Titus Groan: Swelter receives a surprise

Well I finished Titus Groan  a several weeks ago.  I saw him safely come into his Kingdom and I have been propelled five years into the future.  Ghosts haunt Gormenghast – but some aren’t dead.  Flay is living, not roughly but quite nicely thank you.  He has now acquired two caves for himself, which he

Titus Groan: Keda

I’ve not wrote about my re reading of Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake for a while.  But that doesn’t mean that I’ve haven’t been reading it.  I have and am very nearly finished the first book and shall be soon into Gormenghast itself.   But as far as the writing concerned, I am up to the

Titus Groan – Nannie Slagg’s outing

Back to the story.  I am now more than half way through ‘Titus Groan’, the writing is miles behind though…. This chapter deals with Nannie Slagg undertaking to get baby Titus a wet-nurse from the dwellings outside the castle. The acacia trees, silhouetted on her right, cut patterns against the mountain and on her left glowed dimly

Titus Groan – Fuchsia’s attic and adventures with cake

Fuchsia has gone on an adventure.  She has pulled back her bed, opened a cupboard door and ascended into darkness with only a candle to lead her.  This is Fuchsia’s secret world – her attic:- One of these narrow beams lit Fuchsia’s forehead and shoulder, and another plucked a note of crimson from her dress. 

Titus Groan – Climb upon my knee Nannie Slagg

The reading is now 18 chapters ahead – the writing is following at a slower pace.  In this chapter we get another glimpse into Fuchsia’s bedroom;- The sunlight was streaming through the eastern turrets and was lighting the Carvers battlements and touching the sides of the mountain beyond.  As the sun rose, thorn tree after

Titus Groan: Lord Sepulchrave – why the long face?

This chapter gives us a better idea of the melancholy Sepulchrave, the man and his world as he starts his morning in the Stone Hall, where his ancestors have before him.  The raised table gives him a good view of the refectory and its ancient ceiling:- On either side and running the entire length, great pillars prop

Titus Groan: A gold ring for Titus

I am galloping through this book, now on page 150 which is about halfway through ‘Titus Groan’.  The writing though is about 100 pages behind.  In this chapter his mother names him.  It also gives us another look at the Countess’s relationship with Slagg, Prunesquallor and her new-born  son.  Peake gives us a descriptive glimpse into Titus’s

‘Titus Groan: The 76th Countess of Groan’

Peake excites our anticipation  of seeing the Countess, by allowing us a look through the keyhole into the room of white cats.  The black door of her room has a white cat emblazoned on it and on the landing outside, pictures of birds adorn the walls. The interior of the room is not as orderly though.  Bird seed is piled up,

‘Titus Groan – Fuchsia

  I’m speeding on with my re reading of Titus Groan.  I’m now on page 110.  Steerpike has escaped the locked room and is now on the roof of the castle, Lord Titus has fallen from the book of Law onto the floor with no injury and Flay has struck Swelter around the face with his

‘Titus Groan: Dr through the spyhole’

Several clues to the next characters of the castle are given in this chapter.  Flay approaches one of the portraits in the octagonal room, pushes the frame to one side, to reveal a round hole in the panelling;-   From his vantage point he was able to get a clear view of three doors in a