#gormenghast

The Family Groan, Lords and Ladies of Gormenghast.

I feel like the fan base is very aware of the influence and references to Homestuck, the Illiad, and the Bible but another contributing text is Mervyns Peake's Gormenghast trilogy.

My sources:

"I was really aiming for with the book was an irreverent tone to balance out the horror aspect and some of the heavier, more Gormenghastian stylings."

"I’m never sure how to sum it up in a snappy way — it’s been called ‘dark science fantasy’, but I think of it as being basically Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast meets Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, only with swordfights." [Link]

Now, the Gormenghast books (Titus Groan, Gormenghast, and Titus Alone) are dense weird bricks. They have been influential to a number of fantasy writers including George RR Martin, China Mielville, and some say Terry Pratchett.

The first book, Titus Groan, predates the LOTR trilogy, and is considered a kind of grotesque fantasy of manners. It is a long fever dream of a read, very character focused, ponderous, and full of extended descriptions of architecture (can we perhaps see some Gideon the Ninth similarities already?)

The clearest parallels are in the initial Drearburgh setting, but also Canaan House; a labrythian, isolated, inward place ruled by endless rituals. This is very like the insular castle Gormenghast. Strong decrepit, Gothic overtones.

Like Drearburgh, the ruling family of Gormenghast are a dwindling line, with their final heir a young person with the weight of generations upon them. Both revered and abused.

The heir is assisted/imprisoned by a devoutly faithful servant (Crux/Flay) both characters are ancient, decrepet hulks with clicky knees. The way Crux speaks also reminds me of Ballantine, Gormenghast's master of ceremonies. I can definately see shades of Flay and Titus in Crux and Harrowhark.

There are a couple of dreadful old aunts.

There is an outcast foundling child whose rebellion facinates and inspires the trapped heir.

Duty and tradition are revered, but they also shackle the characters.

There's whole communities of characters festering in their own insular worlds, divorced from everyday normality and totally unaware of how strange their lives and obsessions are.

The story slowly pulls out focus, gradually revealing how weird and isolated Drearbrugh/Gormenghast is compared with the real world, how perverse their obsessive way of life is.

Other influences I can see is the lack of exposition, characters are put in a scene and live their lives, have their weird conversations, readers watch their actions play out and we bloody figure out the rest.