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Title: The Castle of Otranto: A Gothic Story (World's Classics) by Horace Walpole, W.S. Lewis ISBN: 0-19-281606-3 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 01 October, 1982 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $5.95

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Average Customer Rating: 3.78 (23 reviews)

Rating: 5
Summary: Entertaining, Classic and Historical
Comment: Not only is Horace Walpole's "The Castle of Otranto" important as the epochal first novel of the Gothic genre, but is also as one of the first novels ever. There are few true novels (in the style and form of an actual novel)that predate "Otranto" and such an explosion of novels succeeding closely thereafter, following in its wake. Aside from it's literary and historical merits, "The Castle of Otranto" is still extremely entertaining in its own right. It reads very quickly, helped along by Walpole's concise and hurried style and by suspense. It is also entertaining in the aspect that it is so cliche, so to speak. How many times, in how many forms, have we seen an Isabella wandering, lost and frightened, in the catacombs beneath the castle? And how many times thenceforth have we seen a Theodore bravely outwitting a Manfred? To say, however, that "Otranto" is cliche would, of course, be incorrect as it was the first of its kind and thus set the precedent. But it is still interesting how we modern readers already know the general story through what we have already been exposed to by the devices that writers have absorbed through age-old stories, such as "Otranto", pulling them through the centuries for use in their own writing.
I would definitely recommend reading "The Castle of Otranto", especially the Oxford Classics edition with the helpful footnotes. It is pure fun and really interesting to see where the immense Gothic and branch-off of Gothic literature evolved from.

Rating: 5
Summary: Otranto is a perfect place for ghosts and usurpers
Comment: Considered the very first book of Gothic Literature, Horace Walpole's 'The Castle of Otranto' stands on its own merits. It is not the kind of novel for those who expect a gory ghost story, closer to what we callterror today. The narrative is too subtle, filled with nuances that create a scary mood.

The story is not very complicated: in the day of his wedding, Conrad, the son of the prince of Otranto, is killed in a very surreal way. While his mother, sister and bride are terrified, his father wants to divorce and marry the bride, so that he can have another son. This event will unchain a lot of ghosts' intervention and a dark truth will be found. And for such short book --actually a novella-- a lot of things happen.

The events and characters are quite unrealistic, but this is where the fun of reading this book is. Not to mention the historical value of the narrative. More than a ghosts story, it is the tale of a man who usurped the throne, and the consequences he suffered. While the aftermath may not be quite realistic, usurping thrones was something quite common.

The biggest barrier for a contemporary reader is Walpole's language. Not that it is florid, but it is written in the way people used to speak in the 18th Century. But while for some it is a discouragement, for other it is a joy --once we get used to it. His dialogues a descriptions easily flow. The way the writer creates the atmosphere is unforgettable. Castle is a place where ghosts seem to be, and Otranto's is a perfect place for them.

Moreover, there is a very positive influence of Shakespeare on Walpole. Every now and then a Shakespearian quote pops up --mostly from 'Macbeth' and Hamlet'. 'Otranto' has even a theatrical format. Square brackets are used to indicate changing, like in a play.

All in all, 'The Castle of Otranto' is a great novella, but it doesn't have a wide appeal. People who are used to contemporary gothic tales my found it very slow, but anyway, they should try and read, just to find out where it all began.

Rating: 2
Summary: Doesn't work
Comment: This may be the beginning of the gothic novel but it certainly isn't the best of them. About halfway through, the story simply becomes monotonous.

Some other reviewers have mentioned that this old piece may not satisfy modern tastes, but I don't find that the fault lays so much with the audience, as with the author. This story just begins to sputter after awhile, and becomes tedious.

If you want old goth, try "The Monk". It's better written.