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The Gothic Project - The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
Week 1 - Preface I & II, Chap I & II

Welcome to The Readers Review Gothic Project. The Castle of Otranto is almost always referred to as the first Gothic novel thereby creating a new genre. The elements in this book set the standard for the genre and has given birth to multiple subgenres that include Female Gothic, American & Southern Gothic, Gothic Romance, Gothic Horror, Gothic Revival, and Modern Gothic.

1) What is the purpose of the preface to the first edition? Why did Walpole then choose to write a second preface later? Is the purpose and function of the second preface the same as that of the first? If not, what is different?

2) Does Walpole attempt to lend his novel a sense of realism? Does the author betray himself in any way by referring to the novel, in the second preface, as a "romance"? Or is the word "romance" used for some particular purpose?

3) Although Manfred’s character may feel a little clichéd, remember that he was the original in a long line of Gothic tyrants. What about him seems familiar? In other words, what have others copied or drawn from his character?

4) Isabella becomes the object of much attention after Conrad's death. What do you think about Manfred’s behavior after Conrad died? Do you think him a tyrannical monster or do you feel any sympathy for his character?

5) Who do you think is the protagonist? Who is the "hero"? Is there a hero in the usual sense?

6) Did Theodore's parentage surprise you?

7) From what we've seen so far in what ways do the settings used in The Castle reflect the emotional states of the characters?

Walpole's certainly sets the standard for much of the Gothic literature to follow. Ghosts, superstition, tunnels, monks who are not what they first appear to be, damsels in distress - he hit it all. Manfred is a total villain so far. I understand that a male heir is important to him in order that his estate can remain in the family (I look forward to hearing the backstory there!), but to immediately make forceful overtures to his son's fiancée and to seek to overturn his marriage is not acceptable, even in the standards of earlier times. Also, he is more interested in finding someone to blame for his son's death and Isabella's flight than he is in determining the truth of what happened. His order to slay Theodore will probably be rescinded since Theodore has the makings of a hero, but the scenes with Theodore quickly establish the extent and unreasonableness of Manfred's temper.

Nancy wrote: "Walpole's certainly sets the standard for much of the Gothic literature to follow. Ghosts, superstition, tunnels, monks who are not what they first appear to be, damsels in distress - he hit it all..."

Great recap Nancy, I agree with everything you said. I admit I'm a bit worried about Theodore.

I'm just finishing Chapter 2. I'm not sure I'll be able to wait a week to continue! I'm finding this to be a page-turner.

Walpole certainly doesn’t let the grass grow under his feet! This story really gallops along. It was clear that Theodore was the hero from the time I read the list of characters—there was no other candidate. Only question is, will he get Matilda or Isabella? (My money’s on Matilda because that union would resolve the heir dilemma tidily.) The fact that he physically resembles Alfonso, who was the lord of the castle before Manfred’s family got hold of it, implies to me that Jerome and Theodore are Alfonso’s descendants and the helmet or casque that’s agitating so risibly about the courtyard is securing the return of the castle to its rightful owners.

I’m sorry, but the giant helmet with its black plumes just makes me giggle. Clearly it has to do with the prophecy that the castle and lordship of Otranto “should pass from the present family, whenever the real owner should be grown too large to inhabit it.�

This is more amusing than scary for me.

Abigail wrote: "This is more amusing than scary for me."

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I've giggled more than once while reading this. I'm not sure if it's the writing style or what but there you go.

Yes, between some of the giant stuff and purple prose and dialog, I've laughed a lot while reading this book too.

It’s an entertaining book. Some farfetched occurrences have to be expected to get the plot going. Interesting that this got a whole category of novels into motion. I have a few reservations about the „comic� subplots with the servants. I don’t necessarily think it adds anything to the story. From a current perspective it might be just a bit silly, but the readers at the time might have liked the lightening of the story line.
The „hero� is definitely Theodore, and it did not surprise me one bit that he is not just a simple peasant.
The romance here seems to be between Theodore and likely Isabella, the villain Manfred is not likely to prevail in the end.
I can’t say much about the preface, because my edition seems to have only one.
Looking forward to the continuation of this story.

This has been more fun than I thought it would be. As Abigail says, the story "gallops along."
Walpole's use of the novella length rather than the more typical 500 page length of novels such as The Italian results in a pace that enhances the fun and should, ,hopefully, save it from the redundancy and lulls present in The Italian.
As others commented, much of my fun is not the same fun as the contemporary readers' fun. What may have shocked and scared them makes us smile or chuckle.. But that's fine. And while the prose is often 'purple' it is also less stodgy than I anticipated. In fact, every aspect is better than I expected in a work with the very low GR rating of 3.18, possibly the lowest GR rating of any work I have read
At this point, the story is a good ensemble one. Yes, Theodore is the hero but he has had less' screen time' so far than Manfred, Matilda and maybe Isabella. I find myself not worrying about his possible death at Manfred's hand though because I'm pretty sure if he gets killed he'd still be around as a ghost to torment Manfred to his demise.

I’m using a kindle book. Mine does not have any prefaces. Definitely this book is melodramatic to a modern reader, but it was probably scary to readers of the time; especially since they never saw anything like it before.

My Kindle also did not have either Preface. I just read the 1st Edition Preface on Project Gutenberg.

In the 1st Edition Preface Walpole, among other things, claims to have found the manuscript in the library of an ancient Catholic family and states he is simply retelling the tale. In the 2nd Edition Preface, he admits he authored the story, which is fiction.

This story reminds me of a cartoon from the sixties, or even a silent comedy film from the twenties. I can almost hear the feverish soundtrack bowling along in the background whilst a variety of shocks, bangs and coincidental meetings take place.

I wondered if the idea to marry Isabella had just come into Manfred’s head , once the helmet had fallen on his son, or had he been lusting after her for some time, evil rogue that he was.

I couldn’t quite work out what the walking, talking, falling picture was about, except becoming a distraction so Isabella could escape. But was there more to it than that?

The subsequent attempted escape, chase, meeting up with the ‘peasant� in the dark and disappearing down a secret passage was more like the gothic ‘horror� I expected. By the way, the ‘secret passage� didn’t seem all that secret because everybody in the castle seemed to know about it.

Nevertheless, I will look forward eagerly to my next instalment of ‘Loony Toons� to conclude the story.

Brian E wrote: "In fact, every aspect is better than I expected in a work with the very low GR rating of 3.18, possibly the lowest GR rating of any work I have read"
I couldn't agree more. I don't often read books with less than an 3.75 rating because I've learned I don't generally enjoy them. I enjoyed this story it had mystery, suspense, and a bit of humor.

Trev wrote: "This story reminds me of a cartoon from the sixties, or even a silent comedy film from the twenties. I can almost hear the feverish soundtrack bowling along in the background whilst a variety of sh..."

You point out a couple of things I didn't notice...

I wondered if the idea to marry Isabella had just come into Manfred’s head , once the helmet had fallen on his son, or had he been lusting after her for some time, evil rogue that he was.

This never occurred to me, great catch.

By the way, the ‘secret passage� didn’t seem all that secret because everybody in the castle seemed to know about it.

You're right! lol It's not so secret if everyone knows.

I am now on it, too, as I have finally received my Penguin Classics edition.

The first chapters reminded me a little of a Shakespeare play: The comical servants, the maid and her mistress , the scene at the window with the stranger and the conversation with him in coordination with the maid.

I was surprised at the parentage of Theodore. I assume that he most probably become the hero of this tale considering his mysterious parentage and his similarities to Alfonso. As he had this special encounter with Mathilda , they might end up together

It is interesting to me that although clearly villainous from the beginning we have this paragraph:

‘Manfred was not one of those savage tyrants, who wanton in cruelty unprovoked. The circumstances of his fortune had given an asperity to his temper, which was naturally humane; and his virtues were always ready to operate, when his passions did not obscure his reason.�

It seems that Walpole at this point had in mind a slightly more complex character than merely the villain.

Karen wrote: "It is interesting to me that although clearly villainous from the beginning we have this paragraph:

‘Manfred was not one of those savage tyrants, who wanton in cruelty unprovoked. The circumstanc..."

I read Manfred as pretty one dimensional through most of the story. If Wolpole intended him to be more complex, he didn't write him that way, in my opinion.

Gem wrote: "Karen wrote: "It is interesting to me that although clearly villainous from the beginning we have this paragraph:

‘Manfred was not one of those savage tyrants, who wanton in cruelty unprovoked. T..."
I agree, perhaps Walpole had it in mind but didn’t pursue it?

I wonder if that was the narrator not so much the author trying to trick the reader or lull them into complacency about a characters attributes. on the other hand authors may change their minds themselves about the characters and plots. then theres the publishers and editors too...

Adria wrote: "on the other hand authors may change their minds themselves about the characters and plots. then theres the publishers and editors too..,"

That's true.

I’m reading a book about Gothic Literature alongside the novels and read this description of Manfred this morning which captures my thinking about his complexity. He is described as a ‘tormented tormentor, that strange composite of man, beast, and angel whose evil is heroically acceptable because it is on par with his remorse and Satanic despair.� The author goes further and says that it is because of this complexity that the reader is able to identify with him to some degree. They also say that this is what distinguishes the Gothic villain from the unidimensional villain of melodrama.

The other thing that the author says is that TCOO ushers comedy into the Gothic which is an essential part of its hybridity. Interesting idea. I’d ascribed the comedy to a difference in culture.

The book is History of the Gothic: Gothic Literature 1764 -1824.