The 18th 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 18th 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 18th 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.