Walpole invented the word ‘gloomth’, which rather neatly encapsulates him. He was innovative, yet only when looking backwards.

To truly appreciate The Castle of Otranto, one must approach it as literary history; reading it as straightforward literature simply doesn't work. Its aesthetic was so effective in birthing an entirely new genre that its successors quickly rendered it obsolete. To a modern audience, Walpole's litany of ghostly devices, hidden identities, heaving bosoms, and earnest declamations can only seem parodic, and even to a contemporary audience, it was regarded as a bit daft.

Every now and then, he'll pen a sentence like: ‘Arriving there, he sought the gloomiest shades, as best suited to the pleasing melancholy that reigned in his mind,’ and one can immediately see how formative this was for the evolution of writers like Edgar Allen Poe. However, the basic framework of plot development and exposition is incredibly crude; huge changes of scene and character are disposed of mid-sentence, and nonsensical revelations are flung about left, right, and centre. The book is also considerably longer than it appears, as the dialogue is bunched together in single paragraphs without any speech marks.

What can still be discerned is the establishment of some key iconography for what would become the Gothic novel: a foreign (non-English), specifically Catholic setting; deviant sexual threat; alluring heroines in peril; supernatural phenomena; gloomth (almost the entire novel occurs either at night or underground); and a good old-fashioned crumbling castle.

For Walpole, this was an attempt to pen medieval romances with a deliberately modern sensibility. And also a deliberately political one. The Gothic novel as he conceived it was a specifically Whiggish affair – a comfortable melancholic sigh, on behalf of Protestant parliamentarians, over all those ruined abbeys and monasteries that England had dissolved two centuries prior. (Walpole was a Whig MP himself, and his father had been Prime Minister.)

Perhaps this perspective is a clue to understanding why this particular combination of themes and moods struck such a chord in eighteenth-century England, which it clearly did – a generation later, these ideas burst forth in art and literature. Most who took it up did it better than Walpole, but at least he got there first – which perhaps is reason enough, for those interested, to read this dense, absurd, and groundbreaking novella.

(NB, the Oxford Classics edition is preferable – mainly for the Fuseli picture on the cover.)

Otranto Şatosu is regarded as the first Gothic work ever written. The elements used in the construction of the book have served as an example to the writers who continued the tradition.

However, from the perspective of its Gothic characteristics, the book does not satisfy the contemporary reader. You feel as if you are in a needless chaos while reading it.

I would recommend those who want to start with the genre to look at different works. If you really want to, you can squeeze in Otranto Şatosu later.

It is important to note that although Otranto Şatosu holds a significant place in the history of literature, its style and content may not be to the taste of every modern reader.

There are many other excellent Gothic works that offer a more engaging and satisfying reading experience.

By exploring a variety of works, readers can gain a better understanding and appreciation of the Gothic genre as a whole.

So, don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and discover the wonderful world of Gothic literature.

This book is considered the mother of the Gothic genre.

Allegedly, its idea emerged in a dream

on Walpole. Features such as the terrifying and somewhat grotesque castle,

the doomed decline of a family, the helpless daughter in the clutches of a cruel and devilish man, can be seen in this

book. However, the greater significance of the book lies in the creation of the Gothic genre rather than

in the book itself.

The Gothic elements it introduced, such as mystery, horror, and the supernatural, have had a profound impact on literature and continue to be popular today.

It has inspired countless authors to explore similar themes and create works that evoke a sense of unease and fascination in readers.

Overall, this book holds a special place in the history of literature as the pioneer of the Gothic genre.

It seems that this book holds some historical significance. However, it might also be a modern spoof of gothic novels. Truly, right from the start, when the groom gets crushed to death by a huge helmet, I made up my mind not to take it seriously and instead read it for the laughs. It was mildly amusing and, fortunately, blessedly short. There were damsels in distress, mistaken identity, last-minute revelations, and a spooky atmosphere.

The combination of these elements created a somewhat entertaining read. The damsels in distress added a touch of drama, while the mistaken identity led to some comical situations. The last-minute revelations kept the reader on their toes, and the spooky atmosphere added an element of mystery.

Overall, although the book may not be a serious work of literature, it does have its charm. It's a light-hearted read that can provide some entertainment and a break from more serious books. Whether you're a fan of gothic novels or just looking for a fun read, this book might be worth checking out.

Reviewers have labeled this as melodramatic gothic trash.

However, I have a different perspective.

The image I've provided, with its mysterious and perhaps slightly eerie appearance, seems to add an element of intrigue to the whole situation.

Maybe the so-called "melodramatic gothic trash" has its own charm and allure that the reviewers failed to see.

It could be that they were too quick to dismiss it without truly delving into its depths.

As for me, I find myself drawn to this kind of content, with its potential for dark and captivating stories.

Perhaps it's the combination of the gothic aesthetic and the melodramatic nature that makes it so appealing.

In any case, I'm not deterred by the negative reviews and will continue to explore and appreciate this unique form of expression.

The Castle of Otranto is widely regarded as the novel that ushered in the gothic literature tradition.

Author Walpole's influences are palpable; the book seems to be like 18th century Shakespeare fan-fiction, filled with bickering peasants, mismatched romances, and an inevitable tragedy.

The story can, at times, be a bit of a struggle to get through, and the book is perhaps more valuable for its historical significance than for pure enjoyment.

It provides a fascinating glimpse into the literary tastes and styles of the 18th century and how the gothic genre was beginning to take shape.

Despite its flaws, it has had a lasting impact on the world of literature and continues to be studied and analyzed by scholars and enthusiasts alike.

Even today, it serves as an inspiration for modern writers looking to explore the darker, more mysterious aspects of human nature and the supernatural.

So, while it may not be a page-turner in the traditional sense, The Castle of Otranto is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of literature and the development of the gothic genre.

Manfred, what I want to say to you is "Allah seni kahretsin."

This simple sentence holds a certain emotion and meaning. Maybe it's a way to express my dissatisfaction or anger towards you.

I don't know if you can understand the true intention behind these words, but for me, it's a way to release my inner feelings.

Perhaps in the future, our relationship will change, or perhaps this will remain a momentary outburst. But for now, this is what I have to say to you.

Manfred, remember this sentence and think about what you have done.

Maybe then, we can find a better way to communicate and understand each other.

As a novel, it is truly laughable. However, as a period piece, it is captivating.

Although it doesn't contain as much rape and murder per square inch as the bestseller it inspired, The Monk (which I believe was clearly written by a teenage boy and takes that dubious award), it still has enough to satisfy the Game of Thrones fan and is much shorter.

This novel, written by Horace Walpole, whose letters are extremely charming, was presented as a translation from an old manuscript. People actually took it seriously. When they discovered that a modern person had written it, he received some backlash, but at the time, nobody seemed to comment on how absurd the story is, not to mention the walking portraits and a helmet the size of a Volkswagen falling from the sky.

The said helmet crushes the villain's fifteen-year-old son, after which the villain starts chasing the unfortunate boy's intended around to marry her himself, while his wife, still alive, faints everywhere but obeys her husband as a good wife should when she wakes up.

That's just in the first few pages. It quickly gets worse from there.

It initiated the trend in Gothics, inspiring Mrs. Radcliffe (The Mysteries of Udolpho) as well as Lewis's The Monk. Clara Reeve wrote a Gothic that removed the fantasy elements to make it more "realistic". When you consider the incredibly long deathbed speeches, the number of hidden heirs, rotting castles, mysterious letters/portraits/messages, and so on, one begins to realize that the definition of realism has been rather flexible over the past couple of centuries.

I could fix Horace Walpole. He was inspired to write this completely insane story after a nightmare he had at his Gothic Revival home in southwest London.

There is no proper way to judge the first Gothic book written in 1764 (?). So, I simply will not even attempt to do so. However, I can say that this is an experience like no other.

Knowing about its impact, especially at the time of its release, makes me feel so grateful to be alive and able to think, know, feel, read, and tell.

It is so full of ideas that were years away from realization and is so passionate. I love literature. We have come so far!!!!!! “Your terrors, I suppose, have infected me”!!

This book is a testament to the power of imagination and the ability of literature to transport us to another world. It shows how a single nightmare can inspire a work that has a lasting impact on the literary world.

Although it may be difficult to judge, we can still appreciate the beauty and complexity of this early Gothic masterpiece. It is a reminder of the rich history of literature and the many ways in which it has evolved over time.

I am excited to see where literature will take us in the future and how we will continue to be inspired by the works of the past.

A strange story, I wasn't sure if I liked it or not.

But I can say that it was interesting to read.

The plot had some unexpected twists and turns that kept me engaged throughout.

The characters were also well-developed, with their own unique personalities and motives.

However, there were some parts of the story that I found a bit confusing or hard to follow.

Overall, it was an okay read, but not something that I would rave about.

I think it might appeal to those who enjoy reading about the unknown or the supernatural.

But for me, it was just an average story that didn't really leave a lasting impression.

Maybe if I read it again, I would understand it better and appreciate it more.

But for now, I'll just move on to the next book on my list.

Amabile divertissement is a work that is based on gothic atmospheres, lugubrious ghosts, visions, and medieval suggestions. It features an ancient and almost Gormenghast-like castle, and good sentiments in the style of Manzoni. Or, it can also be defined as a story that is halfway between a Shakespearean tragedy and an 18th-century feuilletton. In this story, the moral, supported by a plot that is quite intricate for about a hundred pages, aims to show that the sins of the fathers fall on the children.

While the heart of the story wants to be tragic and scary, the periphery offers some comic and/or grotesque scenes, especially where the servants of the castle owner intervene, who are real caricatures. This is entirely intentional, as the author explains in the preface: his intention is indeed to follow the example of the great Shakespeare, who, as we know, writes tragedies but is not ashamed to intersperse the drama with characters and dialogues that can arouse a smile. In the same way, Walpole has had fun mixing contrasting ingredients: past and present, fear and comedy, reality and the surreal, and fantasy. Certainly, when compared to what can be read today, this writing seems diminished and arouses in the reader a very mild effect; however, we must recognize the due merits of a text that is so smooth both in Italian and in English (the edition with the original text on the facing page is beautiful!), sufficiently engaging, and that knows how to maintain high tension from the beginning to the end of the story: if I think that it dates back to the middle of the 18th century, I almost get dizzy at how this text is a precursor of modern and contemporary literature.

However, when interpreted and evaluated according to modern tastes and canons, it is one of those works that have aged a bit badly, and the three stars shine with the generosity so fervently invoked by Walpole himself at the beginning for his work.

\\n  \\".. it is not the youth's fault if you took him for a spectre.\\"

This bitter taunt galled the soul of Manfred.

\\"If beings from another world,\\" replied he haughtily, \\"have power to impress my mind with awe, it is more than living man can do. . . \\"\\n

I embarked on reading The Castle of Otranto as part of my self-guided exploration of the history of Gothic literature this winter. Besides being concise, with under 200 pages and easily fitting among other reads, it happens to be the very first Gothic novel. It's a rare feat to claim that a work is the first of its kind, the sole originator, before which the genre didn't exist and after which it did. Usually, such lineages are muddled and subjective. But in this case, Walpole was undeniably the first, and everyone agrees. That's the only reason this rather silly little book is still read 256 years after its initial publication.

Walpole's aim in writing The Castle of Otranto was to blend the two prevalent types of literary \\"romance\\" in his era: the modern novel, typically grounded in 18th-century realities (think Daniel Defoe), and the fantastical tales of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. I was astonished to discover that Otranto is actually a historical fiction, set during the Crusades and presented as a 16th-century manuscript translated from Italian by Walpole's pseudonymous alter ego. (I had known that early Gothic writers were inspired by ruined medieval castles and spooky medieval Catholicism, but I'd always assumed the novels were set in the present; why would the castles be in ruins if they were new?) In any case, 18th-century readers truly believed Otranto was a long-lost text and devoured it. It was only in the second edition that Walpole confessed he'd fabricated the whole thing, and his betrayed public then deemed the book hackish, immoral, and unworthy of serious readers' attention. Which, to be fair, is largely accurate. And yet, of course, it hasn't deterred 2.5 subsequent centuries of imitators and elaborators.

Walpole's primary literary inspiration was William Shakespeare, yet curiously, he seems to have been influenced almost solely by Shakespeare's plots (which I've always found the least engaging aspects of his plays), and not at all by his language or psychological depth. Like Shakespeare's works, Otranto is filled with ghosts, royal succession disputes, love triangles, prophecies, disguises, daggers, surprise family revelations, and comic-relief servants. However, the presentation is so hasty and unstructured that it's basically just a summary of (ridiculous) events with sporadic dialogue. Contrary to what one might expect from the original Gothic novel, there's very little in the way of atmosphere—no descriptions of the setting or characters, no attempt to build suspense around dramatic or scary scenes—and the prose, at least by 18th-century standards, is so minimalist that I'd almost call it sparse. Aside from a few creepy moments, I don't think I'd classify Otranto as \\"horror,\\" any more than I'd label Hamlet or Macbeth as horror despite their ghosts and witches. True to the author's intentions, the novel reads more like a medieval romance with some Shakespearean tropes thrown in than anything modern readers would consider \\"Gothic.\\" And I'm now more intrigued than ever by the evolution of such a diverse and enduring genre from such a humble beginning.

Given what I've shared thus far, it won't come as a surprise that the characters here are more theatrical archetypes than real people. The main villain, Manfred, is the epitome of \\"dastardly,\\" and all the other men are too dull to merit mention. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that Walpole's women come closest to being \\"well-drawn\\" and also provide most of the book's best humor (usually in the form of telling the annoying men to be quiet and get over themselves). I particularly adored Princess Matilda's sarcastic lady-in-waiting, Bianca, who has almost enough personality to be a real human, despite only featuring in two scenes. So, I suppose that's yet another page Walpole borrowed from Shakespeare's playbook.

Is The Castle of Otranto great literature? No. Is it a well-crafted story? Well, also no. BUT is it a captivating historical document whose very silliness makes it unexpectedly enjoyable to read? Yes! Walpole was writing during the Enlightenment and regarded his work as an antidote to an age \\"which wants only cold reason.\\" The Castle of Otranto is a silly, melodramatic distraction, and that's more or less the point. It may not possess the fully developed Gothic maturity of a Brontë novel, but then again, Jane Eyre doesn't have a giant suit of armor in the likeness of the rightful ruler exploding out of a castle and ascending to the heavens to be greeted by St. Nicholas. So, who's to say which is the better book?

As I conclude, it's worth noting that Walpole was also a career politician and wrote this novel in his spare time to \\"think of anything rather than politics.\\" Coincidentally, I finished reading it on the day of the 2020 presidential election. The Castle of Otranto—or The Castle of Cilantro, as I've playfully insisted on calling it in recent conversations with my long-suffering partner—is precisely the kind of mindless entertainment I desire most at the moment, and for that, I'm grateful to Walpole and his strange, lasting contribution to Western literature.