Gormenghast, that is, the main massing of the original stone, taken by itself would have displayed a certain ponderous architectural quality were it possible to have ignored the circumfusion of those mean dwellings that swarmed like an epidemic around its outer walls.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The castle's grandeur is overwhelmed by the crowded housing around it.
- In plain terms
- The big stone building is surrounded by mean homes.
- What can you take from it?
- Great structures lose impact when overwhelmed by surroundings.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Does context change how we see buildings?
- What makes architecture grand?
Another view
It judges buildings only by how they look next to neighbors.
More from Mervyn Peake
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