Dark and Deathless rabble of Long Shadows: Peake, Dickens, Tolkien, and ‘this dark hive called London’

Abstract

Abstract Examines Dickens's influence on Mervyn Peake, taking in their respective writing styles, artistic convictions, thematic explorations of class, and representations of the city. Uses J.R.R.Tolkien to tease out affiliations between Peake and Dickens by way of contrast with a third figure. Suggests that Peake forged a vital link between Dickensian fiction and a new generation of urban fantasy authors.