The Castle of Otranto: A Gothic Story: Amazon.ca: Horace Walpole, W. S. Lewis: Books

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`with each volume having an introduction by an acknowledged expert, and exhaustive notes, the World's Classics are surely the most desirable series and, all-round, the best value for money' Oxford Times --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Book Description

First published pseudonymously in 1764, The Castle of Otranto purported to be a translation of an Italian story of the time of the crusades. In it Walpole attempted, as he declared in the Preface to the second edition, `to blend the two kinds of romance: the ancient and the modern'. He gives us a series of catastrophes, ghostly interventions, revelations of identity, and exciting contests. Crammed with invention, entertainment, terror, and pathos, the novel was an immediate success and Walpole's own favourite among his numerous works. His friend, the poet Thomas Gray, wrote that he and his family, having read Otranto , were now `afraid to go to bed o'nights'. The novel is here reprinted from a text of 1798, the last that Walpole himself prepared for the press. This book is intended for students of Gothic literature, eighteenth-century literature from undergraduate level upwards.

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First Sentence
MANFRED, prince of Otranto, had one son and one daughter: the latter, a most beautiful virgin, aged eighteen, was called Matilda. Read the first page

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt

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Customer Reviews

24 Reviews

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4 star:		(9)
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Average Customer Review

3.9 out of 5 stars (24 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Otranto is a perfect place for ghosts and usurpers, Mar 13 2004

By

Alysson Oliveira "Alysson Oliveira" (Sao Paulo-- Brazil) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Castle of Otranto: A Gothic Story (Paperback)

Considered the very first book of Gothic Literature, Horace Walpole's 'The Castle of Otranto' stands on its own merits. It is not the kind of novel for those who expect a gory ghost story, closer to what we callterror today. The narrative is too subtle, filled with nuances that create a scary mood.

The story is not very complicated: in the day of his wedding, Conrad, the son of the prince of Otranto, is killed in a very surreal way. While his mother, sister and bride are terrified, his father wants to divorce and marry the bride, so that he can have another son. This event will unchain a lot of ghosts' intervention and a dark truth will be found. And for such short book --actually a novella-- a lot of things happen.

The events and characters are quite unrealistic, but this is where the fun of reading this book is. Not to mention the historical value of the narrative. More than a ghosts story, it is the tale of a man who usurped the throne, and the consequences he suffered. While the aftermath may not be quite realistic, usurping thrones was something quite common.

The biggest barrier for a contemporary reader is Walpole's language. Not that it is florid, but it is written in the way people used to speak in the 18th Century. But while for some it is a discouragement, for other it is a joy --once we get used to it. His dialogues a descriptions easily flow. The way the writer creates the atmosphere is unforgettable. Castle is a place where ghosts seem to be, and Otranto's is a perfect place for them.

Moreover, there is a very positive influence of Shakespeare on Walpole. Every now and then a Shakespearian quote pops up --mostly from 'Macbeth' and Hamlet'. 'Otranto' has even a theatrical format. Square brackets are used to indicate changing, like in a play.

All in all, 'The Castle of Otranto' is a great novella, but it doesn't have a wide appeal. People who are used to contemporary gothic tales my found it very slow, but anyway, they should try and read, just to find out where it all began.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Broadview Edition of Horace Walpole's Castle of Otranto, April 9 2003

By

Frederick S. Frank (Meadville, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Castle of Otranto and the Mysterious Mother (Paperback)

Prospective buyers and users should take note that the Customer Reviews posted on Amazon.com are erroneous. They pertain to previous
editions of Walpole's Gothic novel and do not apply to the Broadview edition. A unique feature of the Broadview edition is the inclusion of Walpole's drama, The Mysterious Mother, sometimes mentioned by literary historians as the first Gothic drama. Thus, the user has at his disposal two important prototypes of the Gothic novel. Appendices include excerpts from Burke's treatise on the sublime, Hurd's Letters on Chivalry and Romance, the Graveyard poets, Hervey's Meditations Among the Tombs, Walpole's correspondence, and the eccentric architectural splendors of Strawberry Hill, Walpole's Gothicized villa on the Thames. I am the edition's editor, Frederick S. Frank, another fact omitted from the Amazon.com descriptor.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Well, It Should've Worked..., April 21 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Castle of Otranto: A Gothic Story (Paperback)

A high school English teacher, I assigned The Castle of Otranto to my 50 sophomores. They're a tough sell when it comes to books. (They're against them.) Still, I thought these kids might be interested in the one book that defined gothic horror, a genre much beloved by teenagers today. Forget it. They hated it. What was spooky to Walpole is hokum to youngsters who consider The Texas Chain-Saw Massacre one of the Ten Best Movies Ever Made. In desperation, I tried to teach the book as an example of 18th century camp, but campiness isn't a concept a 15 year old appreciates. Can 60 tenth-graders all be wrong? Yes, of course they're wrong. It should've worked, but it didn't. Next year, it's back to The Mayor of Casterbridge. That'll teach 'em to complain.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Gothic classic and a darn good read
Setting aside this work's importance as the first Gothic novel, it is also a terrific read. Some critics disparage the quality of the writing, but I find it eloquent and... Read more

Published on July 14 2006 by Daniel Jolley

5.0 out of 5 stars A Gothic classic and a darn good read
Setting aside this work's importance as the first Gothic novel, it is also a terrific read. Some critics disparage the quality of the writing, but I find it eloquent and... Read more

Published on Jun 15 2006 by Daniel Jolley