Thomas Love Peacock
Thomas Love Peacock (18 October 1785 – 23 January 1866) was an English novelist, poet, and official of the East India Company. He was a close friend of Percy Bysshe Shelley and they influenced each other's work. Peacock wrote satirical novels, each with the same basic setting — characters at a table discussing and criticizing the philosophical opinions of the day. He has been described as the master of the silver-fork school of novel-writing.
Books
This list of books are ONLY the books that have been ranked on the lists that are aggregated on this site. This is not a comprehensive list of all books by this author.
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1. Nightmare Abbey
"Nightmare Abbey" is a satirical novel that explores the world of the romantic movement in British literature. The story revolves around a melancholic young man who lives in a gloomy mansion, which serves as a gathering place for many of his eccentric friends. The protagonist's romantic woes and his friends' philosophical debates, which often mock the prevailing intellectual trends of the day, form the crux of the narrative. The novel humorously critiques the romantic ideals of love and heroism while also providing a social commentary on the intellectual pretensions of the era.
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2. Headlong Hall
This novel is a satirical work that humorously critiques the intellectual and philosophical movements of its time through a narrative centered around a gathering of eccentrics at a country house. The host, obsessed with progress, invites a diverse group of guests, each representing different ideologies and obsessions, ranging from the perfectibility of society to the inevitability of its decline. Through witty dialogue and absurd situations, the story explores themes of progress, change, and the nature of human happiness, all while poking fun at the intellectual pretensions of the early 19th century.
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3. Gryll Grange
The novel is a satirical depiction of English country life in the mid-19th century, centered around the titular estate and its eccentric inhabitants. The story unfolds through a series of conversations and debates among the characters, who discuss various topics such as love, poetry, science, and the modernization of society. The protagonist, a scholar named Dr. Opimian, serves as a mouthpiece for the author's own classical views, often clashing with the more progressive ideas of the younger generation. Through humor and wit, the narrative explores the tension between tradition and change, ultimately advocating for a balance between the old and the new.
