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16/Raphael
Laurence Arne-Sayles is a professor and occultist responsible for the discovery of the House. He visits Piranesi during his time there, introducing himself as the Prophet and explaining his various theories. Notably, he does not offer to help Piranesi escape his imprisonment, a testament to his cruel, cold-hearted nature. Gradually, Piranesi realizes the Prophet is the same person as Arne-Sayles. He learns how Arne-Sayles used ancient magic to access the House and other magical worlds, and how despite being dismissed by the academic community, he gradually accrued a circle of devoted followers, among them Dr. Ketterley. A cruel man, Arne-Sayles, mistreated and manipulated his followers. All except one of them eventually dies in the labyrinth. Publicly, Arne-Sayles is linked to several missing persons cases, including the kidnapping and brainwashing of James Ritter, for which he is jailed for four years. Arne-Sayles is the subject of the book Matthew Rose Sorensen (Piranesi) is writing when he vanishes.
Dr. Laurence Arne-Sayles/the Prophet Quotes in Piranesi
The Piranesi quotes below are all either spoken by Dr. Laurence Arne-Sayles/the Prophet or refer to Dr. Laurence Arne-Sayles/the Prophet . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Part 3 Quotes
I stopped reading and stood up, breathing hard. I had a strong urge to fling the Journal away from me. The words on the page—(in my own writing!)—looked like words, but at the same time I knew they were meaningless. It was nonsense, gibberish! What meaning could words such as ‘Birmingham’ and ‘Perugia’ possibly have? None. There is nothing in the World that corresponds to them. The Other was right after all. I had forgotten many things!
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It occurs to me that there are many other ideas that I understand perfectly, even though no such things exist in the World. For example I know that a garden is a place where one can refresh oneself with the sight of plants and trees. But a garden is not a thing that exists in the World nor is there any Statue representing that particular idea… Instead, scattered about the House are Statues in which People or Gods or Beasts are surrounded by Roses or Strands of Ivy, or shelter under the Canopies of Trees… It is from these things that I deduce the idea of a garden. I do not believe this happens by accident. This is how the House places new ideas gently and naturally in the Minds of Men. This is how the House increases my understanding.
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Part 6 Quotes
This annoyed me. ‘I do not see why you say I can only see a representation in this World,’ I said with some sharpness. ‘The word “only” suggests a relationship of inferiority. You make it sounds as if the Statue was somehow inferior to the thing itself. I do not see that that is the case at all. I would argue that the Statue is superior to the thing itself, the statue being perfect, eternal, and not subject to decay.’
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Part 7 Quotes
The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; its Kindness infinite.
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Dr. Laurence Arne-Sayles/the Prophet Character Timeline in Piranesi
The timeline below shows where the character Dr. Laurence Arne-Sayles/the Prophet appears in Piranesi. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 2
...noises. Piranesi discovers a piece of paper blowing in the wind. Signed by someone named Laurence, it asks for its reader to provide instructions to the statue of the elderly fox...
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Part 3
A few weeks later, Piranesi approaches an old man. Piranesi asks if he is 16, but the man is confused. Piranesi explains his numbering...
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The man claims he paid a great price for his discovery: prison. He then tells Piranesi how...
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The man applauds Piranesi’s intelligence, explaining that the ancient wisdom is long gone. Piranesi asks if the...
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Piranesi writes down his experience. He names the man “The Prophet,” since he explained the creation of the world. Piranesi tries to interpret the...
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Several days later, Piranesi meets the Other. He wants to tell him about the Prophet, but the Other interrupts before he can. He tells Piranesi that 16 is actually looking...
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...is a biography, and it describes a group of students gathering under the tutelage of Laurence Arne-Sayles in 1987 in Perugia. The favorite students are Ovenden, Bannerman, Hughes, Ketterley, and D’Agostino....
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...evoke sensory memories, and some of the names are found elsewhere in the House, like Laurence’s note. Piranesi decides to focus on his health to guard against the return of the...
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...Scotland, she studied mathematics at the University of Manchester but switched to anthropology after hearing Arne-Sayles lectures on ancient minds. She soon began living with and caring for Arne-Sayles as an...
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Piranesi reads from two journal entries for James Ritter. The first recounts the arrest of Arne-Sayles after a housecleaner discovers a secret room hiding a sick, imprisoned man —James Ritter. The entry...
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Part 4
...he calmly states his intention to eliminate 16. Piranesi is taken aback. The Other also demands that Piranesi tell him if he ever meets an old man, suggesting that it’s about...
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The next day, Piranesi asks the Other why he did not say 16 was a woman. The Other explains that Piranesi, while a man of reason, is also a romantic: He...
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Piranesi finds many journal entries on Laurence, though many are not helpful, such as a pro-con list about...
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According to the entry, Arne-Sayles never wrote about the head ritual. However, his views changed. He began to think that...
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Piranesi reflects on the increasing resemblance between Laurence Arne-Sayles and the Prophet. However, he is puzzled by the claim that “The World was...
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...offers a brief biography in which Sorensen is said to be writing a book about Arne-Sayles and his transgressions against science, reason, and law. Thinking of the Prophet, Piranesi disagrees, believing...
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...of them. The first one is a short biography describing Ketterley as a disciple-turned-critic of Arne-Sayles, accusing him of manipulating students. The entry author wonders if it is worth contacting Ketterley...
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Part 5
...air, and “limitless space.” The two chat about the negative impact of Ketterley’s connections to Arne-Sayles on his academic career and Sorensen reveals Arne-Sayles has refused to speak to him. Sorensen...
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Ketterley tells Sorensen he dislikes him, but Sorensen is unbothered. He asks Ketterley how Laurence convinced him of the existence of other worlds, particularly the labyrinth. Ketterley tells him about...
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Part 6
...Angharad Scott, hearing of his disappearance, grew suspicious and contacted the police. The police interviewed Arne-Sayles’s circle to learn more.
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Piranesi reveals that he has met Laurence, which shocks Raphael. She does not understand why Laurence did not offer to help Piranesi...
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...the Alcove” and Raphael expresses sadness at their deaths. She apologizes to Piranesi, angry that Laurence will never pay for his crime, and Piranesi is taken aback by her kindness. Piranesi...
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Part 7
...reappearance of Matthew Rose Sorensen. An officer, Jamie Askill, speculates that Ketterley, like his mentor Arne-Sayles, kidnapped Sorensen to manufacture evidence for other worlds. Then, when the police caught on to...
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Piranesi/Matthew decides to write a book on Laurence Arne-Sayles. This is something Matthew would do, plus no one knows Arne-Sayles like he does....
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...broke. Still, he refuses to believe the sphere is broken and worthless. When thinking of Arne-Sayles, he pictures the statue of a fat pope on a throne. His weight threatens to...
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