My morning name today was Gormenghast, the name of a series of books and the title of the second volume in the series:
From Wikipedia:
The Gormenghast series comprises three novels by Mervyn Peake, originally published between 1946 and 1959. The series features Castle Gormenghast, and Titus Groan, the title character of the first book. [Gormenghast is the second, Titus Alone the third.] A fourth book, written by Peake’s widow, was published in 2009. The series is regarded as the first fantasy of manners. The series draws heavily on Gothic and Regency literature.
… Gormenghast is a remote and reclusive earldom dominated by the huge Castle Gormenghast at its centre, and ruled by the noble family of Groan since time immemorial.
(There’s an official website.)
I have no idea why Gormenghast popped into my head. I haven’t read any of the books, nor have I experienced any of the adaptations of this material, for radio or the stage or as an opera, or even as a television series:
In 2000, the BBC and the PBS station WGBH of Boston produced a miniseries, titled Gormenghast, based on the first two books of the series. The cast included Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Steerpike and Christopher Lee as Mr. Flay. (Wikipedia again)
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