Gormenghast: il castello. Il mondo di Mervyn Peake

Opis

Titus Groan (1946) and Gormenghast (1950) are the first two books of the trilogy written by Mervyn Peake. They are set in the ancient and crumbling castle of Gormenghast, a place where time seems to have stopped and where nobody has ever left or come to. The first aim of this essay is the exploration of the representation of the castle of Gormenghast: since it has been defined as the typical gothic structure, it is considered how Gormenghast diverges from the traditional stereotypes of the genre. Mervyn Peake creates a labyrinthine place, isolated in time and space, which gradually seems to expand its volume, multiplying rooms and roofs. It is remarked the symbolic value of the castle and how the inhabitants and the villain relate with this place. In fact, all the characters, except for the protagonist and the villain, are defined in their identity by a room, which becomes their own universe. In the last part of the essay, it is underlined how the metamorphosis of the castle is followed by the metamorphosis of the villain Steerpike as embodiment of pure evil.