Headlong Hall

Thomas Love Peacock considered his novels to be “comic romances.” "Headlong Hall", published in 1816, the first of his seven novels, already sets the pattern for his other novels of talk: characters seated at table, eating and drinking, and embarking on learned and philosophical discussions in which many common opinions of the day are criticised.

The novel features a country-house, the titular Headlong Hall, populated by a diverse set of characters, each embodying a particular intellectual obsession and each tirelessly advocating his or her ideas in the frequent debates on which the novel turns – debates that are often learned, sometimes absurd, but always spirited. Plot is rudimentary, frequently depending on slapstick relieved by a love interest or two, with marriage providing a comic resolution. While highly eclectic intellectually, the typical Peacock novel is unified by some idea that runs through the novel's debates.