"a year later with his ""Earling"" or formal investiture as the seventy-seventh Earl of Groan, after the untimely death of his father Sepulchrave. As Titus is only an infant in this novel, he plays a minor role. The main plot therefore follows the somewhat bizarre inhabitants of Gormenghast Castle, and in particular chronicles the rise to power of Steerpike, a scheming kitchen boy. Steerpike successfully destroys the existing order of the castle by inciting the twin sisters of Sepulchrave, Cora and Clarice, to burn Sepulchrave's beloved library. This event drives Sepulchrave into madness and eventually into taking his own life."
"Titus Groan Titus Groan is a novel by Mervyn Peake. It is the first novel in the ""Gormenghast"" series. The book is set in the huge castle of Gormenghast, a vast landscape of crumbling towers and ivy-filled quadrangles that has for centuries been the hereditary residence of the Groan family and with them a legion of servants. The Groan family is headed by Lord Sepulchrave, the seventy-sixth Earl of Groan. He is a melancholy man who feels shackled by his duties as Earl, although he never questions them. His only escape is reading in his library. His wife is the"
"Groan; Mervyn Peake is credited in the sleeve notes. The ""Gormenghast"" series has influenced other fantasy works. Gormenghast (series) Gormenghast is a fantasy series by British author Mervyn Peake, about the inhabitants of Castle Gormenghast, a sprawling, decaying, gothic-like structure. Originally conceived as a single on-going novel, the series was ended by Peake's death and comprises three novels, ""Titus Groan"" (1946), ""Gormenghast"" (1950), ""Titus Alone"" (1959) and a novella, ""Boy in Darkness"" (1956), whose canonical status is debated. Peake was writing a fourth novel, ""Titus Awakes"" at the time of his death, which was later completed and released by Peake's"
"""Gormenghast"".’ The story is one of Mervyn Peake's short works. After this he wrote only ""Titus Alone"" (1959); by the time it was published, Parkinson's disease had made writing almost impossible for him, although he continued to draw, intermittently, for several more years. ""Boy in Darkness"" is an episode in the Gormenghast series when Titus Groan, referred to as ""the Boy"" in the story, is a young teenager – placing it during the period covered by the second novel in the series, ""Gormenghast"". Yearning for freedom from his ceaseless duties as 77th Earl of Gormenghast, he escapes the ancient castle"
"Gormenghast (series) Gormenghast is a fantasy series by British author Mervyn Peake, about the inhabitants of Castle Gormenghast, a sprawling, decaying, gothic-like structure. Originally conceived as a single on-going novel, the series was ended by Peake's death and comprises three novels, ""Titus Groan"" (1946), ""Gormenghast"" (1950), ""Titus Alone"" (1959) and a novella, ""Boy in Darkness"" (1956), whose canonical status is debated. Peake was writing a fourth novel, ""Titus Awakes"" at the time of his death, which was later completed and released by Peake's widow in 2009. Although the first two installments do not contain any overtly fantastical elements, ""Gormenghast"" is"
"Sepulchrave Sepulchrave, Earl of Groan is a character in Mervyn Peake's novels ""Titus Groan"". Sepulchrave is the 76th Earl of Groan and Lord of Gormenghast, the gigantic, isolate citadel-state which forms the setting/otherworld for the Titus Groan novels of Mervyn Peake. He is father to Titus Groan and Fuchsia Groan, brother to Cora and Clarice Groan, and estranged husband to the Countess Gertrude. He is afflicted by an intense melancholia that leaves him psychologically paralyzed for most of the novel. The movements of his every waking hour are dictated by the “immemorial rites set down in the books of the"
"Gormenghast (castle) Gormenghast is a fictional castle of titanic proportions that features prominently in a series of fantasy works penned by Mervyn Peake. It is the setting for the first two books in the Gormenghast series, ""Titus Groan"" and ""Gormenghast"". It incorporates many of the elements of both medieval castles and Regency period stately homes, though in practice it operates like a small city-state. It has its own government, a Byzantine system of laws and rituals, a rigid class system, and is seemingly self-sufficient. The castle is home to the ancient House of Groan who have, as the Earls of"
"the shadow-life of the castle. His death remains a mystery to all but Flay until he relates the manner of it to Fuchsia and Titus during his exile. Sepulchrave Sepulchrave, Earl of Groan is a character in Mervyn Peake's novels ""Titus Groan"". Sepulchrave is the 76th Earl of Groan and Lord of Gormenghast, the gigantic, isolate citadel-state which forms the setting/otherworld for the Titus Groan novels of Mervyn Peake. He is father to Titus Groan and Fuchsia Groan, brother to Cora and Clarice Groan, and estranged husband to the Countess Gertrude. He is afflicted by an intense melancholia that leaves"
"cliffs echo the geography of Sark. ""The island became... very much part of his mythological landscape,"" said the Peake confidante Gordon Smith. Gormenghast (castle) Gormenghast is a fictional castle of titanic proportions that features prominently in a series of fantasy works penned by Mervyn Peake. It is the setting for the first two books in the Gormenghast series, ""Titus Groan"" and ""Gormenghast"". It incorporates many of the elements of both medieval castles and Regency period stately homes, though in practice it operates like a small city-state. It has its own government, a Byzantine system of laws and rituals, a rigid"
"than its two predecessors, without a strong lead character or a fixed setting. A heavily edited first edition was published in 1959; a fuller version compiled by Langdon Jones from Peake's early drafts was issued in 1970 and forms the basis for all subsequent editions. Peake populated his imaginary world with a large cast of characters. These include: Titus Groan: The main character of the series, and heir to the Earldom of Gormenghast. He succeeds to the title of 77th Earl while still a child, but as he grows older, he develops ambivalent feelings toward his home. He is torn"
"in modern world literature. ""Gormenghast"" is often credited as the first fantasy of manners novel. The books have been translated into over twenty languages. The series consists of three books, ""Titus Groan"" (1946), ""Gormenghast"" (1950), and ""Titus Alone"" (1959). A short book, ""Boy in Darkness"" (1956), tells the story of a brief adventure by the young Titus away from Gormenghast, although it does not name the castle. Peake had intended to write a series of books following Titus Groan through his life, as well as detailing his relationship with Gormenghast. At least two other books, tentatively titled ""Titus Awakes"" and"
"the complete novel was published. Titus Alone Titus Alone is a novel written by Mervyn Peake and first published in 1959. It is the fourth work in the Gormenghast series. The other works in the series are ""Titus Groan"", ""Gormenghast"", the novella ""Boy in Darkness"", and the fragment ""Titus Awakes"". It was re-edited by Langdon Jones in 1970 using more of the original manuscript. The story follows Titus as he journeys through the world outside Gormenghast Castle, having left his home at the end of the second book. Titus bumbles through a desert for a time, then uses a canoe"
"robes and vestments prescribed by the rituals of Gormenghast; they may be rags or silk. He sometimes wears the iron crown of Groan, with its four arrowhead points from which depend slim linked chains. After his library burns down, Sepulchrave goes mad, believing himself to be the ‘Death Owl’; this affects his appearance: his nose becomes “more forceful”, his eyes become round and devoid of all emotion, his mouth “might as well not be there”. On the day of Titus’s birth, Sepulchrave is engaged in another round of empty ritual. However, after the birth, he meets with Doctor Prunesquallor in"
"Titus Alone Titus Alone is a novel written by Mervyn Peake and first published in 1959. It is the fourth work in the Gormenghast series. The other works in the series are ""Titus Groan"", ""Gormenghast"", the novella ""Boy in Darkness"", and the fragment ""Titus Awakes"". It was re-edited by Langdon Jones in 1970 using more of the original manuscript. The story follows Titus as he journeys through the world outside Gormenghast Castle, having left his home at the end of the second book. Titus bumbles through a desert for a time, then uses a canoe to row down the river,"
"And his appearance, as described in ""Titus Groan"": Limb by limb, it appeared that he was sound enough, but the sum of these several members accrued to an unexpectedly twisted total. His face was pale like clay and save for his eyes, mask-like. These eyes were set very close together, and were small, dark red, and of startling concentration. Steerpike first appears as a youth of seventeen years with an unclear past, working in Gormenghast's Great Kitchen under the chef Abiatha Swelter, whom he hates. On the day that Titus, 77th Earl of Gormenghast, is born. Steerpike escapes from the"
"Titus (gorilla) Titus (24 August 1974 – 14 September 2009) was a silverback mountain gorilla of the Virunga Mountains, observed by researchers almost continuously over his entire life. He was the subject of the 2008 PBS ""Nature""/BBC ""Natural World"" documentary film ""Titus: The Gorilla King"". Titus was born on 24 August 1974. He was named by gorilla researcher Kelly Stewert, who was observing his group at the time, after the eponymous protagonist of the Mervyn Peake novel ""Titus Groan"". When Titus was four years old a blackback male joined his troop. He was named Beetsme by Fossey when she was"
"Mervyn Peake Mervyn Laurence Peake (9 July 1911 – 17 November 1968) was an English writer, artist, poet, and illustrator. He is best known for what are usually referred to as the ""Gormenghast"" books. The three works were part of what Peake conceived as a lengthy cycle, the completion of which was prevented by his death. They are sometimes compared to the work of his older contemporary J. R. R. Tolkien, but his surreal fiction was influenced by his early love for Charles Dickens and Robert Louis Stevenson rather than Tolkien's studies of mythology and philology. Peake also wrote poetry"
"lore of Groan”, a canon of meaningless, endlessly cross-referenced and encoded ritual that forms the foundation of the decaying Gormenghast society. This lore is interpreted for Sepulchrave by his Master of Ritual, Sourdust, who meets him at a lavish breakfast every morning; a breakfast that is never eaten and which is left to waste. Sepulchrave has no appetite and is moved by no emotion other than weary and unrelenting depression. However, his frozen heart is mildly stirred at the outset of 'Titus Groan' by the news of the birth of his son. The only relief afforded to Sepulchrave from his"
"105). Lady Fuchsia Groan Lady Fuchsia Groan is a fictional character: The daughter of Sepulchrave, 76th Earl of Groan, in Mervyn Peake's novels ""Titus Groan"" (1946) and ""Gormenghast"" (1950). In the BBC film adaptation (2000), Fuchsia is portrayed by Scottish actress Neve McIntosh. Fuchsia is also the subject of The Cure song, The Drowning Man, which is about her death and mentions her by name. Fuchsia is the first child of the Earl of Groan and his Countess; but the earldom of Groan and the family seat Gormenghast can only be inherited by a son. Consequently, Fuchsia has been largely"
"of ""Titus Awakes"" in the family's attic. It follows Titus's journeyings in the wider world and his arrival at an island that Peake identifies as Sark, where the Peake family lived from 1946 to 1949. Finally, Titus becomes Mervyn Peake. The book was published by Overlook Press as ""Titus Awakes: The Lost Book of Gormenghast"" in June 2011 to coincide with the 100th anniversary of Mervyn Peake's birth. Titus Awakes Titus Awakes is the editorial title applied to a novel being planned by Mervyn Peake at the time he became too ill to write, about 1960. It was to have"
"The Lost Book of Gormenghast"" to coincide with the 100th anniversary of Peake's birth. Gormenghast is a remote and reclusive earldom dominated by the huge Castle Gormenghast at its centre, and ruled by the noble family of Groan since time immemorial. The earldom derives its name from Gormenghast Mountain, and is isolated from the outside world by inhospitable regions on each side of it. To the North are marshy wastelands, to the South are salt grey marshes (and presumably then the ocean), to the East are quicksands and the tideless sea, and to the West are knuckles of endless rock."
"Lady Fuchsia Groan Lady Fuchsia Groan is a fictional character: The daughter of Sepulchrave, 76th Earl of Groan, in Mervyn Peake's novels ""Titus Groan"" (1946) and ""Gormenghast"" (1950). In the BBC film adaptation (2000), Fuchsia is portrayed by Scottish actress Neve McIntosh. Fuchsia is also the subject of The Cure song, The Drowning Man, which is about her death and mentions her by name. Fuchsia is the first child of the Earl of Groan and his Countess; but the earldom of Groan and the family seat Gormenghast can only be inherited by a son. Consequently, Fuchsia has been largely ignored"
"but he abandoned the idea after declaring the Radio 4 audio drama as ideal. As of 2015, author Neil Gaiman was in talks to adapt the novels for the big screen. Gormenghast ""Boy in Darkness and other stories"" (2007, the correct text and five other pieces) Other Works Mervyn Peake Mervyn Laurence Peake (9 July 1911 – 17 November 1968) was an English writer, artist, poet, and illustrator. He is best known for what are usually referred to as the ""Gormenghast"" books. The three works were part of what Peake conceived as a lengthy cycle, the completion of which was"
"original versions on 21 and 28 September 2003. In 2000, the BBC and the PBS station WGBH of Boston produced a miniseries for television, titled ""Gormenghast"", based on the first two books of the trilogy. In 2011, Brian Sibley adapted the story again, this time as six one-hour episodes broadcast on BBC Radio 4 as the Classic Serial starting on 10 July 2011. The serial was titled ""The History of Titus Groan"" and adapted the novels written by Mervyn Peake and the concluding volume, ""Titus Awakes"" written by his widow, Maeve Gilmore. It starred Luke Treadaway as Titus, David Warner"
"Titus Awakes Titus Awakes is the editorial title applied to a novel being planned by Mervyn Peake at the time he became too ill to write, about 1960. It was to have been the fourth novel in the Gormenghast series, after ""Titus Groan"", ""Gormenghast"", and ""Titus Alone"". ""Titus Awakes"" remains unfinished, as the author succumbed to illness before the work could be completed. In the 1970s Peake's widow, Maeve Gilmore, wrote a version of ""Titus Awakes"" to which she gave the title ""Search Without End"". It runs to 65,000 words, as counted on the typescript that she asked Peter Winnington"
"at the University of Sussex in 2001, using sound and physical theatre to evoke the strange world beyond Gormenghast Castle. It focused on themes of madness and the nature of reality to question whether Titus' memories of the castle are real, or merely fantasies of a damaged mind. It was particularly inspired by Mervyn Peake's loss of his mental faculties due to Parkinson's-induced dementia. Carabosse Theatre Company produced a stage version of the first two books of the trilogy called ‘Gormenghast’ in October 2014 at the Chrysalis Theatre in Milton Keynes. The project was officially endorsed by Fabian Peake (Mervyn"
"Quickstint (who is about to do the wrong favour for the wrong man). A thrilling story of darkness and destiny, where the brave step forward...and fall over. -Blurb on back cover. ""sublime humour...wonderfully tongue in cheek..."" (Manchester Evening News) ""The Shadewell Shenanigans"" was released on 5 June 2005. This book is centered around the characters of Groan Teethgrit, a barbarian, his partner in crime Gordo Goldeaxe, a dwarf, and his half brother Gape, who first appears in this book. Gordo and Groan are notorious criminals well known for looting banks of Illmoor. The lords of the great cities of Illmoor"
"identity. At the same time, the world he encounters is so different from his old home that he begins to doubt that Gormenghast ever really existed. Titus is helped by Muzzlehatch, the owner of a zoo, who drives a shark-shaped car and becomes a friend and mentor. He is also helped by Muzzlehatch's former lover Juno, who in turn becomes Titus's lover for a brief period. However, Titus also becomes involved with Cheeta, the daughter of the scientist who runs the factory, and who grows to hate Titus and sets out to destroy him. This novel is more randomly plotted"
"Morgoth Morgoth Bauglir (; originally Melkor ) is a character from Tolkien's legendarium. He is the main antagonist of ""The Silmarillion"" and ""The Children of Húrin"", and is mentioned briefly in ""The Lord of the Rings"". Melkor was the most powerful of the Ainur, but turned to darkness and became Morgoth, the definitive antagonist of Arda from whom all evil in the world of Middle-earth ultimately stems. Sauron, one of the Maiar of Aulë, betrayed his kind and became Morgoth's principal lieutenant. Melkor was not called ""Morgoth"" until he destroyed the Two Trees of Valinor, murdered Finwë, the High King"
"Barquentine (Gormenghast) Barquentine is a fictional character in Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast series. He is the son of Sourdust, the Master of Ritual of Gormenghast castle. He is a one-legged, hunchbacked dwarf with a bitter, vicious personality; he never washes, he dresses in filthy rags, and his hair and beard are long, tangled, and dirty. He is frequently taunted by the castle's children, who sing ""Rotten leg, rotten spine - ya! ya! Barquentine!"" When he appears in the first book, Barquentine is 74 years old, and lives a hermitic existence in an obscure tract of the castle. He takes on the"
"Groan, ruled for centuries without anything changing. Ritual plays a large part in the daily life of all characters in the castle, most of all the Earl of Gormenghast, whose days are largely spent adhering to the obscure and esoteric tenets of Gormenghast tradition. Titus' dread and rebellion against the iron letter of Gormenghast Law becomes one of the main themes in the series leading to his preoccupation with freedom. The castle has become synonymous with large, sprawling buildings and has been used as a reference point in other works of fiction. The castle is a huge ivy-covered mass, giving"
"unsettling and powerful play, from the author of Gormenghast, is a dark, inquisitive look at the role of the artist in society, the nature of authority and its effect on the human condition. ""The Cave"" will be published by Methuen in a Mervyn Peake collection in 2011 to celebrate the centenary of Peake's birth. An ice-age family of moon worshipping cave dwellers fight off the constant threat of wolves at their cave mouth. When they expect the moon to smite them a girl enters their cave instead. First they mistake her for the ""body of the moon"" and offer to"
"the duergar of the Galenas beneath the Mines of Bloodstone"". Orcus/Tenebrous is listed as a foe of Labelas Enoreth, who ""strongly opposes the powers of entropy and undeath"" such as Tenebrous. Note that each time Orcus/Tenebrous is included in a god's list of foes in this book, the entry is recorded as ""Orcus (dead)/Tenebrous (undead)"". The book ""The Grand History of the Realms"" (2007) describes the role of Orcus and his offspring in the nation of Narfell on page 81. The first ruler of Tharos and later Narfell was Thargaun, a human worshipper of Orcus. Centuries later, Jesthren, a half-fiend"