Piranese

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Bertie Carvel as Jonathan Strange and Eddie Marsan as Mr Norrell, in the BBC adaptation. Photograph: Matt Squire/BBC/JSMN Ltd/Matt Squire The title of the novel alludes to the 18th-century Italian artist Giovanni Battista Piranesi, who produced a series of sixteen prints entitled Imaginary Prisons which depict enormous subterranean vaults with stairs and mighty machines. [5] Vedute di Roma (Hi-res images from "Vedute di Roma", vol. 17 of "Antichita Romanae"; digitized by Leyden university) Piranesi contains several references or allusions to C. S. Lewis's series The Chronicles of Narnia. In the "Statues" entry of Part I, the narrator of Piranesi notes that he dreamt of a faun "standing in a snowy forest and speaking to a female child", likely a reference to Lucy Pevensie meeting the faun Mr. Tumnus in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. [15] When describing the character Dr. Valentine Andrew Ketterley, the text notes that he is the son of a "Ranulph Andrew Ketterley" and that "the Ketterleys are an old Dorsetshire family." Both the names and the description of the family are evocative of Andrew Ketterley, a key figure in The Magician's Nephew who describes his family as "a very old family. An old Dorsetshire family." This connection is further strengthened by the quotation from The Magician's Nephew given at the front of the novel, which was also spoken in that book by Andrew Ketterley. [16] In addition, there are several similarities between the House of Piranesi and the so-called " Wood between the Worlds" of The Magician's Nephew. [17] [7] Both are alternative worlds (distinct from our own) that must be reached through supernatural means, both contain life but of a less variegated nature than that in the characters' original worlds, and both induce a state of forgetfulness in newcomers, making them believe that they have always been in the new, supernatural, world. Wilton-Ely, J. (1994). Giovanni Battista Piranesi: The Complete Etchings – an Illustrated Catalogue. Vol.1 & 2. San Francisco: Alan Wofsy Fine Arts publications.

Yourcenar, Marguerite (1985). The Dark Brain of Piranesi: And Other Essays. Henley-on-Thames: Ellis. Ron Charles of The Washington Post called it "infinitely clever" and praised Piranesi's acceptance of his imprisonment for unintentionally making the novel "resonate with a planet in quarantine" due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [13] Davison, Ethan (16 September 2020). " "Piranesi" Is a Portal Fantasy for People Who Know There's No Way Out". Electric Literature . Retrieved 6 January 2023.

He died in Rome in 1778 after a long illness, and was buried in the church he had helped restore, Santa Maria del Priorato. His tomb was designed by Giuseppi Angelini. Our main character has lived on the House’s middle level for six years, which marks the beginning of his memory. He is called “Piranesi” by his sole living companion, the Other. While he reveres the Other and is glad for his company, Piranesi has only limited interactions with him, and after their twice-weekly meetings the Other mysteriously disappears to “his own halls,” leaving Piranesi to fend for himself. Piranesi has learned how to survive in the House, navigating its dangers and getting the food and materials he needs from the sea in its Drowned Halls. But when his world collides with another, he is shaken by revelation and unprepared for the choice that will present itself after the tides converge again. While his life is stark, it isn’t exactly impoverished. He loves the House. He has studied the Tides, the movement of the Stars, the waning and waxing of the Moon, and each day is an unfolding of experience. He capitalizes words the same way we capitalize proper names in English—it’s a sign of intimacy and regard that goes above objectification. Piranesi names all Birds with the capital because he regards them all as his siblings; the Fish he eats are gifts from the House, the Statues are his companions in the House, the House is Parent, World, Home, God.

Piranesi purports to be the scientific journal of its protagonist, the notebook where he keeps a record of his explorations throughout the House (always capitalized in the novel, like many other words the protagonist deems significant). He goes by “Piranesi” because that is the name given to him by the only other person in the House—who is also, so far as he knows, the only other living person in existence. This well-dressed, elderly man, whom he calls the Other, meets with Piranesi twice a week to discuss the search for the Great and Secret Knowledge, a mysterious power that the Other believes he can obtain from the House.

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The reason I mention all this is that Clarke seems to be telling a story where, each time she could have chosen to focus on Plot, she chose instead to dig into Theme—specifically the same themes that Coleridge was circling in a lot of his work. And that as much as I don’t think this book has a key, I do think it’s fascinating to note what happens when an Albatross shows up in Piranesi’s life. The instant New York Times bestselling novel from the author of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, an intoxicating, hypnotic book set in a dreamlike alternative reality.