However, believing Isabella and Theodore have become an item, Manfred walks in on Theodore praying with a woman and, believing it to be Isabella, stabs her — only to discover that he has killed Matilda, his own daughter.
The prophecy which so worried Manfred has been fulfilled. Manfred and his wife retire to a monastery and nunnery, Theodore becomes the prince of Otranto, and marries Isabella. Walpole thus initiated another long tradition, which is that of authors of Gothic novels and stories taking their inspiration or, at any rate, claiming they are taking their inspiration from dreams they have had.
However, the novel is nevertheless classical in some respects, namely in its conclusion, which sees the rightful Prince of Otranto restored, and the usurper, whose grandfather had disrupted the true order, banished from office.
And The Castle of Otranto was, if anything, a joke played upon the public: when it was first published in , Walpole claimed it was a genuine account of something that had happened, the manuscript document having come to light. Beckford was a fascinating eccentric. Strange tradition, the found text. How many stories and poems and books does one have to read before a great one is found?
Quite frankly one of the oddest things I've ever read. View all 5 comments. I liked one sentence from The Castle of Otranto. In the middle of the tyrant Manfred's long-ass soliloquy to an enormous retinue of knights and other attendants a rival nobleman has sent to pay a visit, we get this: "The knights gazed on each other, wondering where this would end. View 2 comments. Jun 07, Ben Debus rated it liked it. Having spent three years in Bloomington getting drunk with fiction writers, I feel that I came dangerously close to losing my ability to appreciate trash.
But, thankfully, not so! It is lauded as the first Gothic novel in English published, anonymously at first, in And what a remarkable heap of words it is! A common interchange might run thusly: Diego a manservant : Oh, it was awful! Manfred lord of Otranto : What sawest thou?! Diego: I didn't see anything! Manfred: What? Diego: Jaquez saw it. Manfred: Where is he? Jaquez another manservant : Right here, my lord!
Manfred: What did you see? Jaquez: It was horrible! Manfred: What was it? Jaquez: It was incredible! Manfred: What was incredible?! Jaquez: What I saw! Manfred: Tell me what it was! Jaquez: I can't! Holy crap!
Diego: I can tell you! Manfred: But, I thought you didn't see it. Diego: I didn't, my lord. Manfred: Then how can you tell me what it is? Diego: I heard it! Oh, awful! Manfred: What did you hear, then?!
Diego: It was really, really loud! And so on. The plot itself is ridiculous, full of stock characters, ridiculous reversals of fortune, and supernatural curses. But, I found I couldn't put it away - I put it down, absolutely, and frequently - but I couldn't quite put it away. Manfred, the count of Castle Otranto, has arranged a marriange between his son, Conrad, and Isabella, a "virtuous virgin"-type from the next principality.
The marriage has been hastily arranged at Manfred's behest, and nobody is sure why. But here, around the bottom of page 1, is where we get conflict: Conrad becomes crushed beneath a giant metal helmet that seems to have fallen from the sky.
The man Manfred believes is the criminal or necromancer, if you prefer , is imprisoned beneath the helmet. Then, Manfred tries to seduce the fair Isabella, in order to produce a new male heir. But wait! Didn't I mention that Manfred is married already, to the fair and virtuous Hippolita? What's to be done? That brings you up to about page three.
What unfolds from there is ridiculous, the kind of story a man hopped up on crack might shout to passersby from beneath a bridge. But it is, well, interesting, and though poorly written, and full of tropes, pretty inventive at the same time. It won't change your life, but if your tired of books changing your life, this might be a nice pick for a rainy day. Oct 08, Werner rated it liked it Recommends it for: Gothic, classics, and supernatural fiction fans.
Shelves: classics , supernatural-fiction. Note, Oct. I'm amazed that I'd missed that before! To fully appreciate the significance of this novel, we have to understand the literary and cultural climate of Western Europe in The s and s had seen unprecedented social, cultural, religious, economic, technological and political change, which made the literate classes well aware tha Note, Oct.
The s and s had seen unprecedented social, cultural, religious, economic, technological and political change, which made the literate classes well aware that they had entered a new era of human history that marked a sharp break with the immediate past. A flood of new inventions and discoveries enhanced the prestige of science and Reason as the only legitimate fountainheads of truth; supposed clear-eyed, logical rationalism was in, and "superstition" and sloppy human emotions were passe.
Of course, that represents a very selective recapturing of the Greco-Roman world, that ignored all of its more sordid and Dionysian aspects; but it passed for reality in the minds of 18th-century intellectuals. To the adherents of the Neoclassical school of thought that dominated European civilization from about to , the days of ancient Greece and Rome were the Golden Age; the medieval period was a long.
We actually get our whole "ancient, medieval, and modern" schema of historical periodization from the Neoclassicists of that day. This school of thought shaped the way prose literature in most of the 18th century was written; there were very definite rules, and the critics of that day parroted and enforced them. Sentences were ponderous and complex, but carefully balanced in terms of number of clauses, modifiers, etc.
Nor did they try to arouse feeling in the reader; appeal was strictly to the dispassionate intellect. In fiction, the subject matter was their own time, not the past, and stories were to have a plot that a "reasonable" person could believe.
Gulliver's Travels is a seeming exception that tests the rule, but even there, Swift writes his tale as a dispassionate, purportedly real travel account, and Juvenalian cultural satire trumps thrill or adventure in the story-telling.
Veal" or "The Vision of Mirzah," it's just a rhetorical device for religious or philosophical instruction, not a menacing element with a real scare factor.
Enter Horace Walpole. And he aimed to restore a kind of storytelling that gave the writer freedom to let "the powers of fancy" range through "the boundless realms of invention," thus "creating more interesting situations" Preface to the 2nd ed. So, with this book, he created the first modern English novel set in the past, the first supernatural fiction novel, and the first example of what we now call "Gothic" fiction with a heroine in danger in the setting of a big, scary old dwelling and an atmosphere of spooky menace.
It was the first salvo of the Romantic movement in literature, which would displace Neoclassicism by the end of the 18th century. In the same Preface quoted above, Walpole commented, in a moment of modesty, " This novel has its undeniable flaws, the biggest one being that his characters are cardboard, more two-dimensional types than people we really feel like we know. Some aspects of his supernatural phenomena aren't explained well, or aren't followed up after being introduced. Some of the female characters' acceptance of oppressive patriarchy can be eye-rolling though some display more independence and agency at times!
It also takes getting used to that he doesn't use quotation marks, or separate speech by different characters into different paragraphs, but that's not his fault; in , those conventions weren't yet fully developed in prose fiction. For all that, the book does have its pluses.
The story-telling is brisk-paced; at only pages of actual text, unlike some doorstop-sized 18th and 19th-century tomes, this is a quick read, and the diction is not intimidating at least, not to me --granted, I have an ease with old-style prose that comes from reading it as a kid and never developing a prejudice against it, but I think any modern reader with an adult reading level could enjoy this without difficulty.
There are really no dull moments we start with a violent death four paragraphs into the story! Concealed identity would become a common Romantic trope; but given medieval conditions, it's not unrealistic here. Although Manfred, prince of Otranto, is an arrogant, self-serving tyrant, Walpoles's own attitude and message here is solidly moral. In reading this, I noted the Shakespeare-like treatment of the servants in the book Walpole's own preface notes Shakespeare's influence there, and defends the Bard against the Neoclassicist Voltaire who had disparaged him on that grounds.
An added advantage of the Oxford Univ. Press printing that I read is the Introduction by Walpole scholar W. Lewis, who notes not only that, but a number of other Shakespeare parallels and influences here. My overall rating of the book is positive.
If my review picques your interest rather than scaring you off! View all 8 comments. This was a very short, entertaining book full of bizarre and supernatural happenings, lots of drama, a villainous prince, gracious princesses and perhaps one changeable princess , comic attendants, and mysterious strangers.
An ancient prophecy shadows the castle and its inhabitants, and the reader gets a glimpse of the prophecy coming to fruition in the very first chapter. Many times I found myself snickering at some of the outlandish events and the dialogue itself. In some ways this novel reminded me of a Shakespearean drama; I am not certain if this was deliberate or not, but now having read some of the reviews, I see that I am not alone in this notion.
Parts of this work were predictable, while other events were both surprising and suspenseful. I was not prepared for the ending! If you are interested in the gothic genre and in learning more about the influence this work had on later gothic novels as well as contemporary horror novels, then you should take a look at The Castle of Otranto.
This novel is the first Gothic horror story, written in It is a 3 swooner on the humorous Guardian newspaper gothic rating scale shown below with Hippolita swooning twice and Matilda once.
It also is set in a cursed or haunted castle in a foreign land with people who talk in an outdated manner other criteria of the Guardian newspaper for classic Gothic horror stories. In fact, many of what we now consider stereotypes of Gothic horror had their origins in this book! A quick and satisfacto This novel is the first Gothic horror story, written in A quick and satisfactorily spooky book - I wish I had saved it for Halloween! Aug 10, Alex rated it liked it.
I wouldn't reccomend this book to anyone for the reading experience because there are far better books than this. But Gothic literature has always been one of my favourite genre and several famous books were written by authors who got inspiration from this work. So for that literary value, this book can be read.
It's a short book too. Here we see Manfred who is the lord 3. Here we see Manfred who is the lord of the Castle of Ontrato and it's the day of his son Conrad's marriage to Isabella. Unfortunately some dark forces kill his only son. Angry that his throne doesn't have a heir, he plans on marrying the young Isabella.
She flees from the castle with the help of a farmer who has been locked in the cellar. The man is arrested and is going to be beheaded and at that moment Manfred's daughter Mathilda sees him, they have feelings for each other and she saves his life. There are ghosts, dark castle, supernatural entities, a beast of a lord, damsels in distress and a charming peasant Theodore! This book is definitely not great in terms of story and characters.
There is no life to it. We are all reptiles, miserable, sinful creatures. It is piety alone that can distinguish us from the dust whence we sprung, and whither we must return. The Goodreads reviews of this pioneer work are a caravan of groans; how sophisticated we've since become with our forensics and our shape-shfting very-meta protagonists.
I may shudder and say, whoa, and allow the blush to fade from our consternation. Otranto is ridiculous, sure, but it is damn charming. Anyone ever encountered a contrivance or l We are all reptiles, miserable, sinful creatures.
Anyone ever encountered a contrivance or laughable twist in the Bard or even Nabokov: the car which killed Charlotte Haze dented our credulity, didn't it? What lurks beneath is but prophesy and paternity. Walpole's book offers little in terms of fear. The pacing and revelation are no more haunting than a production of Hamlet. The notion of it being a "found" medieval text gives it sufficient distance to unnerve our sense of legacy.
Excerpt From: Horace Walpole. In the evening I sat down and began to write, without knowing in the least what I intended to say or relate. First published in , this gothic story takes place in Italy during the era of the Crusades Manfred, Prince of Otranto, is determined to make sure his lineage is carried on and arranges for his only son, the sickly Conrad, to marry lovely Isabella, the daughter of the Marquis of Vicenza.
On the day of the wedding, Conrad is killed in a horrible and mysterious accident and Manfred decides he will divorce his wife and marry Isabella himself to beget more sons. The bride-to-be is unwilling and escapes to the church for sanctuary. Meanwhile there are lots of other creepy sights and sounds in the ancient castle which seem to be the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy.
This old chestnut is great fun to read--gothic atmosphere, romance, comedy, murder and mayhem. It all reminded me a bit of a great Shakespeare play. Oct 01, Alex rated it liked it Shelves: reading-through-history , gothic , , rth-lifetime. Horace Walpole's Castle of Otranto is generally given credit as the first Gothic novel, which makes it interesting from a historical perspective, especially if you're into Gothic stuff, which I totally am because whee, virgins fleeing evil men in drafty castles in their nightgowns!
Which this book totally has, and also enormous helmets falling from the sky and crushing dudes, which I can't decide if that's a bummer of a way to go or not. From a literature perspective, it's pretty much avera Horace Walpole's Castle of Otranto is generally given credit as the first Gothic novel, which makes it interesting from a historical perspective, especially if you're into Gothic stuff, which I totally am because whee, virgins fleeing evil men in drafty castles in their nightgowns!
From a literature perspective, it's pretty much average. Lots of plot twists, in that old-timey "everyone's related! Competently written. It's not boring, but it is fairly goofy. At pages, it's more of a novella, so you might as well read it. Nov 08, Peter rated it it was amazing Shelves: horror.
I really liked this first gothic mystery novel that set everything in motion. Wow, all those characters interwoven with each other.
The dark family secret. Manfred's plans to marry Isabella and the plans for his daughter. Theorode and Jerome. The role of the Marquis. It is a classic romance almost a blueprint for all other romances with eerie elements and ghostly appearances. But a very fluent read there are other works f I really liked this first gothic mystery novel that set everything in motion. But a very fluent read there are other works from that time that are extremely tedious by comparison.
Great idea of Horace Walpole claiming he found that manuscript and translated it from Italian into English! No wonder it was a bestseller back then. I can easily imagine the novel performed as a play on any stage.
I can highly recommend that novel to everyone who's interested in intrigues, eerie castles and mysterious occurrences. A genre classic! Oct 11, J. Keely rated it it was ok Shelves: abandoned , uk-and-ireland , reviewed , horror , gothic. Another read for my research into early horror as I work on my own supernatural Victorian tale, but in the end I have to agree with Lovecraft's assessment in his Supernatural Horror in Literature that Walpole's style is insipid and full of silly melodrama.
It's not hard to see why it was so influential, as it introduced a great number of interesting ideas and symbols, but like so many books that inspired a genre, its the fact that original author did so little with those ideas that left room for Another read for my research into early horror as I work on my own supernatural Victorian tale, but in the end I have to agree with Lovecraft's assessment in his Supernatural Horror in Literature that Walpole's style is insipid and full of silly melodrama.
It's not hard to see why it was so influential, as it introduced a great number of interesting ideas and symbols, but like so many books that inspired a genre, its the fact that original author did so little with those ideas that left room for better writers to improve upon it.
Nov 05, Gail Carriger rated it it was ok Shelves: reviewed , victorian-primary , research. Put this book on my shelf while doing an interview because I realized I hadn't listed any of the classics. This rather surreal novel is considered the birth mother of gothic fiction. It's not my favorite, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't read it. Mar 02, Sherwood Smith added it Shelves: fiction , fantasy , historyth-c.
As a novel it's downright risible, but as a period piece it's fascinating. Then there are the goth or gothic bands who emerged in the s such as The Cure and Sisters of Mercy, inspired by the gothic literature and with lyrical themes of death, love, spirituality and identity.
The exotic aspect of gothic literature that Walpole first introduced in The Castle of Otranto influenced the gothic subculture. Gothic fashion is designed to reflect a particular kind of lifestyle that is synonymous with gothic literature. The Castle of Otranto itself took inspiration from previous works.
Meg Tasker, an Associate Professor at Federation University Australia, observes that Walpole drew on "a whole range of literary sources and folklore, German as well as English and Scottish". The works of William Shakespeare were also an influence, as demonstrated by Walpole "alternating between comic and serious scenes".
Despite its fantastical elements, there remains a consistent internal logic within the novel. For example, apparitions appear to protest to against anything that could result in the Alfonso and Don Ricardo families being united.
Tasker explains that The Castle of Otranto was "framed in such a way that the 18th Century Protestant educated reader could dismiss magic or miracles as Catholic superstitions". Members of the lower classes and women are portrayed in the novel as "superstitious, idolatrous, slavishly obedient to the Church".
Despite the horror within the Castle of Otranto, there remains a subtle vein of almost farcical humour. A gigantic helmet falling from the sky onto one character predates the absurdism of Monty Python. As the genre matured, later authors of the genre tended to focus on the horror and tragedy. The farcical humour that once permeated The Castle of Otranto was found mostly in spoofs of the genre. It is filled with gothic tropes and literary references, from Wallace being transformed into the were-rabbit yet still being drawn to his paramour Lady Tottingham, to the character Lord Victor Quartermaine - a reference to Allan Quatermain from H Rider Haggard's classic novel King Solomon's Mines.
In this respect it is true to the spirit of The Castle of Otranto, which both celebrated and mocked the fantastic. As Tasker says, the novel is "sublimely silly". Shipwreck cargo washes up on beaches. Image source, Getty Images.
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