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Lyta_Underhill · 03-03-2003, 12:31 AM

Does anyone remember when, I think it was back in the 1970's, one was obliged, after reading Lord of the Rings to then move on to read Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast? How many people like them both? They are both classified as fantasy, and yet they are quite distinct in style. Tolkien's style is more linguistic and epic, while Peake, an artist by trade, wrote in a very visual way and drew his narrative landscapes as with a closely detailed paintbrush. Both are classics, in my opinion, although Gormenghast is much less known than LOTR. What they have in common, though, is an "other" world that is somehow tied to ours. Both laid their realms out on top of their places of experience and both draw their environments finely. I would not say their styles are similar, but their focus on detail of place gives me a feeling the attitudes are similar. It is interesting how two works can be so different and yet one can find a thread to tie them together in some way! (And Gormenghast is as far from the sword and sorcery musclemen and scantily clad women art covers of stereotypical "fantasy" as one can get! Peake drew wonderful grotesques and his characters are odd and ugly, yet beautiful in the way he drew them as image or as word painting!)

I just thought this would be a good example of how two works can both be fantasy and yet be VERY different in theme, style, setting, etc. They do share elements. OK, I'll be quiet now! Thanks again! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

Cheers,
Lyta

[ March 03, 2003: Message edited by: Lyta_Underhill ]

03-03-2003, 12:31 AM	#40
Lyta_Underhill Haunted Halfling Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: an uncounted length of steps--floating between air molecules Posts: 841	Does anyone remember when, I think it was back in the 1970's, one was obliged, after reading Lord of the Rings to then move on to read Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast? How many people like them both? They are both classified as fantasy, and yet they are quite distinct in style. Tolkien's style is more linguistic and epic, while Peake, an artist by trade, wrote in a very visual way and drew his narrative landscapes as with a closely detailed paintbrush. Both are classics, in my opinion, although Gormenghast is much less known than LOTR. What they have in common, though, is an "other" world that is somehow tied to ours. Both laid their realms out on top of their places of experience and both draw their environments finely. I would not say their styles are similar, but their focus on detail of place gives me a feeling the attitudes are similar. It is interesting how two works can be so different and yet one can find a thread to tie them together in some way! (And Gormenghast is as far from the sword and sorcery musclemen and scantily clad women art covers of stereotypical "fantasy" as one can get! Peake drew wonderful grotesques and his characters are odd and ugly, yet beautiful in the way he drew them as image or as word painting!) I just thought this would be a good example of how two works can both be fantasy and yet be VERY different in theme, style, setting, etc. They do share elements. OK, I'll be quiet now! Thanks again! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] Cheers, Lyta [ March 03, 2003: Message edited by: Lyta_Underhill ] __________________ “…she laid herself to rest upon Cerin Amroth; and there is her green grave, until the world is changed, and all the days of her life are utterly forgotten by men that come after, and elanor and niphredil bloom no more east of the Sea.”