Mervyn Peake: Trending quotes

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Mervyn Peake: 182 quotes3 likes

“Other people’s faults can be fascinating. One’s own are dreary.”

Mervyn Peake

Source: Gormenghast (1950), Chapter 48 (p. 647)

“Let him play,” whispered Cheeta. “Let him make believe that he’s alive again.”

Mervyn Peake book Titus Alone

Source: Titus Alone (1959), Chapter 105 (p. 1000)

“For Peake, the weight of moral standards comes from their being part of a tradition, and any tradition lies outside the individual’s potential and needs. Thus adherence to a morality impedes development of the whole self and denies real maturity.”

Mervyn Peake

Joseph L. Sanders, “The Passions in Their Clay” Mervyn Peake’s Titus Stories, reprinted in the omnibus edition The Gormenghast Novels published by The Overlook Press, p. 1098

“The host of specifically religious suggestions and images, in a story that until now has been devoid of such concern, suggests very strongly that Peake is here referring to the Christian religion as a debasing influence. Peake’s treatment of Gormenghast’s ritual shows that he dislikes any system of values imposed on the individual from outside, offering him nothing directly relevant for himself and encouraging him in whatever weakness he possesses. So, here, the Lamb can break down but not build; despite his worshipper’s praise, he does not really understand how to keep his creatures alive. Still the Lamb glories in his power. True, in changing men he has destroyed them, denying them freedom to develop for themselves; to the Lamb, however, that is incidental to his own gratification.”

Mervyn Peake

Joseph L. Sanders, “The Passions in Their Clay” Mervyn Peake’s Titus Stories, reprinted in the omnibus edition The Gormenghast Novels published by The Overlook Press, p. 1093

“Change and growth cannot be halted, time must run on. That is the whole moral of the three books.”

Mervyn Peake

Colin Greenland, Beowulf to Kafka: Mervyn Peake’s Titus Alone, reprinted in the omnibus edition The Gormenghast Novels published by The Overlook Press, p. 1141

“You are the first person who has been able to illustrate the book adequately since Tenniel, though I still argue as I think I argued with you years ago that your Alice is a little bit too much of a gamin.”

Mervyn Peake

Graham Greene, quoted in Bandersnatch, 151, July 2011, p. 8

“Words were shapes and sounds to him. He saw them, as if he were listening to an unknown language, in shapes.”

Mervyn Peake

Maeve Gilmore (his widow), Introduction to A Book of Nonsense, p. 10

“Mervyn Peake is a finer poet than Edgar Allan Poe, and he is therefore able to maintain his world of fantasy brilliantly through three novels. It (Gormenghast trilogy) is a very, very great work … a classic of our age.”

Mervyn Peake

Robertson Davies

“His mind fell asleep. His wits fell awake. His cock trembled like a harp-string.”

Mervyn Peake book Titus Alone

Source: Titus Alone (1959), Chapter 42 (p. 881)

“Life must be various, incongruous, vile and electric. Life must be ruthless and as full of love as may be found in a jaguar’s fang.”

Mervyn Peake book Titus Alone

“I like the way you talk, young man,” said Grass, “but I don’t know what you’re saying.”
Source: Titus Alone (1959), Chapter 24 (p. 841)

“Let go of my arm, or I will scream for God.”

Mervyn Peake book Titus Alone

“He never helped you. Have you forgotten?”
Source: Titus Alone (1959), Chapter 56 (p. 910)