A review by vampfang
The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole, Michael Gamer

3.0

to be honest, this book wasn't what i expected. as someone whose experience with gothic horror mainly stems from dracula, frankenstein, and some mid-1800s short stories, i was looking to read the foundation of the genre. however, to me this text bore little resemblance to its descendants. i found it to be more similar to a shakespearean tragedy (especially with walpole's constant references to shakespeare) than any sort of gothic text. i think the reason for this is that, unlike in other gothic tales, the supernatural elements really don't make up much of the story. i'd seen many people discussing how inspirational otranto is for its popularizing the familial curse and haunted house horror tropes, but these don't really fuel the story as they do in other gothic tales; instead, the story is more concerned with the line of succession and the familial drama that ensues. i didn't dislike it, and actually enjoyed the supernatural elements that are included (though with much more subtlety than i'm used to), plus it was a quick read, just not what i was expecting. maybe i'm reading it wrong, however.