Castle of Otranto

Castle of Otranto was written by Horace Walpole and was the first Gothic novel. It is set between 1095 and 1243 A.D. in Naples, Italy.  Horace Walpole wrote the novel under a different name, because the notions in the book would have been controversial since he was a member of the House of Commons in Parliament.  I thought the book was enjoyable, but you could definitely tell that Gothic literature has grown and matured over time.  The Castle of Otranto doesn't really have any plot build-up, but almost immediately throws the reader into the middle of the situation.  However, the Castle of Otranto does have dynamic characters, including Isabella, Matilda, and Theodore.  It is interesting to see how the younger generations change their attitude in the Castle of Otranto, while the older generations, Manfred, Hippolita, and Frederic are static characters.  The servants are also static characters. 


The Castle of Otranto deals with two very controversial topics for the time period:  the questioning of authority, and the role of a woman in society.  Matilda is a prime example of questioning of authority, as she is torn between listening to her parents and following her own passions.  Isabella also defies authority by running away from the castle and avoiding Manfred at all costs.  Theodore is the prime example of questioning authority.  He almost represents the new burgeious class, who like Theodore, is becoming powerful and is questioning it's obedience to aristocracy and the monarchy.  The Castle of Otranto also questions the role of women in society.  Hippolita represents the tradtional woman, submitting to the wants of men.  On the other hand, Matilda and Isabella question obedience and the right to forced marriage.  In the end, Matilda ends up submitting to patriarchy, and I don't think Walpole is supporting equal rights.


The Castle of Otranto has many of the main elements of a Gothic novel that set the stage for future Gothic works.  The medieval castle, supernatural elements that disturb characters, and ancestral curses are all found in the Castle of Otranto.  The abnormally sized helmet, corpse of the old hermit, and the destruction of the castle by a huge monster that looked like Alfonso the Good are all supernatural elements.  The element of incest is found throughout the Castle of Otranto.  The idea that Manfred would marry his "daughter" Isabella represents incest.  Last, romanticism is rapant throughout the novel as seen in the language and increased passions felt by all the characters.  I am excited to see how the rest of the books we read this semester will compare to the Castle of Otranto and how they advance and mature the Gothic novel over the centuries.