I first read The Castle of Otranto too long ago as assignment for high school and thought it was very silly. However, it was the first gothic novel, written in 1764, and led the way toward a fascination with Gothic culture in a country littered with ruined Gothic churches and abbeys as a result of the so-called “Bloodless Revolution.” So, I put it on my Classics Club list to see what I think about it now.
Well, it’s a silly book. It is represented in the Preface as a manuscript written sometime between 1095 and 1243. Practically the first thing that happens in it is that Conrad, the son of Manfred, prince of Otranto, has a gigantic helmet fall on him out of nowhere and crush him to death on the day he is to be betrothed to Isabella, the Marquiz of Vincenza’s daughter. This is the first supernatural event in a very short book that includes walking portraits, statues crying tears of blood, and various enormous body parts appearing in the castle.
Why? It appears that Manfred’s grandfather took the castle unlawfully, and the legend is that his family may hold it until its real owner grows too large to inhabit it. Hence, the enormous body parts.
This novel exhibits all the hallmarks of the subsequent gothic novels, many of which aren’t that palatable to modern readers—overblown speeches, submissive and virtuous women (Manfred’s wife even being so submissive as to agree to her own divorce), a nearly insane villain in Manfred, a hero in disguise, a lot of fainting, and supernatural events.
whatmeread 
I agree that this book is too silly to be very enjoyable. I found it interesting from the point of view of it being the first gothic novel, but I don’t think I would want to read it again.
I read it so long ago that I wasn’t sure whether I evaluated it fairly the first time. I did. I find that sometimes I change my opinion about books I read a long time ago if I reread them. Sometimes not.
I remember this from university and wouldn’t want to read it again! It did make me enjoy Austen’s “Northanger Abbey” the more, however!
I bet it did!
Hmm, this is one of those books I’ve always felt I *should* read, but your review tells me I really shouldn’t! It does sound very silly – the idea of those gigantic body parts made me laugh.
Yes, I know.
I was thinking of putting this on my next list but may be not, thank you for making my mind up!
Oh dear.
Thank you for the review. Love gothic books, but they can be a little bit over the edge. I have read Ann Radcliffe’s The Mysteries of Udolpho ( a very long book) which I found enjoyable in a way. Since this is a short book, I might try it out nevertheless.
Mysteries of Udolpho was too much for me. I gave up when I only had 100 pages or so to go, because nothing much had happened.