Cons: Undeveloped characters, short book, overall fairly simplistic and perhaps tame compared to later works.
The Bottom Line: Three stars is a balance between what will not work with casual readers and what will delight fans of Gothic literature. If in the latter group, read and learn!
mythwriter's Full Review: Horace Walpole - The Castle of Otranto: Easyread S...
Myths and legends regarding the occult have existed as long as civilizations have possessed enough social structure to propagate them. However, it was not until around the eighteenth century that ancient folklore evolved from fireside tales conveyed verbally into popular literature. While it is possible that other works preceded it, Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto is widely regarded as being the pioneer novel of the Gothic fiction genre. At the very least, it is the earliest surviving work of its kind, and furthermore, Walpole acquired no small amount of fame for his efforts to overcome the increasingly bland literature of his period - going so far as to even construct a home in the Gothic fashion. As such, any follower of dark fantasy, Gothic romance, etc. has surely heard of this work, and wonders if it deserves the acclaim.
The book begins with a preface of a kind often found in some form in horror fiction, which describes its origins in 1529, and claims to be far older; in other words, hinting to the reader that the story is true. The narrative then begins with describing Prince Manfred of Castle Otranto, who is attempting to hastily marry his son, Conrad, to Isabella, the daughter of a Marquis, in order to secure his lasting lordship. This anxiety Manfred exhibits is revealed to be the result of a prophecy, one which forecasts the fall of Manfred's family with the ascension of another. Indeed, Fate is not one to be cheated, for Conrad is suddenly killed, or rather pulverized, by a monstrous helmet seemingly cast from the heavens. In rage and horror, Manfred lashes out in blind vengeance against a local peasant. Following these events, Manfred grows increasingly irrational in his efforts to maintain his lordship of the castle, pursuing schemes of divorce and rape in his desperation. But all his efforts seem to only further a self-destructive course as agents of the netherworld begin to manifest in nightmares and waking eyes, herding events along a black road, to throw down the unholy and restore a rightful prince.
What must be remembered in judging this centuries-old novel is that it is the first of its kind, and furthermore written in a style similar to the old medieval method of writing, which naturally reads rather dry and somewhat dull to modern eyes. That said, the story itself is iconic of all that has become stock in Gothic literature - ghosts of the vengeful dead, melodrama, and love of both true and base natures from various characters. These characters are relatively flat, and with the exception of the peasant, later named Theodore, undergo very little development. The story itself, however, is a fairly well structured political intrigue that does not bore the reader with too much unnecessary court drama. The mystery of two families is well-concealed and will compel the reader's desire to discover more, from the nature of an ancient tomb to the purposes of the escalating familial entanglements of the present. The engines of the events which unfold in The Castle of Otranto range from weird artifacts and disembodied apparitions to spectral corpses who communicate directly with the living. These are both mysterious, their purpose being mostly veiled to the reader until the story's climax, and while somewhat cliche, still possess enough frightening aura to surprise the reader. The Castle of Otranto stood for ingenuity and a new type of fiction, one devoted both to horror and romance. And as a result, it has served for centuries as the father of a family of novels ranging from Frankenstein and the works of Edgar Allen Poe to Dracula to the works of the modern Stephen King. But sometimes, works of any kind linger on not because they are extraordinary but because they began something that led to extraordinary works. In full fairness, this is not entirely the case with The Castle of Otranto, but it is probably the largest factor in the novel's survival. Compared with other, later works, it hardly outshines them. It is still a good book, but probably ranks a little low comparatively. It is also remarkably short, not so much for lack of material, but more because at that time, there was no need to stuff more in to distinguish it. So, the novel's originality and historical value will cancel out shortcomings that only exist to modern eyes, but mostly for horror fans, which is why it usually is not found amongst newer books in most bookstores. Still, it has a great deal of worth, both as a stand-alone work and for understanding the broader body of horror fiction works, which is why The Castle of Otranto continues an undying legacy.
Fond of medieval romance and mystery as a dilettante s diversion, and with a quaintly imitated Gothic castle as his abode at Strawberry Hill, Walpole ...More at Buy.com
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