Thomas Love Peacock, Melincourt

James Mulvihill (University of Alberta)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.06: English Writing and Culture of the Romantic Period, 1789-1837.
Vol. editors: Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Daniel Robinson (Widener University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1817

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

Thomas Love Peacock’s second novel, Melincourt (1817), continues the fictional format initiated by the earlier Headlong Hall but with some differences. Named for its country-house setting – this time an authentic medieval castle – this novel also gathers together a group of eccentric guests with diverse intellectual interests and obsessions. It boasts a similarly rudimentary plot connecting a series of debates and culminating in marriage. At the same time, this plot is developed at greater length than in any of Peacock’s other novels and is considerably more ambulatory – covering, in fact, a considerable amount of ground once the novel’s action gets started. Melincourt is also the most politically e…

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1157 words

Citation: Mulvihill, James. "Melincourt". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 March 2006 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=21394, accessed 25 November 2024.]

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