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The Myth of Modernity

John Gray draws on the novels of Mervyn Peake to argue it's a mistake to imagine that modernity marks a fundamental change in human experience.

John Gray draws on the novels of Mervyn Peake to argue it's a mistake to imagine that modernity marks a fundamental change in human experience. "The modern world is founded on the belief that it's possible for human beings to shape a future that's better than anything in the past. If the Gormenghast novels have any continuing theme, it's that this modern belief is an illusion."
Producer: Sheila Cook.

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10 minutes

Last on

Sun 12 May 2013 08:48

A Point Of View: Leaving Gormenghast

A Point Of View: Leaving Gormenghast

Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast novels are cult classics of 20th Century English literature. Writer and philosopher John Gray considers what they tell us about the nature of the modern world.

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter John Gray
Producer Sheila Cook
Editor Richard Knight

Broadcasts

  • Fri 10 May 2013 20:50
  • Sun 12 May 2013 08:48

Podcast