM)
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Kyle wrote: "...Give yourself a little more time than you might normally for a 400-page novel. You will want to give yourself the freedom to take your time, and go at your own pace with them"I think that's very important, especially the first time. The text is dense and rich - in a profoundly beautiful way, but it's not something you can or should rush.
Kyle wrote: "It's hard to give a good idea of a synopsis of the plot..."
I would add something about the extraordinary rituals and the wealth of even more extraordinary characters (Titus was “suckled on shadows, weaned as it were on webs of ritual”), but although all sorts of things happen, it's not primarily about plot for me.
The timing works out well for me. Look forward to it!
Yasiru wrote: "The timing works out well for me. Look forward to it!"I had hoped that the timing would work out well with a busy schedule for a lot of people. A month is normally at least needed for the novels but giving two months then allows for interruptions and slower reading speeds! Of course there's nothing preventing slower readers beginning earlier and joining in with discussion later!
Good timing for me too! I should be able to get thru my reading list and read this too! Just ordered my copy off of amazon! woohoo!
This is a pretty meaty read from what I remember but I'm sure I can handle it now that I'm 10 years older and more mature. At least that's what I tell myself when I see my rapidly graying hair in the mirror.
Funny, I usually tell myself I'm getting more immature by the minute...
I don't have any idea except that the book is fantasy, loved by most and part of 1001. Great, this is the convenience of being ignorant. Haha.
Coming without preconceptions can be a good thing, Kwesi. However, although it is often classed as fantasy (just because it doesn't easily fit into any genre), don't expect witches, unicorns and fairies. It's darker (and funnier) than that.
I had never heard of it either which had me so intrigued. Just received mine in the mail!
midnightfaerie wrote: "I had never heard of it either which had me so intrigued. Just received mine in the mail!"Excellent!
I'm ready to get Gormenghast'd! Bring on the (so I've been told) awesomeness!
Could I check whether we're going to have more than one folder for the spoiler-free discussion (e.g., breaking it up into sections)?
That's a good idea. Although you could argue that the books are not primarily about plot, there are certainly some things that you wouldn't want to know until you reached them in Peake's own time.
^ Just do a page break. First impressions pages: 1-100
Etc. 101-200
You get the idea.
What time frame is this in theory set in?
message 28:
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Cecily, Gormenghast Librarian
(last edited Jun 27, 2013 09:36AM)
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Good question, and a whole discussion in its own right. See how you feel as you read. My own opinion is that Titus Groan and Gormenghast have a very strong sense of place, but very vague sense of period: (view spoiler)Don't get hung up on the period; instead, immerse yourself in the place. As the Countess says at the end of Gormenghast, “There is nowhere else... you will only tread a circle... everything comes to Gormenghast.”
This is my first read. I saw this group just recently so I am waiting on ordered books before I can begin. I have wanted to read it for a long time. What first led me to the book is years ago I fell in love with a genre of books called "fantasy of manner". Peake's books are described as ideal books of this genre, though I will leave those who are interested to look further into this term. I also am a fan of European Gothic and this fits the bill on that one. I really don't see why I've waited so long to read it!
hey, I want to start talking! I read another 20 pages today...loving it! Jonathan, when are you going to open the actual group discussion? I tried to post a comment in that heading, but it wouldn't let me...
I started titus groan last year and got within 60 pages of the end but somehow lacked the will to finish- fear not i will not spoilerize all over the forums -am hoping this group will keep me on track and make me finish the trilogy and i will be restarting titus groan tomorrow.
message 33:
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Cecily, Gormenghast Librarian
(last edited Jul 02, 2013 02:41PM)
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midnightfaerie wrote: "hey, I want to start talking! I read another 20 pages today...loving it! Jonathan, when are you going to open the actual group discussion? I tried to post a comment in that heading, but it would..."I've unlocked the general topic for the first book:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...
I have also created discussions by section, as suggested in one of the other topics. They are here:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/group_...
Shovelmonkey1 wrote: "I started titus groan last year and got within 60 pages of the end but somehow lacked the will to finish- fear not i will not spoilerize all over the forums -am hoping this group will keep me on track and make me finish the trilogy and i will be restarting titus groan tomorrow."Good luck, Shovelmonkey. I hope you find it a better experience this time (though I confess I find it strange to get SO close to the end before stopping).
Cecily wrote: "midnightfaerie wrote: "I've unlocked the general topic for the first book:"Thanks, Cecily. I'd better resume reading and posting!
Christina wrote: "I'm ready to get Gormenghast'd! Bring on the (so I've been told) awesomeness!"You've been told correctly. :)
I'm so sorry everyone, with the business of travel it's been hectic in regards to working out internet arrangements.
Jonathan wrote: "I'm so sorry everyone, with the business of travel it's been hectic in regards to working out internet arrangements."I've been experiencing a similar thing, Jonathan. Totally understand. Hope you're enjoying your trip to the states (even though you are missing the "best" coast:)).
