The Castle of Otranto
Publisher Description
In a faraway medieval realm, Manfred, an arrogant and evil prince, rules with an iron fist. Banishing his wife to the castle dungeon, he confines and plans to wed the lovely Isabella, fiancee of his recently deceased son. The prince's plans are foiled, however, when a well-meaning peasant helps the young woman escape through the castle's underground passages. Grisly, supernatural events further aid in fulfilling a prophecy that spells doom for the prince and justice for Isabella's rescuer and rightful heir to the throne. Serving as the model for plots, characterizations, settings, and tone for hundreds of successors. The story abounds with colorful scenes, adventure, suspense, and inexplicable phenomena.
Customer Reviews
Typo
Instead of reading "saying the principality," the passage should should read "saving the principality."
Otherwise, a good read!!
wow
….
Gothic Drivel
The plot is ridiculous and the characters are either despicable or clueless. The appearance of supernatural events just add to the general silliness. If this is an example of an eighteenth-century novel, it's no wonder educated people thought novels were complete and utter nonsense. The only reason I gave it two stars (as opposed to none) is because it deserves its place in "classical" literature as the first gothic novel regardless of how asinine it is by today's standards.