Rating: 
Summary: Doesn't work
Review: 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: 
Summary: Entertaining, Classic and Historical
Review: 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:
Summary: First of the Goths
Review: Now here's an idea for the next gothic get-together: knee britches and powdered hair. Hey, it worked for Horace Walpole, didn't it? The scene is painted as thickly as a Van Gogh painting. The great castle broods under a dismal sky as Prince Manfred prepares for the wedding of his good-for-nothing son, Conrad, with Isabella, the daughter of a neighboring feudal lord. Plans for the wedding are interrupted when a gigantic helmet interferes with the ceremony. Manfred has good reason to become angry and alarmed . . . . but to find out why, you'll have to read the book. This book should be read for the atmosphere, which is dark and romantic from beginning to end. In the final paragraph, two of the principal characters do get married and live happily ever after, but only so the hero can "forever indulge the melancholy that had taken possession of his soul." On this almost gruesome note the book ends. Read this book, the foundation-stone of gothic sensibility. Let's face it, gothic scene-painting flirts with unreality and always has done so. Here at the beginning, it all seems more real.
Rating:
Summary: First of the Goths
Review: Now here's an idea for the next gothic get-together: knee britches and powdered hair. Hey, it worked for Horace Walpole, didn't it? The scene is painted as thickly as a Van Gogh painting. The great castle broods under a dismal sky as Prince Manfred prepares for the wedding of his good-for-nothing son, Conrad, with Isabella, the daughter of a neighboring feudal lord. Plans for the wedding are interrupted when a gigantic helmet interferes with the ceremony. Manfred has good reason to become angry and alarmed . . . . but to find out why, you'll have to read the book. This book should be read for the atmosphere, which is dark and romantic from beginning to end. In the final paragraph, two of the principal characters do get married and live happily ever after, but only so the hero can "forever indulge the melancholy that had taken possession of his soul." On this almost gruesome note the book ends. Read this book, the foundation-stone of gothic sensibility. Let's face it, gothic scene-painting flirts with unreality and always has done so. Here at the beginning, it all seems more real.
Rating: 
Summary: Delightfully humorous ghost story.
Review: Setting aside this work's importance as the first Gothic novel, it is also a terrific read. Some critics disparage the quality of the writing, but I find it eloquent and enthralling. Certainly, the style is antiquated and the milieu is one quite distant from that of the modern reader, but never have I read such long paragraphs so quickly and energetically. I can appreciate the sentiments of its first readers who reportedly could not put the book down and longed for more after they turned the final page. There is action aplenty to be found in these pages. The characters are prone to make long, drawn-out speeches, but these never slow the pace of the story itself. The characters are revealed quite poignantly through their speech and action, a fact which somewhat surprised me. There was a deep complexity to Manfred that seemed to speak volumes; while he is surely tyrannical and, to some degree, evil, one can often sense an internal battle within his soul at moments of tragic importance. While he cannot be liked, he can certainly be understood. The young hero Theodore is truly a remarkable lad, the very model of a virtuous, noble gentleman--most importantly, he is just as noble in peasant's rags as he is in princely attire. The two young princesses, Matilda and Isabella, were marvelously portrayed--beautiful, kind, and virtuous to a fault. Their mistreatment by their fathers is the great tragedy of the story. They will gladly sacrifice their own virtue in acquiescence to the wishes of the men controlling their lives. Such devotion is a symbol of the virtual prison that women were forced by society to dwell in for far too long. They, much more than Theodore, are the true heroic figures to be found in the Castle of Otranto. The servants were delightful in the naivete they evoked in conversation with their "betters." They were not truly naïve, of course, and spoke the way they did primarily in order to protect themselves and their masters or mistresses. Reading the conversations between Manfred and Bianca was akin to hearing the old "who's on first" skit. While some may view it as tiresome, I found it quite funny, and I admired the wiles of Bianca in forcing such consternation in the evil Manfred. I must point out that the conversations between characters can be somewhat trying to understand at times because the author does not begin a new paragraph each time a different character speaks. There were times when I got lost and had to go back and reread several lines in order to figure out just who was speaking when. All in all, this is a quick, entertaining read. While it is the first real Gothic novel, modern readers should not pick this up and expect a horror story--the castle is not so dank, the labyrinths are not so gloomy, and the woods are not so dark and mysterious as to cause anyone in this day and age to sleep with the lights on. Do not look with dismay at the long paragraphs and the antiquated modes of speaking; this is a short novel packed with action, told in a compelling manner. Old it may be, but it is just a darn good read.
Rating:
Summary: A Gothic classic and a darn good read
Review: Setting aside this work's importance as the first Gothic novel, it is also a terrific read. Some critics disparage the quality of the writing, but I find it eloquent and enthralling. Certainly, the style is antiquated and the milieu is one quite distant from that of the modern reader, but never have I read such long paragraphs so quickly and energetically. I can appreciate the sentiments of its first readers who reportedly could not put the book down and longed for more after they turned the final page. There is action aplenty to be found in these pages. The characters are prone to make long, drawn-out speeches, but these never slow the pace of the story itself. The characters are revealed quite poignantly through their speech and action, a fact which somewhat surprised me. There was a deep complexity to Manfred that seemed to speak volumes; while he is surely tyrannical and, to some degree, evil, one can often sense an internal battle within his soul at moments of tragic importance. While he cannot be liked, he can certainly be understood. The young hero Theodore is truly a remarkable lad, the very model of a virtuous, noble gentleman--most importantly, he is just as noble in peasant's rags as he is in princely attire. The two young princesses, Matilda and Isabella, were marvelously portrayed--beautiful, kind, and virtuous to a fault. Their mistreatment by their fathers is the great tragedy of the story. They will gladly sacrifice their own virtue in acquiescence to the wishes of the men controlling their lives. Such devotion is a symbol of the virtual prison that women were forced by society to dwell in for far too long. They, much more than Theodore, are the true heroic figures to be found in the Castle of Otranto. The servants were delightful in the naivete they evoked in conversation with their "betters." They were not truly naïve, of course, and spoke the way they did primarily in order to protect themselves and their masters or mistresses. Reading the conversations between Manfred and Bianca was akin to hearing the old "who's on first" skit. While some may view it as tiresome, I found it quite funny, and I admired the wiles of Bianca in forcing such consternation in the evil Manfred. I must point out that the conversations between characters can be somewhat trying to understand at times because the author does not begin a new paragraph each time a different character speaks. There were times when I got lost and had to go back and reread several lines in order to figure out just who was speaking when. All in all, this is a quick, entertaining read. While it is the first real Gothic novel, modern readers should not pick this up and expect a horror story--the castle is not so dank, the labyrinths are not so gloomy, and the woods are not so dark and mysterious as to cause anyone in this day and age to sleep with the lights on. Do not look with dismay at the long paragraphs and the antiquated modes of speaking; this is a short novel packed with action, told in a compelling manner. Old it may be, but it is just a darn good read.
Rating:
Summary: gothic formulas start here
Review: short, sweet and basically to the point. the characters are funny,(Manfred's henchmen) Manfred is instinct ridden until he gets what he wants, murdering if he must, but in the end all things come to a happy ending with the supernatural in attendance to bring about this result.
Rating: 
Summary: In Shakespeare's footsteps
Review: There is grief in the house of Manfred: on the day when his sickly son Conrad was to wed fair Isabella in hopes to join their two families, a colossal helmet pins Conrad to the ground, slaying him instantly. Ghosts of ancestors quip their picture frames, and ghostly spectres of armored titans are rumoured to be seen. When, in spite of these ill omens, Manfred insists that Isabella wed him in stead, by force if necessary, it becomes clear that some ulterior motives are at play, for a mere mortal is trying to outwit an ancient prophecy... The chief appeal of "The Castle of Otranto" is that it's genuinely old. So old, in fact, that when it was written, it was read for the sake of the plot rather then the gothic ambiance. If you try to take it for a historical horror novel, you will be bored to tears by the slow, contrived plot, archaic language, and unrealistic characters. But if you factor in its age and radically differet approach (not many books like it are written now), you can't help but be at least intrigued. In essence, this is a Shakespearean play in novel form: it has love triangles, valiant heroes, revenge from beyond the grave, fair maidens, virtuous priests, etc. If you have a penchant for this sort of book, I'm sure you will have a super time.
Rating:
Summary: The only value is that it was the first gothic book writen.
Review: This is a mix of a mexican soap opera with some ideas copied from Shakespeare about ghouls and pictures that walk.
Rating:
Summary: Historical artifact
Review: This is interesting as a historical milestone since it seems to have been the first Gothic novel ever written. As such I guess it should arouse some mild interest. I suppose it can be seen as a real creative achievement since it's not derivative of anything except for ghost stories and Shakespeare. It is NOT particularly entertaining for its own sake. Pioneering as it may be, it is nowhere near as exciting or interesting as many stories that owe it something. The language is stilted, characters flat, and plot ridiculous and at times hard to follow. But if you want to see where horror and the whole gothic theme came from, here it is...
|
