The Castle of Otranto and The Mysterious Mother

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The Castle of Otranto and The Mysterious Mother This Broadview edition pairs the first Gothic novel with the first Gothic drama both by Horace Walpole Published on Christmas Eve on Walpole s private press at Strawberry Hill his Gothicized

This Broadview edition pairs the first Gothic novel with the first Gothic drama, both by Horace Walpole.Published on Christmas Eve, 1764, on Walpole s private press at Strawberry Hill, his Gothicized country house, The Castle of Otranto became an instant and immediate classic of the Gothic genre as well as the prototype for Gothic fiction for the next two hundred years WaThis Broadview edition pairs the first Gothic novel with the first Gothic drama, both by Horace Walpole.Published on Christmas Eve, 1764, on Walpole s private press at Strawberry Hill, his Gothicized country house, The Castle of Otranto became an instant and immediate classic of the Gothic genre as well as the prototype for Gothic fiction for the next two hundred years Walpole s brooding and intense drama, The Mysterious Mother, focuses on the protagonist s angst over an act of incest with his mother, and includes the appearance of Father Benedict, Gothic literature s first evil monk.Appendices in this edition include selections from Walpole s letters, contemporary responses, and writings illustrating the aesthetic and intellectual climate of the period Also included is Sir Walter Scott s introduction to the 1811 edition of The Castle of Otranto.

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The Castle of Otranto and The Mysterious Mother

  1. Horatio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford also known as Horace Walpole was an English art historian, man of letters, antiquarian and Whig politician He is now largely remembered for Strawberry Hill, the home he built in Twickenham, south west London where he revived the Gothic style some decades before his Victorian successors, and for his Gothic novel, The Castle of Otranto Along with the book, his literary reputation rests on his Letters, which are of significant social and political interest He was the son of Sir Robert Walpole, and cousin of Lord Nelson.

122 Reply to “The Castle of Otranto and The Mysterious Mother”

  1. The Broadview edition brings together both of Walpole s formative works of gothic literature from the late 18th century Both are fairly quick reads For the modern reader, Walpole s stories may seem a bit trite as his imagery, plots and characters have frequently appeared throughout gothic genre in the years since Walpole s works were originally published However, as the origins of gothic literature, both are interesting for anyone interested in the gothic movement.

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  2. It was lovely to revisit Otranto after I had so much familiarity with the Gothic The Mysterious Mother was a fascinating play much traditional than I had expected, really Glad I read this, though I wasn t entirely impressed by Frank s scholarly apparatus.

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  3. Not having read the reviews for this one, I m willing to bet that most people like me have only read it as part of a class on Gothic literature Walpole s book is considered the first Gothic novel and is the first to describe itself as such , and is responsible for introducing many of the themes of sublime horror and melodrama that have come to signify the genre.As a student of the Gothic, my reading of the novel served its purpose But I can t say I enjoyed it much.

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  4. What fun This is an excellent edition, would that all editions for scholars were so well put together Franks edifys without stultifying Oh crap now I have to read something mundane so my language returns to normal Enjoy

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  5. Review is only for The Mysterious Mother 4 stars for a brief, but chilling play that is never slow paced and has a fantastic ending.

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