For my final essay, I will be focusing on the 18th century concept of romance (i.e. unrealistic or exaggerated events). I am interested in exploring the 18th century definition of romance as I have noticed that many of the novels discussed in class this semester have contained a plethora of improbable events. Of all the novels I have read this semester, The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole contains the most mythical and exaggerated events. By analyzing romance as it relates to this particular novel, I aim to answer the question of whether or not romance helps readers better understand a story’s underlying meaning. Based on my reading of The Castle of Otranto, I consider romance an effective way for writers to convey to readers a story’s true meaning and lessons. The reason why romantic elements, or exaggerated events, help readers better understand the key takeaways of a story is because they grab readers’ attention. Furthermore, the more frequent unlikely events occur in a story, the more likely readers are to find a connection between them and therefore understand how they contribute to the story’s overall meaning. If an event is ordinary and happens only once or very few times in a story, the less likely readers are to notice it or assess its meaning.

From the very beginning of The Castle of Otranto, there are several unlikely events that unfold throughout the novel that grab the attention of readers. The very first and arguably the most pivotal event in the novel is when Prince Manfred’s son, Conrad, dies on his wedding day due to a massive helmet falling on him. This particular event sets into motion other improbable and major events in the story, such as Manfred mistakenly stabbing and killing his daughter, Matilda, because he thinks she is Isabella. Throughout my essay, I will analyze these romantic events and how they are connected to each other to solidify my argument that the more ridiculous events that happen in a story, the more likely readers are to pay attention to them and understand what they mean in the context of the overall story.

To further strengthen my argument that romance is a great literary technique for writers to highlight a story’s underlying meaning, I will include Clara Reeve’s counterargument in the preface to The Old English Baron. Reeve argues that overly exaggerated and unlikely events distract readers from grasping a story’s meaning and lessons. Reeve’s point is valid in that many of the events throughout The Castle of Otranto are so ridiculous and improbable that readers may find themselves laughing at or being confused by them rather than analyzing their meaning, like when Conrad has a massive helmet fall on him. However, one of the key benefits of romantic or outrageous events is that they grab readers’ attention, whether it be negatively (i.e. they mock the event) or positively (i.e. they take time to pause and analyze how the event fits into the overall story). Grabbing the attention of readers through extraordinary events provides a better chance of them pausing to analyze their meaning, rather than presenting readers with ordinary events which they are more likely to skim over. With this logic in mind, romance is a great way of highlighting a story’s true meaning.

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In the beginning stages of Laurence Sterne’s novel The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, Tristram Shandy describes the events leading up to his birth. After telling readers about the day he was born, Tristram discusses the concept of “fortune” or luck as it relates to his life. According to the word’s footnote, “Fortune” is a Roman goddess. In the part of the novel where Tristram reveals to readers his birthday, Sterne “distinguishes between the pagan idea of Fortune from the Christian concept of Providence” (542) which means the protective care of God or divine direction, control, or guidance (OED, def. 2). Tristram uses the Romans’ personification of the word “fortune” when describing the effect it has had on his life: “I will not wrong her (Fortune) by saying, She has ever made me feel the weight of any great or signal evil;—yet with all the good temper in the world, I affirm it of her, That in every stage of my life … the ungracious Duchess has pelted me with a set of as pitiful misadventures and cross accidents as ever small HERO sustained” (10). By describing fortune as an actual being that causes mishaps in Tristram’s life, Sterne appears to be making the argument that life events are random and happen solely due to good or bad luck. Furthermore, by stating that “fortune” is the cause of Tristram’s problems and not “providence”, Sterne seems to oppose the idea that life events are predetermined by a higher power for a greater purpose.

Sterne supports the argument that life is spontaneous and the result of good or bad luck by making the events in Tristram’s life completely random and coincidental, one of which is his conception. On the very first page of the novel, readers find out that Tristram’s father always winds up the clock before sleeping with Tristram’s mother. However, on the night when they conceive Tristram, Tristram’s father forgets to wind the clock and his wife interrupts him while they are engaging in sexual intercourse (5). In the same way that Tristram’s mother interrupts his father, Tristram frequently interrupts his own telling of stories throughout the novel and struggles to get to the main point of the original topic he discusses. Due to Tristram’s frequent digressions in the novel’s earlier volumes, the story seems to be heading in no particular direction and therefore appears to have no ultimate purpose or underlying meaning. Tristram’s unlucky conception, which caused his frequent digressions, along with the novel’s lack of direction and true meaning further solidifies Sterne’s argument that life and its events are not divinely predetermined nor occur to serve a greater purpose. However, the novel may purposely be filled with digressions and lack an underlying fable-like meaning to show readers the way in which people actually remember life events and interpret them. Despite how frustrated readers may feel about Tristram’s scattered thought process and memory, his character’s way of thinking accurately imitates how real people recollect the past.

Works Cited

“Providence” Def. 2. Oxford English Dictionary, n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.

Sterne, Laurence. The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman. New York: Oxford UP, 2009. Print.

The 18^th century definition of “romance” differs from the commonly understood modern definition of the word (i.e. love) in that it describes stories with royal and/or mystical characters and improbable events (Romance vs. Novel). Conversely, the 18^th century definition of “novel” describes stories with normal, everyday people and realistic events (Romance vs. Novel). In The Castle of Otranto, Horace Walpole attempts to unite the 18^th century definitions of “romance” and “novel” by combining supernatural events with royal characters, like Prince Manfred and his family, and normal characters such as Theodore the peasant. In the preface to her novel The Old English Baron, a text inspired by The Castle of Otranto, Clara Reeve argues that literature that attempts to be both a romance and a novel should ideally have a fair balance of mythical and realistic characters and events. Although Reeve praises The Castle of Otranto for being well written with interesting characters, she critiques Walpole’s work for containing too many over exaggerated supernatural events, like when Prince Manfred’s son, Conrad, dies after a massive helmet falls on him: “He (Manfred) beheld his child dashed to pieces, and almost buried under an enormous helmet, a hundred times more large than any casque ever made for a human being” (Walpole 28). Reeve argues that it is over exaggerated events like these throughout Walpole’s novel that make readers mock the story instead of paying attention to and analyzing the plot’s meaning: “These circumstances … destroy the work of imagination, and, instead of attention, excite laughter” (Reeve 1-2).

Reeve is correct in that the high frequency of supernatural events throughout The Castle of Otranto distracts readers from focusing on important plot developments that foreshadow future events. For example, after his son Conrad is killed by a large helmet randomly falling from the sky, Manfred becomes so consumed with anger and grief that he disowns his daughter, Matilda, when she attempts to comfort him: “‘Begone! I do not want a daughter’; and, flinging back abruptly, (Manfred) clapped the door against the terrified Matilda” (32). Manfred’s hostility throughout the novel, especially toward his daughter, inadvertently comes full circle when he accidentally stabs and kills Matilda thinking she is Isabella meeting with Theodore the peasant (101). Due to the frequent and over exaggerated events throughout the novel like Conrad’s violent death, readers may find it difficult to pay attention to recurring themes in The Castle of Otranto.

Works Cited

Reeve, Clara. The Old English Baron: Preface to Second Edition. Print. 2 Nov. 2016.

Romance versus Novel. Print. 2 Nov. 2016.

Walpole, Horace. The Castle of Otranto. New York: Dover Publications, 2004. Print.