Great Gothic novel, quick read, good edition of the book

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The Castle of Otranto: A Gothic Story Paperback – 20 October 2014
by
Walpole
(Author)
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'Look, my lord! See heaven itself declares against your impious intentions!'The Castle of Otranto (1764) is the first supernatural English novel and one of the most influential works of Gothic fiction. It inaugurated a literary genre that will be forever associated with the effects that Walpole pioneered. Professing to be a translation of a mysterious Italian tale from the darkest Middle Ages, the novel tells of Manfred, prince of Otranto, whose fear of an ancient prophecy sets him on a course of destruction. After the grotesque death of his only son, Conrad, on his wedding day, Manfred determines to marry the bride-to-be. The virgin Isabella flees through a castle riddled with secret passages. Chilling coincidences, ghostly visitations, arcane revelations, and violent combat combine in a heady mix that terrified the novel's first readers.In this new edition Nick Groom examines the reasons for its extraordinary impact and the Gothic culture from which it sprang. The Castle of Otranto was a game-changer, and Walpole the writer who paved the way for modern horror exponents.The eBook offers a mobile experience and convenient access along with functionality tools, navigation features and links that offer extra learning support: Find the eBook on VitalSource.FeaturesA new edition of one of the earliest and most influential Gothic novels, the best introduction to the work that inaugurated a literary genre.Nick Groom's wide-ranging introduction explores the novel's Gothic context in the cultural movement that affected political and religious thinking before Walpole developed it as a literary style, helping to explain the novel's impact on contemporaries, its importance, and Walpole's pioneering innovations.Up-to-date bibliography and notes, drawing on the latest scholarship.Useful chronology of Walpole and the Gothic context.Appendix includes extracts from contemporary non-fiction by Walpole and Richard Hurd demonstrating the domestication of medieval Gothic for eighteenth-century readers that fed into The Castle of Otranto.New to this EditionNew introduction by Nick Groom.Up-to-date bibliography.Fuller chronology of Walpole and seventeenth/eighteenth century Gothic.New notes.An appendix with extracts from contemporary non-fiction relating to the domestication of medieval Gothic for eighteenth-century readers.Reset text.ABOUT THE SERIESFor over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
- ISBN-100198704445
- ISBN-13978-0198704447
- Edition3rd
- PublisherOxford University Press UK
- Publication date20 October 2014
- LanguageEnglish
- Dimensions19.76 x 1.14 x 13.08 cm
- Print length176 pages
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From the Publisher


Product description
Review
"If you're looking for the OG gothic novel, start here." --, The 20 Best Gothic Novels to Read on a Gloomy Autumn NightTown&Country
Review
"If you're looking for the OG gothic novel, start here." -- The 20 Best Gothic Novels to Read on a Gloomy Autumn NightTown&Country
Book Description
A new edition of one of the most influential Gothic novels, which explores the reasons for the novel's impact.
From the Publisher
Nick Groom has published widely for both academic and popular readerships, with particular interest in questions of authenticity and the emergence of national and regional identity. His books include The Gothic (2012) for the Very Short Introductions series, The Union Jack: the Story of the British Flag (Atlantic, 2006), and The Seasons: an Elegy for the Passing of the Year (Atlantic, 2013).
About the Author
Nick Groom has published widely for both academic and popular readerships, with particular interest in questions of authenticity and the emergence of national and regional identity. His books include The Gothic (2012) for the Very Short Introductions series, The Union Jack: the Story of the British Flag (Atlantic, 2006), and The Seasons: an Elegy for the Passing of the Year (Atlantic, 2013).
Product details
- Publisher : Oxford University Press UK
- Publication date : 20 October 2014
- Edition : 3rd
- Language : English
- Print length : 176 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0198704445
- ISBN-13 : 978-0198704447
- Item weight : 159 g
- Dimensions : 19.76 x 1.14 x 13.08 cm
- Best Sellers Rank: 190,680 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer Reviews:
Customer reviews
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340 global ratings
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- Reviewed in Australia on 12 May 2023Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Top reviews from other countries
- TomReviewed in the United States on 16 January 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars The Castle of Otranto, considered the first gothic novel, is an important and a fun-to-read book.
Format: KindleVerified PurchasePrince Manfred was the lord of the Castle of Otranto. His wife was Hippolita, his son was Conrad, and his daughter was Matilda. In order to achieve a political alliance, Conrad was to marry Princess Isabella, the daughter of the marquis of Vicenza. Unfortunately, an extraordinarily large helmet fell upon Conrad, killing him. This object was an extreme enlargement of the helmet on a statue of Prince Alfonso the Good, an earlier ruler of Otranto, that was in the church of St. Nicholas, adjacent to the castle. Coincidentally, the actual helmet from the statue was discovered to be missing. After briefly grieving the loss of his son, Manfred decided that Conrad was a sickly, puny child and unworthy of the beauty of Isabella. Hippolita had given Manfred only the one son. So, Manfred decided that he would marry Isabella and that she would give him many sons. This was unacceptable to Isabella. She attempted to escape from the castle to take refuge in the adjacent church. Manfred chased her. Thus begins the novel The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole. As the story progresses, more characters are introduced, and, as they say, the plot thickens.
In some places, The Castle of Otranto is described as “the earliest and the most influential of the Gothic novels.” It has “a series of catastrophes, ghostly interventions, revelations of identity, and exciting contests.” There are coincidences, misunderstandings, mistaken identities, and plot twists in the story. In a way, this book made me think of a Charles Dickens novel, Great Expectations, one of my favorite books of all time. Of course, the two books were written in different centuries, have different settings, and are written in different styles. However, the aforementioned revelations of identity, coincidences, and other features are in both books.
Reading The Castle of Otranto has its challenges. The style of writing is different from the style of writing in modern novels. Also, the dialog is not placed in quotations marks and placed on separate lines. Still, the book indicates who is saying what, with a few moments of confusion if you try to read too fast. If you read deliberately, if not slowly, you can follow the story clearly. After awhile, you don’t notice the unusual sentences. You hear everything in your head, as it is stated by the characters or the narrator, with complete understanding. I had to look up some words like orison and casque, but that didn’t happen often.
In chapter 1, Manfred insults people with the word “blockhead.” This is how Lucy insults Charlie Brown in the Peanuts comic strip. In the Oxford University Press World’s Classics edition, it says that it is from the text of 1798, the last that Walpole himself prepared for publication. It also states that this edition has been edited. However, I doubt that blockhead was inserted in place of some other word by the editor. Apparently, the word “blockhead” has a long history.
I didn’t read the Introduction before reading the novel. I was concerned that it would contain “spoilers.” And, with all the twists and turns of the story, you won’t enjoy reading it as much if you were told about them in advance. I will read the Introduction next. I did read the preface to the first edition and the preface to the second edition before reading the novel itself. I found it interesting that the first preface presents the book as a translation of an Italian book, and that the second preface notes that the claim of the book being a translation is false and apologizes for the deception. Although, I did find it relatively easy to read the novel’s style of writing, I did find it more difficult to read the prefaces. I will reread them now.
The Castle of Otranto is an important book in literature and an enjoyable book to read. I recommend it.
- marc7419Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 May 2015
5.0 out of 5 stars gothic with a capital G
Format: KindleVerified PurchaseYou have probably read Dracula, you may have read Frankenstein, you have even probably read M.R James and even HP Lovecraft ect ect and they have all given you that certain chill up the spine and that atmosphere that you need in a good supernatural horror story, but if you havn't read this then you are missing something really excellent.
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LisaReviewed in France on 28 March 2022
1.0 out of 5 stars L’histoire à l’air bien
Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseL’histoire a l’air bien, je devais lire le livre pour mes cours. Je n’ai cependant pas été livrée