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il0v3reading01's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
amarrymeinbostonacademic's review against another edition
4.0
I only read The Castle of Otranto for my class but what a wild ride!
This immediately reminded me of Shelley's Zastrozzi, but because Otranto is the older text, it's likely that Shelley was inspired by Walpole. Otranto was published in 1764 so it's totally possible that it also inspired Zastrozzi, which Shelley wrote in 1810. I wouldn't be surprised if Byron's poem Manfred was also related to this story, despite not having read Manfred. I just saw that the title also happened be the same as the name of Walpole's villain.
This is pretty out there. If you like over the top, dramatic, and things flying out of nowhere, then you will like The Castle of Otranto. It's one of the first real Gothic horrors; even if it's less famous than Frankenstein or Dracula, it helped establish the genre and inspire many talented writers who came after it (I personally think Shelley and Byron are among them).
Manfred, an evil prince, is trying to get his sickly son Conrad to marry Isabella, a maiden whose missing father holds the rightful title to the kingdom. But before Conrad can marry Isabella, a massive helmet falls from the sky, killing Conrad. Manfred then plots to marry Isabella himself despite the fact that he is already married to Hippolita, who is Conrad and Matilda's mother. Isabella briefly escapes Manfred by hiding in his castle's vast dungeon. Manfred works then to persuade Hippolita to divorce him (he doesn't really need to persuade her since she basically does whatever he says- which is problematic to say the least) while he has his servants looking for Isabella. Manfred and his servants are haunted by a cast of ghosts throughout the novel whom spell out a prophecy of doom for the evil Manfred.
If you like Shakespeare plays, this book is in a similar style but in the novella form. Shakespeare has a lot of "mistaken identity" incidences for both comedic and tragic purposes. Walpole uses these both where Matilda is mistaken twice for Isabella by different characters in the novella.
The only thing that threw me when reading this is that this story takes place in the middle ages (Manfred and some of the other male characters are knights as well as princes or nobility). I kept picturing them in the 1700s rather than in the middle ages for the first chapter at least. They don't talk about chivalry or really get into medieval courtly life and rankings until much later in the story.
For such an old story, I think it did a decent job of vilifying Manfred's obsession with begetting heirs (to the point where he nearly harms Isabella). Walpole makes the girls' fears of having to marry men they don't want to extremely easy to sympathize with, which I wasn't expecting given the time period he was writing from.
I gave this novella four stars! It's a bit all over the place and the dialogue might be hard to follow if you don't pay attention (there's no quotations to separate character's speech from the narration). But if you like Shakespeare and you like Gothic Horror, and you can tolerate (or even enjoy) ridiculous theatrics, you will probably enjoy Walpole's The Castle of Otranto.
This immediately reminded me of Shelley's Zastrozzi, but because Otranto is the older text, it's likely that Shelley was inspired by Walpole. Otranto was published in 1764 so it's totally possible that it also inspired Zastrozzi, which Shelley wrote in 1810. I wouldn't be surprised if Byron's poem Manfred was also related to this story, despite not having read Manfred. I just saw that the title also happened be the same as the name of Walpole's villain.
This is pretty out there. If you like over the top, dramatic, and things flying out of nowhere, then you will like The Castle of Otranto. It's one of the first real Gothic horrors; even if it's less famous than Frankenstein or Dracula, it helped establish the genre and inspire many talented writers who came after it (I personally think Shelley and Byron are among them).
Manfred, an evil prince, is trying to get his sickly son Conrad to marry Isabella, a maiden whose missing father holds the rightful title to the kingdom. But before Conrad can marry Isabella, a massive helmet falls from the sky, killing Conrad. Manfred then plots to marry Isabella himself despite the fact that he is already married to Hippolita, who is Conrad and Matilda's mother. Isabella briefly escapes Manfred by hiding in his castle's vast dungeon. Manfred works then to persuade Hippolita to divorce him (he doesn't really need to persuade her since she basically does whatever he says- which is problematic to say the least) while he has his servants looking for Isabella. Manfred and his servants are haunted by a cast of ghosts throughout the novel whom spell out a prophecy of doom for the evil Manfred.
If you like Shakespeare plays, this book is in a similar style but in the novella form. Shakespeare has a lot of "mistaken identity" incidences for both comedic and tragic purposes. Walpole uses these both where Matilda is mistaken twice for Isabella by different characters in the novella.
The only thing that threw me when reading this is that this story takes place in the middle ages (Manfred and some of the other male characters are knights as well as princes or nobility). I kept picturing them in the 1700s rather than in the middle ages for the first chapter at least. They don't talk about chivalry or really get into medieval courtly life and rankings until much later in the story.
For such an old story, I think it did a decent job of vilifying Manfred's obsession with begetting heirs (to the point where he nearly harms Isabella). Walpole makes the girls' fears of having to marry men they don't want to extremely easy to sympathize with, which I wasn't expecting given the time period he was writing from.
I gave this novella four stars! It's a bit all over the place and the dialogue might be hard to follow if you don't pay attention (there's no quotations to separate character's speech from the narration). But if you like Shakespeare and you like Gothic Horror, and you can tolerate (or even enjoy) ridiculous theatrics, you will probably enjoy Walpole's The Castle of Otranto.
ireney5's review against another edition
4.0
Review is only for "The Mysterious Mother" - 4 stars for a brief, but chilling play that is never slow-paced and has a fantastic ending.
lawrenceevalyn's review
4.0
It was lovely to revisit Otranto after I had so much more familiarity with the Gothic! The Mysterious Mother was a fascinating play -- much more traditional than I had expected, really. Glad I read this, though I wasn't entirely impressed by Frank's scholarly apparatus.
ectoplasmjames's review
1.0
You know when people are like, Oh this is a classic, it kickstarted your favorite genre! so you're obligated to at least respect it but in your heart of hearts you know that it really, really sucks
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