Crotchet Castle

Thomas Love Peacock gathers a houseful of cranks at the Thames-side seat of the wealthy Mr. Crotchet, and simply lets them talk. Each guest rides a private hobby-horse: a Scottish champion of political economy, a hearty clergyman who distrusts the fashionable ‘march of mind,’ a young romantic convinced the twelfth century beat the nineteenth, and assorted reformers and schemers. Very little happens by way of plot, which is rather the point. The comedy lives in the clash of opinions over long dinners and riverside excursions, as Peacock skewers the intellectual crazes of 1830s England. Slim, sharp, and eminently quotable, this 1831 satire remains one of his best-loved conversation novels. Free PDF and EPUB editions are available here.