Horace Walpole: Castle of Otranto

The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
Published by Xist Publishing on June 8, 2015
Genres: Fiction / Classics, Fiction / Gothic, Fiction / Literary
Pages: 78
Format: eBook
Source: Library
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The First Gothic Novel

"I can forgive injuries, but never benefits". — Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto

The Castle of Otranto is believed to be the first gothic novel and essential reading for both fans and scholars of the genre. The story is about Manfred, the lord of the castle, and his family.
This Xist Classics edition has been professionally formatted for e-readers with a linked table of contents. This eBook also contains a bonus book club leadership guide and discussion questions. We hope you’ll share this book with your friends, neighbors and colleagues and can’t wait to hear what you have to say about it.

Every Autumn I am on a quest to sink into the delights of my favorite season with a good book full of mood.  Be it gothic, paranormal, or just good, autumnal vibes I have scoured the shelves for things to keep me cozied up as the leaves change and the days grow shorter.

So I decided this Season to have myself a little 18th/19th century Gothic binge fest (don’t worry, I will sprinkle in some modern fare over the next two months, too).

Admittedly, I haven’t read many of the early examples of the Gothic novel and have lately become fascinated so decided I better start with the “first gothic novel”, or so its claimed, Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto.

This book is banana-cakes. Sometimes a good, but slightly weird bonkers, and at other times an oh-no-thank-you brand of bonkers, it was still relatively easy to read if only for the chief desire to understand how it would end.  I am not well steeped in 18th century literature, but am a dab hand at 18th and 19th century non-fiction, so the language (styled from the Crusades in the preface that I talk about in the last post) was not a hurdle for me. But, gentle Reader, it’s not going to be for the faint of heart or the reader who needs first person or a well-polished manuscript.  But I do think it was easier to read than I thought it would be so be not daunted, fair reader, if you like a little challenge.

There is some suspense, romance, and the supernatural as well as dastardly men and angelic women.  I found threads of Shakespeare in the plot, devices, and the cast of characters whose loves seem star-crossed.  Was I scared at any point in reading this book? No.  I laughed more than I shivered. But there was some really interesting imagery with Gothic mood, so I appreciated it and Walpole’s ingenuity.  He wrote in later editions that he was attempting to blend modern and ancient romances.  Once critics discovered its modern provenance, many critics trashed the book as fluffy, silly, or immoral.  Thus starting the trend of calling romance degrading names.

As one reader said, perfect for Gothic nerds, and for non Gothic nerds its inherent silliness will make you sympathize with Austen’s parody.

Is it truly a romance?  I don’t think so even though there is a sort of HEA – but after reading a synopsis of some the “first” romances in the 18th century, I am going to say the genre was working out its kinks in the early days (literally and figuratively).