The Castle of Otranto is considered the first Gothic novel and after reading it I heartily concur. It is filled with passion, privilege, pride, haunts, superstition, curses, betrayal, knights, princesses, and of course, death. It is the beginning of the Gothic genre.
I gave it 3 stars due to the language. It reads like a Shakespearean play. Now there is nothing wrong in it. It adds dimension to the story. However, for readers who do not understand Elizabethan English might find it hard to follow or comprehend. As for me, I enjoyed it immensely . The setting was hauntingly created with a castle, a monastery, a nunnery, crypts, creepy forest, caves, and of course, ghostly intervention. The characters are flamboyant, proud, passionate, and well defined. The time period is one when superstition, religious zeal, and corruption were followed frantically. Chivalry abounds as does villainy.
All in all, an enjoyable reading experience where pride and purgatory abound with death. Enjoy.
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