7 July 2011

The Castle of Otranto in order to continue our bookclub conversation / Saturday, 02 July 2011


Before the death of Walpole's novel had already been published in several European countries, like France, Holland, Germany and Italy. One of the reasons for this diffusion is due to its foundational character and the novel that met the demands of a generous taste and an aesthetic that was developing throughout the eighteenth century, an era of refinement in the arts as in criticism, whose end is marked by a fascination with terror.

In this century of the lights had been subjected to criticism through out a worldview born of Greek philosophy and religion of the Christians, who eventually causing their sinking and losing the appearance of the miraculous, association and belief in the¨ miracle , visions, necromancy, dreams and other supernatural events are now discredited even in the novels ¨

Therefore the intention of restoring the Walpole was wonderful and supernatural fiction, once banished from the realm of reality, in order to stimulate the reader's sensitivity. Conforms well in the practice of literature, through the introduction of the supernatural, the requirements for a work of art in an aesthetic - initiated by the AbbéDu Bos - for the purpose of art is increasingly strong emotions, only way to cure the boredom - the romantics would call ¨le mal du siecle¨- the illustrators who had succumbed after they have exercised with such fervor as thorough critique, which had to be revealed the emptiness of the world - I Fell Into nothingness was saying by Mne du Deffand a correspondent of Walpole.

The novel was published as a translation from Italian because of fear of ridicule of the author, who justifies the composition of such a work in two prefaces, based on an aesthetic of the sublime rather widespread among the educated men of the time andthat would continue in the next century. Illustrated were the major source of the sublime in the artistic representation of teror. So, with his devastating critique ofreality, men of light formed at the same time a theory of fiction where the apparent pnecessary to complement representation, created by man, the reality with the ability toreturn a lost stimulation.

From the bottom of his boundless imagination stands the composition of Walpole against a prosaic world devoid of passion, dominated by cold reason, and against (time that otherwise could not stand the cold than common sense) - I have unleashedmy imagination - continued Walpole in a letter to Mme du Deffand - until I swell with visions and feelings involved. I've made in defiance of the rules, critics and philosophers, and political that very reason I feel even better. The work was also born as an expression of unconsciousness, sleep, and not the reason, almost automatic way, as written, on this occasion, William Cole, where he tells - I woke up one morning in early June of last , a dream, of which all I could remember was that I imagined myself in an ancient castle (a very natural dream for a head full of stories like mine gothic) and the top rail of a staircase withi a gigantic hand in armor. In the evening I sat down and began to write, without knowing the slightest degree what I wanted to say or tell. The work grew on my hands and make love - add that he was very happy to think of anything but politics - Soon he was so engrossed in my tale Gothic, which I concluded in less than twomonths, one evening I wrote from the time you take tea, about six o'clock until half past one, when my hand and my fingers were so exhausted that he could not keepthe pen to finish the sentence.

Indeed, as emerged from a dream, are the dramatic characters at the beginning of the narrative, intended to develop in a relentless, the consummation of their assigned role in the vision of the author: Manfred, severe, tyrannical and cruel Hippolita, bonochanawoman, Conrad, sickly boy, bleak, beautiful and sweet and Matilda. All have their part in a story that plunges into disaster sorbenaturales announced multiple events, like agiant helmet falls off, a picture speaks a huge figure, drops of blood shed by a statue.Sometimes the perception of these events by the characters is ambiguous, asconcerns remain about its nature and origin, that is, born of the impression of an external object or a mere product of fantasy, but all are sorted - as symbols of ahidden will and relentless - to consummate the great catastrophe that befell thetyrannical prince. This situation contributes to all the characters in this engulfed in uncertainty and look in constant threat, his conduct being dispossessed of reason andleft to the darkest and intense emotions.
 ·  · Share · Delete

  • Minnie d'Arc likes this.

    • Gothic Soul † Mind & Heart almost done hope u like it a few more lines and I´ll finish ;)
      Monday at 13:23 · 

    • Minnie d'Arc ‎"dramatis personae"... Yes!!! I was going to start my second piece, on the novel itself, precisely with a "cast of characters", like a play - Walpole went on to write pieces for the stage, and "Otranto", to my mind, feels very much as if it could have been written as a play...
      Monday at 14:07 · 

    • Gothic Soul † Mind & Heart 
      my apologies for the error "dramatis personae" I meant to said dramatic characters, sometimes my mind mix my native spanish language with english ;) and yes please I´ll luv to read ur second article. Regards what u r saying yes to me Castle...See more

      Monday at 14:18 · 

    • Minnie d'Arc Don't worry - "Dramatis Personae" is perfect, particularly in the context - don't change it!!! I completely agree, also, with the comparison with Hamlet - although Manfred reminds me perhaps more of Claudius than Hamlet himself. The comparison is particularly sharp when the ghost of Manfred's ancestor comes down from the painting and walks to along the gallery - very much like the ghost of Hamlet's father...
      Monday at 14:25 ·  ·  1 person

    • Gothic Soul † Mind & Heart an apology my dear, I have to go to c something with a coworker, but I just came back to reply ur kind post properly yes indeed well I didn´t mean to c Hamlet as and evil and I completly agree Claudius fits well with Manfred personality sick of pursue power. Also I love how Walpole introduce the ghost fact too as u mentioned!!
      Monday at 14:47 · 

    • Minnie d'Arc It's interesting that, at the time, Shakespeare had almost fallen into obscurity - David Garrick had only recently revived his work, and it's interesting that Walpole was a great fan of Garrick:
      Monday at 14:53 · 

    • Gothic Soul † Mind & Heart I didn´t knew this important fact that Walpole was a great fan of Garrick but it seems that Mr. Walpole most be influence by the essence of dark feelings of the characters
      Monday at 15:00 · 

    • Minnie d'Arc 
      Yes, definitely. Shakespearian drama is very very different to Restoration comedy or the theatrical genres of the Enlightenment. It is far deeper in character analysis, and really tries to reach into the heart of dark motivation, whereas in...See more

      Monday at 15:06 ·  ·  1 person

    • Minnie d'Arc So... What I think I'm trying to say is that I view it as Shakespeariean drama dressed up in contemporary trappings to make it acceptible to readers of the time...
      Monday at 15:07 ·  ·  1 person

    • Gothic Soul † Mind & Heart Dear Minnie, I´m back again pardon the interruptions
      Monday at 16:34 · 

    • Minnie d'Arc Don't worry, Nay!! I'm having a few interruptions myself and I think we keep missing each other...
      Monday at 16:53 ·  ·  1 person

    • Gothic Soul † Mind & Heart Thank my sweet Minnie for ur kind understanding ;) I think we have to talk and leave us post like this in order to keep having our fab conversation
      Monday at 16:56 ·  ·  1 person

    • Minnie d'Arc I'm glad that you're enjoying the things I'm saying... Such ideas run around in my head almost constantly, and I have so few people to talk about them with...
      Monday at 17:01 ·  ·  1 person

    • Gothic Soul † Mind & Heart ‎:D my dear Minnie to me is a lovely pleasure to be able to talk with a u and how can not be interest on ur fantastic conversation like u I don´t have the opportunity to talk about this topics and Im lucky we have met ;D from now on we must leave us more comments not only talk as bookclub but about other books ;)
      Monday at 17:08 · 

    • Minnie d'Arc Yes! That, I'm very happy to do, Nay... And to enjoy comparing, as well... I love tracing the development of ideas (as you can probably tell from the nature of the posts on my blog) and its an endless fascination to me to see what a simple idea - like "Otranto" - can turn into...
      Monday at 17:21 ·  ·  1 person

    • Gothic Soul † Mind & Heart yes I love that ur conversation is not limited to one single path and I´m learning new fascinating things ;D thank u
      Monday at 17:37 ·  ·  1 person

    • Minnie d'Arc We're BOTH learining things, Nay... After all, YOU'RE the one who's good enough to be doing an MA... :)
      Monday at 17:40 · 

    • Gothic Soul † Mind & Heart no no no please I not good enough u r so kind by mentioned but I most to learn more and the knowledge is an endless path that we most walk day by day ;) and if we cross this road with amazing friends like u the learning is a joy :D
      Monday at 17:46 · 

    • Minnie d'Arc Thank you!! I am greatly, greatly honoured by you friendship, your respect, and your esteem, Nay... If I could only convey to you that which I mutually feel for you, and for the joy of knowledge you bring to me...
      Monday at 17:50 ·  ·  1 person

    • Gothic Soul † Mind & Heart On the contrary my dear Minnie I wish to thank u from the deepest of heart u´ve give me the honor of ur valuable friendship and really even my words r not enough to express the lucky I am of being ur acquaintance XOXO u r really sweet friend
      Monday at 17:56 ·  ·  1 person

    • Minnie d'Arc ‎*blush*
      Monday at 17:56 · 

    • Gothic Soul † Mind & Heart Im blush too cause u´ve said luvly words XOXO
      Monday at 18:00 · 

No comments:

Post a Comment