Horace Walpole - The Castle of Otranto (1764)

[Recommended]

Finished reading on 333.2025

Considered as the foundational text of Gothic litterature, The Castle of Otranto brings gloom and fear at the forefront of one's mind when reading it. The supernatural events, a prophecy akin to Damocles' sword, all intertwined with the dialogue create a wonderful story that unfolds in just three days.

Spoilers

• I've particularily enjoyed the conversation between Jerome and Manfred in the Second chapter.
• I was disappointed when the "mute" knight, who had, up until this point, only responded with nods or gestures, spoke for the first time, albeit for an understandable reason.
• Theodore's ending was evident from the moment he helped Isabella escape, appearing for the second time as if by magic, and I thouroughly enjoyed his journey. He starts off in the first chapter as a modest and pious peasant who readily accepts the prince's unjust treatment, only for him to time and time again move the story along and in the end, be revealed as the true ruler of Otranto.
• The spectral skeleton of the monk is the sort of image I really vibe with. "[I]n a long woolen weed," the figure was "absorbed in prayer." "Camest thou to seek Hippolita? said a hollow voice." Frederic beheld "the fleshless jaws and empty sockets of a skeleton, wrapt in a hermit's cowl."