Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast Novels: a Baroque Hostility to Straight Lines

Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast Novels: a Baroque Hostility to Straight Lines

Can Peake’s Gormenghast novels be termed baroque? This paper suggests the beginnings of an answer by examining one aspect which is usually considered a distinguishing feature of baroque art, namely, its marked preference for curves, broken lines, spirals or arabesques over straight lines. Peake’s ba...

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出版年:URI:https://journals.openedition.org/ebc,
第一著者: Mantrant, Sophie
フォーマット: Article ou chapitre numérique
言語:Anglais
出版事項: Études britanniques contemporaines 2024
オンライン･アクセス:Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM
Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM
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spelling openedition-oai:revues.org:ebc_14947 https://doi.org/10.4000/1204i urn:doi:10.4000/1204i en https://journals.openedition.org/ebc/14947 2024-07-11T02:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess article info:eu-repo/semantics/article urn:handle:20.500.13089/1204i https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast Novels: a Baroque Hostility to Straight Lines Études britanniques contemporaines Presses universitaires de la Méditerranée info:eu-repo/semantics/reference/issn/2271-5444 info:eu-repo/semantics/reference/issn/1168-4917 URI:https://journals.openedition.org/ebc Mantrant, Sophie Can Peake’s Gormenghast novels be termed baroque? This paper suggests the beginnings of an answer by examining one aspect which is usually considered a distinguishing feature of baroque art, namely, its marked preference for curves, broken lines, spirals or arabesques over straight lines. Peake’s baroque resistance to the constraint of linearity is evidenced by two different types of ‘deviations’: the numerous peripheral episodes or subsidiary diegetic strands and the countless lavish descriptions, both elements throwing into relief Peake’s baroque urge to show all. A close examination of these deviations leads to more general reflections on the opposition fixity/fluidity in the novels, the stress being laid on the metamorphic quality of the gigantic imaginative world created by Peake. La trilogie de Peake peut-elle être qualifiée de baroque? Cet article ne prétend pas apporter de réponse catégorique à cette question, mais étudie un aspect de l’œuvre qui est traditionnellement considéré comme caractéristique de l’art baroque, à savoir l’hostilité aux lignes droites, auxquelles le baroque préfère les courbes, lignes brisées, spirales et arabesques. Deux éléments mettent en évidence cette hostilité aux tracés linéaires dans les romans de Peake: la multitude d’épisodes périphériques ou d’intrigues secondaires d’une part et, de l’autre, la profusion de descriptions luxuriantes. Peake semble vouloir montrer le monde créé dans sa totalité, sans omettre le moindre détail. L’étude de ces deux types de « déviations » conduit à une réflexion plus générale sur l’opposition fixité/fluidité dans l’œuvre, réflexion qui s’intéresse en particulier aux métamorphoses incessantes du monde gigantesque imaginé par Peake.
collection OpenEdition Journal
language Anglais
format Article ou chapitre numérique
building 0/Bibliothèque numérique/
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description Can Peake’s Gormenghast novels be termed baroque? This paper suggests the beginnings of an answer by examining one aspect which is usually considered a distinguishing feature of baroque art, namely, its marked preference for curves, broken lines, spirals or arabesques over straight lines. Peake’s baroque resistance to the constraint of linearity is evidenced by two different types of ‘deviations’: the numerous peripheral episodes or subsidiary diegetic strands and the countless lavish descriptions, both elements throwing into relief Peake’s baroque urge to show all. A close examination of these deviations leads to more general reflections on the opposition fixity/fluidity in the novels, the stress being laid on the metamorphic quality of the gigantic imaginative world created by Peake.
author Mantrant, Sophie
spellingShingle Mantrant, Sophie
Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast Novels: a Baroque Hostility to Straight Lines
author_facet Mantrant, Sophie
author_sort Mantrant, Sophie
title Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast Novels: a Baroque Hostility to Straight Lines
title_short Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast Novels: a Baroque Hostility to Straight Lines
title_full Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast Novels: a Baroque Hostility to Straight Lines
title_fullStr Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast Novels: a Baroque Hostility to Straight Lines
title_full_unstemmed Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast Novels: a Baroque Hostility to Straight Lines
title_sort mervyn peake’s gormenghast novels: a baroque hostility to straight lines
publisher Études britanniques contemporaines
publishDate 2024
container_title URI:https://journals.openedition.org/ebc
url https://ezproxy.univ-orleans.fr/login?url=https://doi.org/10.4000/1204i
https://ezproxy.univ-orleans.fr/login?url=https://journals.openedition.org/ebc/14947
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