The Castle of Otranto
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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The Castle of Otranto is a 1764 novel by Horace Walpole. It is generally regarded as the first gothic novel, initiating a literary genre which would become extremely popular in the later 18th century and early 19th century. Thus, Castle, and Walpole by extension is arguably the forerunner to such authors as Ann Radcliffe, Bram Stoker, Daphne du Maurier, and Stephen King.
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Publishing history
The initial 1764 edition was titled in full The Castle of Otranto, A Story. Translated by William Marshal, Gent. From the Original Italian of Onuphrio Muralto, Canon of the Church of St. Nicholas at Otranto. This first edition purported to be a translation based on a manuscript printed at Naples in 1529 and recently rediscovered in the library of "an ancient Catholic family in the north of England." The Italian manuscript's story, it was claimed, derived from a story still older, dating back perhaps as far as the Crusades. This Italian manuscript, along with alleged author "Onuphrio Muralto," were Walpole's fictional creations, and "William Marshal" his pseudonym.
In the second and subsequent editions, Walpole acknowledges authorship of his work, writing: "The favorable manner in which this little piece has been received by the public, calls upon the author to explain the grounds on which he composed it." There was some debate at the time about the function of literature, that is, whether or not works of fiction should be representative of life, or more purely imaginative (i.e. natural vs. romantic). The first edition was well received by some reviewers who understood the novel as belonging to medieval fiction, "between 1095, the era of the first crusade, and 1243, the date of the last," as the first preface states; and some referred to Walpole as an "ingenious translator." Following Walpole's admission of authorship, however, many critics were loath to lavish much praise on the work and dismissed it as absurd, fluffy, romantic fiction.
In his 1924 edition of The Castle of Otranto Montague Summers showed that the life story of Manfred of Sicily inspired some details of the plot. The real medieval castle of Otranto was among Manfred's possessions.
Plot introduction
In his first preface, Walpole declares The Castle of Otranto to be an English translation of a sixteenth-century text printed in Naples, Italy. He playfully comments: "It is a pity the author did not apply his talents to what they were evidently proper for, the theatre."
Walpole's second preface describes the novel: "It was an attempt to blend the two kinds of romance, the ancient and the modern. In the former all was imagination and improbability: in the latter, nature is always intended to be, and sometimes has been, copied with success... The author of the following pages thought it possible to reconcile the two kinds."
Plot summary
The plot of The Castle of Otranto begins full tilt as Conrad, son of Manfred of the house of Otranto, is crushed by a giant helmet on his wedding day, also his birthday. Because of the marriage's political connections, Manfred decides to divorce his wife, Hippolita, and marry Conrad's betrothed, Isabella. Amid speculations about an "ancient prophecy" claiming "That the castle and lordship of Otranto should pass from the present family, whenever the real owner should be grown too large to inhabit it," Manfred's second union is disrupted by a series of supernatural events involving many oversized limbs, ghosts, mysterious blood, and a true prince.
Characters in "The Castle of Otranto"
- Manfred
- Prince of Otranto
- Hippolita
- Manfred's wife
- Conrad
- Manfred and Hippolita's only heir
- Matilda
- Daughter of Manfred and Hippolita; Conrad's elder sister
- Isabella
- the betrothed of Conrad, and daughter of Marquis of Vicenza
- Father Jerome
- Father of Manfred's Church
- Theodore
- Son of Jerome, and true Prince of Otranto
Synopsis by Paul Eluard
- “Le château d’Otrante est un drame plastique, la forme la plus amère, la plus rugueuse, mais aussi la mieux taillée du malheur en amour. Seuls immortels, les désirs vont leur chemin, malgré d’extraordinaires obstacles, malgré les rideaux du sang et les miroirs vides, la nature exclue, l’existence approximative, la vue inutile, les ancêtres vomis par l’Enfer, malgré la peur, l’héroïsme, la férocité, malgré le marbre des tombeaux et les squelettes, les désirs sans cesse au fil de la mort, cherchent à briser avec l’imaginaire.
- Horace Walpole a été le précurseur du Roman noir : de Maturin (pour la mise en scène), de Lewis (pour la précipitation passionnée des événements), d’Ann Radcliffe (pour l’atmosphère et le droit à l’absurde) et même d’Achim d’Arnim (pour la froideur dans le bizarre). Et quelques-uns des grands pans d’ombre du Château d’Otrante alimentent le terrible feu qu’allumèrent Sade, Poe et Lautréamont pour échapper au néant. Comme il n’y a qu’une grandeur, cela assure à jamais la gloire d’Horace Walpole.” --Paul Éluard via [1]
