The Castle of Otranto: A Gothic Story (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

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.

Throughout we are treated to unbelievable occurrences. A Massive helmet appears from the sky, a foot with no leg inhabits a great room, knights with a train larger than most armies carry a hundred foot sword to fulfil an ancient prophecy. The principal characters are at best predictable - an evil father, a submissive mother, two damsels crying for a saviour, said saviour and some knights who seem reluctant to say that much. It is fairly safe to say that the characters are about as two dimensional as Mr Micawber.

If you're looking for a developed plot then I would recommend you visit the castle at Elsinore, as The Castle of Otranto is built upon no foundations. In defence of Otranto it can be said that this book was never intended to be a Hamlet or a Beowulf, however it seems no better written than an average pulp novel.

This book is worth reading however for three reasons - It is the blue print that countless gothic novels are based upon, it is interesting to see what people were scared by in past times, and it will give you an appreciation of Jane Austen's wit.