From the Bookshelf of Reading 1001…
Find A Copy At
Group Discussions About This Book
No group discussions for this book yet.
What Members Thought
Unintentionally hilarious gothic novel from 1764. There's a wicked lord, a sobbing mother, a lost heir, a crusading knight, a pair of virtuous maidens, an underground passage, a ghost that makes announcements and drips blood, and plenty of deaths, beginning on page 2. And the castle! - home of the ghost, and handily provided with a secret passage for maidens and others to flee through.
The story rushes from one melodramatic device to the next at such a pace that the whole thing is concluded in on ...more
The story rushes from one melodramatic device to the next at such a pace that the whole thing is concluded in on ...more
Read on serial reader.
A classic early gothic novel, this is very dated. But somehow it is so bad it is kind of good. The mystical is not explained, characters are killed off left and right, and surprises abound.
I am not even clear where this is supposed to take place--England, or generic continental Europe?
A classic early gothic novel, this is very dated. But somehow it is so bad it is kind of good. The mystical is not explained, characters are killed off left and right, and surprises abound.
I am not even clear where this is supposed to take place--England, or generic continental Europe?
A fun little story (and with a surprisingly consistent eye to maintaining some semblance of humanity in its villain), it gets a fourth star as a bonus for being the forerunner of the entire Gothic romance/horror branch of literature.
Apr 29, 2015
Dianna
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
famous-authors-not-so-good-stories
I gave it 2 stars instead of one because it was written so long ago and maybe I don't fully understand it.
...more
A rather short story and the only one published by Horace Walpole tell the story of Manfred, prince of Otranto and the death of his son and only heir Conrad. The castle with its vaults and secret passages make for the setting of a gothic novel. The setting is chivalric Middle Ages and deals with cruelty and tyranny as well as usurping of the castle and title of prince. It’s a very quick and easy read for those working on the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list.
Apr 13, 2013
Sara
marked it as to-read
Jan 14, 2016
Paula S
added it
Apr 23, 2016
Janet
marked it as to-read
Dec 10, 2017
Daria Zeoli
marked it as to-read
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
1001-tbr,
not-on-overdrive
Jan 13, 2018
Sorobai
marked it as to-read
Jun 07, 2019
Pippin
marked it as to-read
