The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole

The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole

The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole is considered the first gothic book. The first edition of the novel that is claimed to be an interpretation of a work published at Naples was printed in 1764 (Castle of Otranto). The Castle of Otranto is a tale of the prince of Otranto, Manfred, whose desire is to get a castle for his offsprings. The tale begins with the demise of Manfred’s son, Conrad, who loses his life on the morning of his wedding to Isabella after being crushed to death by a huge helmet from the sky. When Manfred realizes that his only heir is dead and that he and his wife can no longer give birth to sons, he swears to divorce his wife Hippolita, and marry Isabella so that he can continue with his lineage (Walpole 10). Manfred then approaches Isabella and tells her his intentions of having sons with her. Regardless of Isabella’s objection to his proposal, Manfred grabs her and tries to rape her, but luckily, she escapes through the hidden underground passage out of the castle and hides under Father Jerome’s protection (Castle of Otranto, by Horace Walpole).

The reason why The Castle of Otranto is considered a gothic novel is because of its realistic fiction with the paranormal and fantastical elements that display many plot devices and character-kinds that exhibit features of the Gothic. The setting of the novel takes place in a castle that has a mysterious past and a secret underground channel that leads to a church. Walpole’s novel also has gothic features like; tinny trapdoors, concealed identities, and helpless heroines escaping from men with wicked intentions.

Works Cited

“The Castle of Otranto, by Horace Walpole.” Gutenberg, 1901, www.gutenberg.org/files/696/696-h/696-h.htm.

“The Castle of Otranto.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 2020, www.britannica.com/topic/The-Castle-of-Otranto.

Walpole, H. The Castle of Otranto, a gothic story. 1791.