Thomas Love Peacock, although not widely recognized during his lifetime, carved out a niche in the literary world with his distinctive satirical novels. His work often escapes conventional acclaim but has earned the admiration of literary contemporaries like Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron. "Nightmare Abbey," one of his most acclaimed novels, offers a sharp critique of Romanticism and gothic fiction through the lens of Peacock's characteristic wit and incisive social commentary.

Peacock's Satirical Style

Unlike many of his peers in the Romantic movement, Peacock's primary aim was not to achieve fame or fortune but to entertain himself and perhaps a discerning reader. His novels, characterized by their idyllic country settings, appear to revolve around leisurely pursuits such as drinking and flirting. However, beneath these seemingly trivial activities lie significant discussions on moral, political, economic, scientific, and aesthetic issues. "Nightmare Abbey," in particular, reveals these layers through its satirical narrative.

Critics often approach Peacock's work with a critical eye, noting the lack of substantial plots and the sketch-like nature of his characters. Peacock's characters, when developed, exhibit polemical opinions instead of deeply emotional or nuanced personalities. Despite these criticisms, Peacock compensates for these perceived shortcomings with his trademark wit, offering epigrams and biting commentary. A classicist at heart, he relies on his profound understanding of contemporary ideas to craft his satire, showcasing opinion over ill humor.

Characters and Themes in "Nightmare Abbey"

The hero of "Nightmare Abbey," Scythrop Glowry, is a parody of the Romantic hero. The son of Christopher Glowry, a gloomy Lincolnshire gentleman, Scythrop is comically named after an ancestor who took his own life, the ancestor's skull now serving as a punchbowl. A student of Immanuel Kant, Scythrop becomes infatuated with Marionetta Celestina O’Carroll. However, his father prefers he marries Celinda Toobad, an heiress educated abroad.

Peacock uses Scythrop's character to lampoon the Romantic fixation on melancholy and despair, emphasizing the ridiculousness of such attitudes. Scythrop retreats to the tower room of Nightmare Abbey, losing himself in gothic literature and fanciful dreams of conspiracies. The narrative eventually culminates in a comic reinterpretation of Goethe’s "The Sorrows of Young Werther," with Scythrop contemplating suicide but ultimately opting for Madeira wine over mortality.

Satire of Romantic and Gothic Conventions

Peacock's "Nightmare Abbey" is a satire targeting both gothic fiction and the Romantic movement, with a particular focus on the Byronic hero. The novel opens in imitation of William Godwin’s "Mandeville: A Tale of the Seventeenth Century in England," setting a satirical tone right from the outset. Nightmare Abbey features servants with morbid names and appearances, emphasizing the absurdity of the gothic genre.

The story unfolds with a gallery of characters that serve as caricatures of contemporary literary figures. Mr. Flosky, based on Samuel Taylor Coleridge, represents the philosophical transcendentalism of the time, embodying an exaggerated version of literary self-importance. Mr. Cypress, a stand-in for Byron, offers a dramatic appearance in the second half of the novel, delivering speeches that mix quotations from "Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage" with parodic observations.

Romantic Critique Through Characters

The character of Scythrop, caught between his affection for two women, parodies the real-life romantic entanglements of Shelley, mirroring Shelley's own relationship with Mary Godwin. Peacock uses Scythrop's predicament to highlight the disconnect between the lofty ideals of Romantic writers and the general reading public. Scythrop's pamphlet, "Philosophical Gas," mocks the esoteric pursuits of literary figures by barely reaching a handful of readers, reflecting the broader theme of misalignment between Romanticism's self-indulgent tendencies and public reception.

Faced with a personal crisis, Scythrop oscillates between romantic despair and comic absurdity. His inability to choose between Marionetta and Celinda underlines the triviality of his plight. While he considers a melodramatic end by suicide, the ladies in his life reject his theatrics, leaving him to embrace the more mundane pleasures of life, symbolized by his call for Madeira. With "Nightmare Abbey," Peacock adroitly critiques and parodies the excesses of Romanticism, offering a humorous yet insightful commentary on the literary and cultural landscape of his time.