Gothic Novels Essay -- Literary Analysis, The Castle of Otranto

Gothic is described as something that is destructive and barbaric which attracts and disrupts what is considered civilised. Therefore to a certain extent Jackson is right. however the â€Å"very act of speaking about these socially unspeakable is an ambiguous gesture (Punter p.417).† This is where the element of superstition and the paranormal come in. In Horace Walpole’s The Castle Otranto and Matthew Lewis’ The Monk this element of paranormal and superstition gives way or embodies the contradiction of society which Jackson speaks of, or at least some of them. Its is important to recognise however, that though the message or the plot of these stories are sometimes sarcastic or even impractical they do manage to interrogate society and its social norms. But still, while some things are addressed others are repeated and left unsolved and this is what I will try to explore. What does The Monk and The Castle of Otranto have to say about their society as well as how plot and character might impact on the message the reader ends up receiving. The Castle of Otranto brings to light many aspect concerning society but in a way the reader is not sure whether or not to take it seriously; firstly, from Conrad being struck down by an helmet to Matilda being killed. As Markman Ellis (p.32) argues, â€Å"the handling of these elements is somewhat unusual.† The whole plot of the story is build around an enigma, for example the prophecy that states, â€Å"the castle and lordship of Otranto should pass from the present family, whenever the real owner should be grown too large to inhabit it (p.109)† The handling of these supernatural elements though form the base of the main plot, distracts the readers from the seriousness of the reality. Manfred driven by the... ...ntonia and immediately falls for her not realising that what he feels is the bond of siblings recognising each other. Both novels seem to take a stand against evoking morals by repressing education. In The Monk both the church and Elvira play a role in their children's down fall. Antonio is not permitted to read certain parts of the Bible for fear that she will be curupted. The Castle of Otranto and The Monk seems to be about evil and the problem of externalising it. An example of this is the mob's behaviour in The Monk "which provides some kind of justification for violence and at the same time emphasizes the ease with which revenge can be incontrollably excessive( James Watt, 1999, p.92)." This is true for both novel as well as other (Frankenstein and Zofloya). In The Castle of Otranto Manfred kills Matilda, mistakenly, by trying to kill Isabella.