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The Castle of Otranto

by Horace Walpole

3.10 · rating details · 3,068 ratings · 367 reviews

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." Crammed with invention, entertainment, terror, and pathos, the novel was an immed...more

Paperback, 176 pages

Published July 16th 1998 by Oxford University Press, USA (first published January 1st 12)

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Best Gothic Books Of All Time

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Community Reviews

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Oct 31, 2011

Shovelmonkey1 rated it

Recommends it for: people who like falling millinery

Recommended to Shovelmonkey1 by: 1001 books list - bastards!

Shelves: 1001-books, bookcrossing-books, epic-snooze-fest, read-in-2010

WARNING: 1001 BOOK THAT THE WRITERS OF THE 1001 BOOKS LIST WANTED TO TORTURE YOU WITH BEFORE YOU DIE

(NB do not assume that said death will be unrelated to the reading of this book.... boredom kills, people.)

This book is very Shakespearian in style and therefore metaphorically and allegorically weighty despite being such a short, light paperback book. I was suckered into reading this because it was a short read. You know how it is, on a whim sometime ago (Christmas 2009), ...moreWARNING: 1001 BOOK THAT THE WRITERS OF THE 1001 BOOKS LIST WANTED TO TORTURE YOU WITH BEFORE YOU DIE

(NB do not assume that said death will be unrelated to the reading of this book.... boredom kills, people.)

This book is very Shakespearian in style and therefore metaphorically and allegorically weighty despite being such a short, light paperback book. I was suckered into reading this because it was a short read. You know how it is, on a whim sometime ago (Christmas 2009), you manfully pledge to read all the books on the 1001 books to read before you die list. Like a premature New Years resolution for self betterment, but instead of chucking in the booze or fags (that's cigarettes to you folks in the US of A), you decide to acquire an expensive habit rather than giving one up. Many books later and you decide to pseudo-cheat your way to a higher number of 1001 books by picking the shortest books off the list and think yourself clever for doing so.... uh huh.... not so much as it turns out because as with Don DeLillos The Body Artist and The Castle of Otranto, that kind of tactical stratagem of 1001 book cherry picking will come back to bite you on the arse good style.

To say that this book can be difficult to read in places is probably a moderate understatement. My Ye Olde Lingo ear/eye is totally out having abandoned this kind of book after A-Level English Lit was mercifully behind me, so it was like being plunged back into curriculum reading again but without the benefits of a young unscrambled mind to back it up.

First off, weird things happen. Big helmets fall on people. Why? Absolutely no idea. Novel way to kill off someone though I must admit... falling millinery is not an obvious weapon of choice. The rest of the book is more serious. Was the helmet not comedy? Oh.

Mostly I enjoyed the fact that the female characters were very much at the centre of the plot which must have been unusual for the period in which the book was written, although admittedly, it is more the state of their emotions, particularly towards their men-folk which puts them at the heart of this rather than their own characters and motivations. Their lives are dictated by the men around them (most of whom some to be self serving, self aggrandising and unfaithful!).

Manfred gets extra evil baddie points for trying to trade in his wife for a younger model with the rather rubbish excuse that he's only doing it with the country's best interests at heart! Mostly I felt that I'd have enjoyed this more if someone would write this as a screen play and present it in the style of a Carry-On film. I don't know why but it just had that sort of feel to it.

Overall a fairly slog-worthy read. You might find yourself hoping to get squashed by a giant helmet just to put you out of your misery.
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Jan 27, 2010

Elizabeth rated it

Shelves: in-by-of-england, reviewed, revenge-of-the-goths, boston-janeites, feeling-enlightened

Horace Walpole has inspired me to dance! Woo-Hoo! I finished his book! Yes! Party! Where’s the sangria?

There is something about the eighteenth century Gothics that really make you want to celebrate when you’re through with them. I think it’s the sheer absurdity of them. To the modern reader, this stuff doesn’t make any sense, but to a contemporary? That’s what fascinates me. I’m baffled, repelled, and drawn to it. What readers would have enjoyed this book (and, readers, let me tell y...more

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May 15, 2010

K.D. rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Jzhunagev (who loves horror genre)

Recommended to K.D. by: 501 Must Read Books and 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die

Shelves: 1001-core, 501, gothic

Somewhere in north of England. Between the era of the first crusade, 1095 and 1243, the date of the last. In a old castle called the Otranto. The story opened with the Conrad, 15-y/o son and only heir of Otranto's prince, Manfred was killed by the helmet of a statue of the previous prince Alfonso. On that day, Conrad was about to marry Princess Isabelle. With no other heir and to save his lordship, Manfred thought of divorcing his wife, Hipollita and offered himself to be Isabelle's husband. The...moreSomewhere in north of England. Between the era of the first crusade, 1095 and 1243, the date of the last. In a old castle called the Otranto. The story opened with the Conrad, 15-y/o son and only heir of Otranto's prince, Manfred was killed by the helmet of a statue of the previous prince Alfonso. On that day, Conrad was about to marry Princess Isabelle. With no other heir and to save his lordship, Manfred thought of divorcing his wife, Hipollita and offered himself to be Isabelle's husband. The latter refused and what went next was like a hide-and-seek game in a gothic and scary castle of Otranto.

First published in 1764 (200 years before I was born), this novel is considered as the FIRST true gothic fiction. According to Wikipedia, Gothic fiction (sometimes referred to as Gothic horror) is a genre of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. Just having a chance to have read the first book that started the genre is just amazing. If not for this novel, there would have not been the more popular works by Bram Stoker, Daphne de Maurier or my favorite Edgar Allan Poe.

This is Mr. Walpole's only novel. The book is short (115 pages) and fast-paced. There is just a lengthy introduction and two prefaces (1st and 2nd editions). What struck me was the knowledge that, afraid that this genre would not sell, Mr. Walpole lied that this was a manuscript found in an ancient library of a catholic family (translation: that he did not write it). In the other edition, perhaps the first printing was a success, he said that the whole story was his dream or hallucination. If only he would knew that after more than 200 years, people would still be reading his book as it is part of the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, 501 Must Read Books, etc. After all, it started a genre. How many books can claim to have started a new genre?

There is a statement somewhere not to read this book at night as it is guaranteed to keep you aware and scared. However, maybe I am too old for that and the El Nino heat is stronger to keep you awake than having nightmares. (less)

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Feb 28, 2009

Peter added it

Taken out of historical context, The Castle of Otranto is a fun escape into knights, maidens, curses, magic, dynasties, rivalries, and terror. It was, as Horace Walpole argued in one of his introductions, an attempt to establish a new gothic style of writing. In this way, the novel is a comic thriller. It presents realistic reactions to imaginary actions, and it injects comedy to counter to grim tragedy.

But taken in historical context, the novel seems to respond to formative event...more

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Sep 01, 2007

A. rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: people who love thinking or saying, "Uh...wtf?"

Good old Horace Walpole. Like any literary figure, historians are niggling over the "is he or isn't he" details, but why isn't anyone looking into his freakish obsession with Gothic castles? His goal: "I am going to build a little Gothic castle at Strawberry Hill", and he asked his friends for any fragments of old painted glass, armour, or anything. And thus was born Strawberry Hill, the baby Castle of Otranto.

Otranto (the book) came from that foggy time when nove...more

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Jun 07, 2008

Ben Debus rated it

Having spent three years in Bloomington getting drunk with fiction writers, I feel that I came dangerously close to losing my ability to appreciate trash. But, thankfully, not so! _The Castle of Otranto_, by Horace Walpole, is not only trash, but ground-breaking, historical, trend-setting trash. It is lauded as the first Gothic novel in English (published, anonymously at first, in 1764). And what a remarkable heap of words it is!

_The Castle of Otranto_ is preposterous, both in co...more

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Feb 25, 2008

The Fza rated it

· review of another edition

Recommended to The Fza by: Charrolee thompson

Shelves: classics, favorites

I LOVE THIS BOOK!

I was given this book to read with the preface, "I was not a fan, but I have a feeling you'd like this." And all of a sudden I was in an old world made new... to me.

The Castle of Otranto has a history as interesting and strange as the tale w/in it's pages. Know as the first Gothic Novel (Gothic fiction is a genre of literature that combines horror, romance and mystery offset by elements of fantasy), the book was purported to be a translation b...more

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Feb 02, 2011

Bill Kerwin rated it

Shelves: 18th-c-brit, gothic, weird-fiction, decadents-dandies

This granddaddy of all Gothics is still worth a read. It has its flaws, but Walpole's style is crisp and economical, and the book itself is mercifully brief. Manfred possesses all the important features of the classic gothic hero that Mrs. Radcliffe and others would later use to great advantage, and the initial scenes--particularly the surrealistic tableau of Udolpho's heir flattened by a gigantic helmet and the exciting sequence of Isabella's flight through the castle's subterranean darkness-...more

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Jun 03, 2011

Moon 佛月球 Будда Луны rated it

· review of another edition

A SPECTRE OF FATE [An Ominous Prophecy? As The Past Devours The Future Through The Pure Present]

The Present is the result of Past Events that move towards a Definite Future.

Highlighted by the presence of superior forces, apparition of ghosts, the culmination of an ominous prophecy and a protagonist about to succumb to his demise, the perusal of THE CASTLE OF OTRANTO is like a Greek drama unfolding. As Greek tragedies seem to be the blueprint of Horace Walpole to create th...moreA SPECTRE OF FATE [An Ominous Prophecy? As The Past Devours The Future Through The Pure Present]

The Present is the result of Past Events that move towards a Definite Future.

Highlighted by the presence of superior forces, apparition of ghosts, the culmination of an ominous prophecy and a protagonist about to succumb to his demise, the perusal of THE CASTLE OF OTRANTO is like a Greek drama unfolding. As Greek tragedies seem to be the blueprint of Horace Walpole to create this Gothic novel.

In Murakami's Kafka on the Shore, Oshima elucidates the basic motif of Greek tragedies that appeal to men of any generation. Man doesn't choose fate. Fate chooses man.
It depicts the life of man as a result of destiny conspiring with circumstances, of superior forces mapping out the path of man, the utter absence of choice and the inevitable presence of fate, that man appears to be powerless to fight against what nature has designated for him.

Oshima also states that the pure present is just an ungraspable advance of the past devouring the future thus reality looks like only an accumulation of ominous prophecies come to life.

It shows us that there is no point of resisting the inconspicuous hands of nature, to resist is to summon a cataclysmic event to fall, but to adhere to it, is to surrender completely in sublimeness, aligning oneself to the goodness of all.

Walpole seems to have been inspired by this same notion as it appears the most prevalent theme in his work, as his characters appear to be unconsciously guided by that invisible power that hides in the form of coincidence.

The descriptive style is concise and compressed as he blends mysterious elements in the oracular nature of his narration thus captivating the audience and heightening their interest in the very beginning which denotes vividly an impending culmination of an ominous prophecy about to fall on the house of Manfred. The prophetic sound of the omniscient narrator seems to be the tone of destiny itself, as it gives clues to Manfred's inability to run away from his designated future. It seems that the more he run away from it, the more it catches up with him.

As if to say, what should be, must be.

What God has written in stone, let no man asunder. 月亮 луна(less)

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Feb 17, 2011

Milena March rated it

The Otranto Observer:

Prince Gets Squashed by Giant Airborne Helmet! Full News on Page Six!
Lord of Otranto Says - "Sorry, the Castle Ain't Mine!"
FULL Interview with Covergirl Isabella - "He was Never the One for Me!"
Love Advice from Star-Struck Pair! Theodore and Matilda Tell All - How YOU Can Find True Love in Just Ten Seconds!
Jerome and Hippolita's 'Faithful's Corner': Why Entering a Monastery's the Only Way to Go!
The Commoner's Chr...more

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Jul 09, 2010

Suzanne rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: gothic, on-my-bookcase

Despite reading like an overly-dramatic soap opera, I found Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto incredibly entertaining! Walpole had no idea what he was starting when he wrote this novel! He really set the bar for Gothic novels (I'm not saying it wasn't an easy standard to overcome because others after him surely did it better.) There's something to be said though for starting a trend that allowed authors to comment on society, religion, and class without ever really commenting on any of t...more

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Feb 09, 2012

Helen added it · review of another edition

Shelves: novel

First published in 1764, this is widely acknowledged as the first 'gothic novel'. It's a slim book (just over 100 pages) but it's absolutely action-packed. Manfred is as black-hearted a villain as one could wish for, Theodore the archetypal 'noble peasant' who later turns out to have royal blood. Bad things happen to Manfred the usurper: his only son is sickly and is killed on the eve of his wedding; Manfred is unwittingly the agent of his daughter Matilda's death, when he mistakes her for Isabe...more

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Feb 17, 2009

Lizzy rated it

Recommends it for: Lovers of Gothic literature.

Shelves: reviewed, gothic, own

Manfred, the prince of Otranto, is continuously haunted by a prophecy foretelling the demise of his family and the loss of his title, which his ancestors obtained in a less than honorable way. In desperation, he is determined to marry his fifteen-year-old son, Conrad, to the beautiful daughter of a man who has a more legitimate claim to Otranto than Manfred does, in hopes that this will prevent the horrific prophecy from being fulfilled. However, on the very day that the wedding is to take place...more

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Dec 22, 2011

Tokidoki Zenzen rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: horror or gothic romance fans looking to expand their literary horizons

Despite its stature as the first recognized gothic novel, I can honestly say it's not that great a read. However, it's short and historically important to the genre, so I do recommend it to fans of horror or gothic romance who wish to be well rounded in their literary studies. That's my two cents; I feel that Clara Reeve's review, written a few years later in the introduction of her own gothic novel, The Old English Baron, covers the basics and still rings true:

The Castle of Otranto

...moreDespite its stature as the first recognized gothic novel, I can honestly say it's not that great a read. However, it's short and historically important to the genre, so I do recommend it to fans of horror or gothic romance who wish to be well rounded in their literary studies. That's my two cents; I feel that Clara Reeve's review, written a few years later in the introduction of her own gothic novel, The Old English Baron, covers the basics and still rings true:

The Castle of Otranto [is] a work which, as already has been observed, is an attempt to unite the various merits and graces of the ancient Romance and modern Novel. To attain this end, there is required a sufficient degree of the marvellous, to excite the attention; enough of the manners of real life, to give an air of probability to the work; and enough of the pathetic, to engage the heart in its behalf.

The book we have mentioned is excellent in the two last points, but has a redundancy in the first; the opening excites the attention very strongly; the conduct of the story is artful and judicious; the characters are admirably drawn and supported; the diction polished and elegant; yet, with all these brilliant advantages, it palls upon the mind (though it does not upon the ear); and the reason is obvious, the machinery is so violent, that it destroys the effect it is intended to excite. Had the story been kept within the utmost verge of probability, the effect had been preserved, without losing the least circumstance that excites or detains the attention.

For instance; we can conceive, and allow of, the appearance of a ghost; we can even dispense with an enchanted sword and helmet; but then they must keep within certain limits of credibility: A sword so large as to require an hundred men to lift it; a helmet that by its own weight forces a passage through a court-yard into an arched vault, big enough for a man to go through; a picture that walks out of its frame; a skeleton ghost in a hermit's cowl: —When your expectation is wound up to the highest pitch, these circumstances take it down with a witness, destroy the work of imagination, and, instead of attention, excite laughter. I was both surprised and vexed to find the enchantment dissolved, which I wished might continue to the end of the book; and several of its readers have confessed the same disappointment to me: The beauties are so numerous, that we cannot bear the defects, but want it to be perfect in all respects.

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Dec 07, 2011

CheshRCat rated it

Shelves: period-gothic, absolute-favorites

This was one of the first gothics I tried to read, one or two years ago. I couldn't get through it. I returned to it, expecting a terrific slog, but now that I've done Udolpho and others of its ilk, Otranto was practically like Sophie Kinsella. To my surprise I had polished it off in a matter of days.

Notes:
Poor Conrad. Poor, poor Conrad. What was your offence, again? Were you a murderer? Did you chase after young virgins? No. You were just inclined to be sickly. So you had to ...more

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Nov 15, 2011

Juan David rated it

It is not a very interesting book. The beginning is very interesting because of the extraordinary events of an armored giant's helmet smashing a character into pieces. Very complex novel because of the archaic writing.

Though yet a long way from the Industrial Revolutions in the 19th and 20th centuries throughout Europe, “The Castle of Otranto” paints itself not only as one of the primary foundational works of Gothic Literature, but it clearly depicts sentiments akin to that of the Go...moreIt is not a very interesting book. The beginning is very interesting because of the extraordinary events of an armored giant's helmet smashing a character into pieces. Very complex novel because of the archaic writing.

Though yet a long way from the Industrial Revolutions in the 19th and 20th centuries throughout Europe, “The Castle of Otranto” paints itself not only as one of the primary foundational works of Gothic Literature, but it clearly depicts sentiments akin to that of the Gothic genre. As a result, the giant becomes a central aspect drawing the discourse between religion and science, god and mankind. It tells us of a society constantly desiring to be as grand and powerful as the armored giant, a society that has cursed itself by trying to resemble or substitute god, a society crushed by its own creation. This is highly important because it allows the reader to recognize as well the fact that in the depiction of this giant against the whole castellated backdrop, it emboldens the presence of another more idyllic reality—not of damsels or knights—but of peasants (Theodore).

It is important to note as well how the giant comes in parts, telling us how much humans are never complete without heavenly intervention. The fact that it comes in five parts, 1) the giant helmet; 2) the giant foot and leg; 3) the giant sword; 4) the giant hand; 5) the giant self—symbolizes this aspect as well. Five is the symbol of harmony, meaning it is only heavenly interventions which brings harmony to earthly troubles. The fact that it comes in parts also brings into questions the human nature; the fact that the armored giant, a heavenly figure, is composed of five parts, just as we are made up of five fingers, five senses, five members (two arms, two legs, and the head)—it makes the reader wonder whether the armored giant is a projection of mankind, or mankind a projection of the armored giant. In the end it seems to preach a desire of nature—the castle as this dark entity harboring the seeds of sin, and the forest on the other hand as a protective force against the evils of ‘technology.’ (less)

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Nov 01, 2011

Christy Ford rated it

Recommends it for: Those who geek out on the orgins of modern genres

In the preface, the author states that this book is an experiment in blending the fantastical elements of classic myths with modern character development. Now, 'modern' has to be taken with a bit of context: This was written in the 1700s. It was considered classic literature by the authors Jane Austen considered classic literature.*

That said, it's surprisingly fresh. The closest thing I can compare this to stylistically is Shakespeare, but it's a much easier read, so that's not entirel...more

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Oct 13, 2011

La Stamberga dei Lettori rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: sakura87

Mentre si stanno per celebrare le nozze tra Corrado, figlio del principe Manfredo, e Isabella, figlia del marchese di Vicenza, i servi accorrono ad annunciare una disgrazia: Corrado è morto, schiacciato da un enorme elmo di cui nessuno sa spiegarsi l'esistenza. Manfredo, terrorizzato, ricollega l'elmo a una profezia che da sempre grava sulla sua testa: perderà il castello quando "l'autentico possessore sarà diventato troppo grande per abitarvi". Si affretta dunque a convocare Isabella,...more

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May 29, 2011

Johnny rated it

Shelves: fantasy, horror

Finding this classic fantasy novel in eBook format was a delightful discovery. I had a vague impression that it was a gothic ghost story. When I first began reading it, it felt more like a medieval fantasy. In fact, if there hadn’t been all the foreshadowing of a haunting and a prophecy hanging over the necks of the current lords of Castle Otranto much like a guillotine over a noble’s head in Revolutionary France, I might have expected more swordplay. As it was, more of the fencing was done with...moreFinding this classic fantasy novel in eBook format was a delightful discovery. I had a vague impression that it was a gothic ghost story. When I first began reading it, it felt more like a medieval fantasy. In fact, if there hadn’t been all the foreshadowing of a haunting and a prophecy hanging over the necks of the current lords of Castle Otranto much like a guillotine over a noble’s head in Revolutionary France, I might have expected more swordplay. As it was, more of the fencing was done with words and plotting/counterplotting than took place with weapons. In fact, the

Indeed, when the powerful lord named Manfred (based on the Sicilian holder of the “real” Castle Otranto?) realizes that his only son has died in a bizarre and inexplicable accident and with him the tenuous hold on Manfred’s demesne (tenuous because of the threat of the aforementioned prophecy), he tries desperately to hang onto his holding by plotting to marry his son’s intended—much to the horror of the intended, of course. The fact that Manfred is already married doesn’t seem to faze him as he is certain the church will help him find a loophole in order to annul his current marriage (especially if Hippolita (the existing wife) is willing to retire to a nunnery (presumably the authentic kind as opposed to Hamlet’s vulgar jape at Ophelia in the “Danish Play”)).

In a scene right out of Dungeons & Dragons, Isabella (Manfred’s once-intended daughter-in-law and now victim of less age-appropriate intent) attempts to run away. As she wanders in panic through the lesser-known areas of the castle, she encounters a mysterious young man and begs for his help. The young man, who bears a striking resemblance to some of the pre-existing artwork in the castle, helps Isabella escape through (you guessed it) a secret passage that connects the castle and the sanctuary of the church.

At this point, it appears that Hippolita will acquiesce to Manfred’s vile plans for dissolution of the marriage and her retreat to a convent. But that’s when incredibly convenient events occur that would strain the credulity of the most avid pulp reader or viewer of daytime dramas (heaven forfend, I almost called them “soap operas”). At this point, the mistaken identity scene(s) appear. When a knight arrives from a distant kingdom like a deus ex machine to rescue Isabella from Manfred’s plot, the rescuer is killed by the virgin’s current protector. The irony of this event is even more strained when you discover the identity of the foreign knight, but I’ll hold back the overt spoiler.

By this time, Manfred is in a panic. Thinking Isabella’s affections have been alienated (even though they were never his to begin with), he takes matters into his own hand and commits a virgin sacrifice that proves to be most unexpected. Again, there is a mistaken identity here and there is an irony upon which I will refrain from commenting.

If the results weren’t so tragic, these scenes of mistaken identity could well be taken right out of a Marx Brothers comedy. But they aren’t funny and they aren’t the last events that prove far too convenient to keep from interrupting one’s suspension of disbelief. A mysterious haunting occurs, far too short-lived to be the major key to the plot that it is. For me (perhaps, jaded by modern fare where so much horror is shown to us and spelled out), it seemed far too short to have been worth the effort.

At least, however, the obvious foreshadowing about the true heir of Otranto held true and the denouement proves reasonable rather than offering a false happily ever after.
I’m glad I read the book, but it won’t send me scrambling for other 18th century gothic novels. I think I’ll indulge myself in a little more elaborate pay-off in my leisure reading. I don’t need the mental special effects budget of today’s FX-packed movies, but I would at least like something a little closer to Outer Limits or Twilight Zone in my fantasy-horror escapes.
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May 07, 2011

Nicole rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: 18th Century literature buffs, Gothic Novel origin-hunters, and the curious~

Recommended to Nicole by: Jack Lynch

Shelves: education

This was a book that definitely holds its own as a classic piece that led to the eventual changes in the novel during the 18th Century. While it wouldn't, and frankly doesn't, stand up to the novels written today, especially in the genre of "horror" for which this book was originally intended to explore, as a mixture of the former and the author's desire to include in the old epic tales of gallantry associated often with the middle ages, it begs to be seen as the first attempt to bring...moreThis was a book that definitely holds its own as a classic piece that led to the eventual changes in the novel during the 18th Century. While it wouldn't, and frankly doesn't, stand up to the novels written today, especially in the genre of "horror" for which this book was originally intended to explore, as a mixture of the former and the author's desire to include in the old epic tales of gallantry associated often with the middle ages, it begs to be seen as the first attempt to bring about a revolutionary change in the way we perceive the novel even up until today.

Once you know the history of the time in which it was written, this story, while tedious and a little dull throughout, can hold one's fascination simply by its existence. It was the attempt of the author to bring about, in the second half of an age focused completely on everyday lives of the middle class as the sole source of believable tales in novel writing, a taste of that old fantasy that people wrote off in this time period as something not even children's heads should be filled with--for they were too fanciful and should not cloud the human mind.

Seeing an author, who lied all the way through the book, but nonetheless attempted to bring back a sense of that old allure for the fantastical, strikes a note in the readers who compare this work of fiction to others like 'Pamela' or Johnathan Swift's 'Gulliver's Travels.' The authors of these novels sought to imitate real life or comment on the absurdity of the false tales being written as truths in the 18th Century. And while Walpole's story here is yet another of those written lies, published as truth, it nonetheless was one of the signs of a changing mindset in the writing and reading world; a world that was slowly allowing themselves to fall once more into rapture with tales of fantasy and outlandish impossibility.

While many people will definitely find this a tiring, almost droll read, and won't believe or humor the author's work for an instant, for those who would look at it as a landmark amongst the changing times in the 18th Century, it's an almost fascinating read: a book to be read to be able to say, "Yes! I -have- read that!" Otherwise... *Chuckles* It's not the greatest tale in the world and by no means should be considered such. I would definitely not advise you to invest in this book until you have attempted a read-through of it. It's a one-timer that's not as much as waste of time, because it -does- have its charms in its ridiculousness, but for the impatient, I would recommend you try it out even if it doesn't seem all that impressive. It is, after all, rather short. Why not take a shot?! It's an adventure! Silly throughout almost every moment, except for the rare few that hold some sense of serious, thought-provoking lines or conversations, but not a bad read altogether. The characters come off as mostly flat, but have their instances of delightful intelligence, and the plot is enough to carry you through the read, if not exactly a page-turner. In short, give it a try. It's a nice way to expand your horizons and doesn't take up too much of your time either.(less)

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Apr 18, 2011

Jenn rated it

This work is considered the first gothic novel in the English language; its supernatural happenings and mysterious ambiance were widely emulated in the genre. 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 interventio...more

· see review

Mar 02, 2011

Doug rated it

Alright, so in my opinion this book started out at a solid one star and ended somewhere around a seven.

The story is great, and even though it said somewhere in the preface that Walpole was very impressionable to Shakespeare, it feels original and, eventually, engaging--Literally, just about the time you get sick of hearing the narrator go on, a giant helmet falls from the sky and kills the sickly prince. It's the great twists that saved this book for me.

My biggest issues ...more

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May 02, 2010

Yngvild rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: gothic

Golly, that was fun. The plot and over-the-top language make The Castle of Otranto just sufficiently absurd to keep the comedy front and centre stage, more Monty Python or Mervyn Peake than Nora Roberts. The young prince squashed by a giant helmet in the first few pages is still one of the funniest scenes in literature.

Many writers have tried unsuccessfully to copy or satirise The Castle of Otranto. What Horace Walpole did that these second-liners missed is provide a decent story wr...more

like 2 likes

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Oct 24, 2011

Rob rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: public-library

Few books can claim to be more influential. The Castle of Otranto is generally recognised as the first Gothic Novel, and as such its influence can be seen everywhere - in Gothic Novels themselves from Castle Rackrent to Dracula, in the historical romances of Sir Walter Scott, in the Sensation Novels of the 1860's. Hammer Horror films of the 20th Century are direct descendants, as is the current fad for everything vampire-related. Even Jane Austen in Northanger Abbey and Emily Bronte in Wuthering...moreFew books can claim to be more influential. The Castle of Otranto is generally recognised as the first Gothic Novel, and as such its influence can be seen everywhere - in Gothic Novels themselves from Castle Rackrent to Dracula, in the historical romances of Sir Walter Scott, in the Sensation Novels of the 1860's. Hammer Horror films of the 20th Century are direct descendants, as is the current fad for everything vampire-related. Even Jane Austen in Northanger Abbey and Emily Bronte in Wuthering Heights demonstrate its all-pervasive influence.

Yet the book itself is almost unreadable.

On the day of his wedding to Isabella, Conrad the son of Manfred is dashed to pieces under a giant falling helmet which has appeared from nowhere. A peasant called Theodore observes that the helmet is like that on the statue of the former prince Alonso, for which Manfred imprisons Theodore under the helmet. Fortunately the point of the helmet digs a hole in the ground through which Theodore can escape into the subterranean passages under the Castle. Meanwhile Manfred tries to ensure his dynastic succession by announcing that he will divorce his saintly wife and marry the now-available Isabella, who is not enamoured of this prospect.

What would become in time the clichés of the genre are met here first - the evil ruler who must have his way, the virtuous princess, the peasant who is really a prince, the prophesy of destruction of the family, thunder and lightning, inexplicable events...All fine in their place. Unfortunately, they are thrown together here in a completely indigestible mass. The falling helmet and the giant limbs are too silly for words. There is not a character who isn't a parody, who doesn't act in a predictable manner, there is no coherent plot but what is seemingly a stream-of-consciousness string of incomprehensible events.

One must give credit to Horace Walpole for putting together such an original work in the first place - but one must also give him credit for knowing when to stop as this was the only book that he ever wrote.(less)

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Aug 29, 2011

Maria Salinas rated it

This, as far as gothic novels go is very forgiving to the readers who are faint of heart. Walpole understood very well his audience at the time of this story's original publication in England, hiwever for readers of horror stories now adays will feel disappointed to find that the scariest thing that happens is a giant helmet falling out of nowhere.
That being said, I have to admit that this novel was actually very entertaining and enticing for me. To bring this into perspective, however, it...more

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Oct 27, 2011

Roger rated it

This book was a happy surprise on several levels. Credited as the origin of the Gothhic Novel, it gives a very Enlightenment Era, smooth and urbane start to the genre. The gothic elements terrify people in the story, but they have a concrete (literally, since they sometimes smash through stone floors, etc.)aspect that is reminiscent, slightly, of magic realism.

I particularly like the appearance of the gigantic body parts, evidently too huge for anyone to fully get a glimplse of the ...more

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Nov 22, 2010

Kate rated it

This book is said to be the first gothic novel ever written. While it begins in a very gothic form, the story line kind of goes downhill the further it goes into events. It begins with the mysterious death of the son of a prince. What is most disappointing about his death is that we never learn how he dies. I guess it is just supposed to be left up to question. After that death and other weird turns of events, the story turns more into a chick novel than it does a gothic one. Two girls both like...more

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Apr 21, 2010

Slinkyboy rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 1001, scifi-fantasy

I really enjoyed this. It's so delightfully cheesy.
I’ll even admit to a developing a little mancrush on Theodore, at least at the beginning.

Check him out:

Manfred: Tell me truly; thy life depends on thy veracity.

Theodore: My veracity is dearer to me than my life, nor would I purchase the one by forfeiting the other.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Manfred: Tell me, audacious boy, who thou art, and ho...more

like 1 like

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Mar 28, 2011

Alison rated it

Shelves: gothic-faves, given-up, kindle

The original Gothic story!

Apparently, this book creeped out people back in its day. Considered to be spine-tingling, it was the chosen ghost story to read by candlelight on dark and stormy nights. Sadly, we're too hardened in this era to find Walpole's ideas the least bit scary. How do you go from something has chilling as, say, The Shining to Otranto with its paintings with moving eyes and hidden passageways and giants...yes, giants.

After abandoning this book three quart...more

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Jan 29, 2012

Elizabeth rated it

Shelves: 2012-end-of-the-world-challenge

If you take this book for what it is-- the original Gothic novel-- and realize that it was a ground-breaking new type of literature, then you will appreciate it.

Any book that starts with a death from a huge helmet is one that I want to read. I know that sounds silly, but I love the mix of the supernatural and the melodrama that Gothic literature brings to the table. Manfred as the villain with a heart called to mind other pieces of Gothic literature I have read. Seeing the origins o...more

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About Horace Walpole

Horatio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford, was an English art historian, man of letters, antiquarian and politician. He is now largely remembered for Strawberry Hill, the home he built in Twickenham, south-west London where he revived the Gothic style some decades before his Victorian successors, and for his Gothic novel, The Castle of Otranto. Along with the book, his literary reputation rests on his L...more

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“I can forgive injuries, but never benefits.” — 4 people liked it

“The gentle maid, whose hapless tale,
these melancholy pages speak;
say, gracious lady, shall she fail
To draw the tear a down from thy cheek?” — 2 people liked it

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