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Spooks and Suspense in the Gothic Novel’s Supernatural
The elements of the supernatural combined with the prophecies woven throughout The
Castle of Otranto, by Horace Walpole, create an eerie form of entertainment. The readers of the
eighteenth century know that the characters are trusting in the validity of the supernatural and the
prophetic, and the cultural attitude toward such transcendental occurrences contributed to the
story’s purpose, reception, and overall effect. In the time that The Castle of Otranto was written,
the supernatural may not have been believed by all as it once had, but it still existed and served
as an entertainment factor in literature through characters that did. In Thomas Gray’s letters, he
wrote that “it engages our attention here, makes some of us cry a little, and all in general afraid
to go to-bed o’ nights,” (354, Gray). This element of the marvelous in gothic novels was both
received and rejected by readers.
There is a clear distinction between Walpole’s perceptions of the supernatural and his
characters’. Although the characters believe in the supernatural, that is not necessarily the case
for him: “Whatever [Walpole’s] views were, or whatever effects the execution of them might
have been, his work can only be laid before the public at present as a matter of entertainment. [. .
.] He is not bound to believe them himself, but he must represent his actors as believing them,”
(page 5, Walpole).” Walpole includes this for two reasons. He’s taking a risk including the
supernatural in his story; he’s rejection the strict format and content established by neoclassical
writers, and instead is combining romance with elements of mystery and horror. His inclusion of
the preface is to diffuse the attention from him, not taking credit for his work to prevent critique,
and also to state that his use of the supernatural is for an entertainment.
Walpole believes the fantastical events to be like putting on a performance; whether it
derives from amusement, fear, or curiosity, the supernatural draws people in: “[Walpole] ignores
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the religious and philosophical debate on the supernatural, and focuses instead on the
entertainment value of the marvelous,”(26, Clery). Though the strange occurrences in the novel
can be argued, they’re still engaging and exciting.
Walpole uses a technique to promote this potential entertainment. When he wrote The
Castle of Otranto, he included a preface under an anonymous alias so that he can expand on why
he wrote it and why it is valuable. He begins by illustrating that the following story is based on
true occurrences. This technique is used to hook the reader in. Claiming that the novel was based
on true events, it heightens the curiosity of the readers. He then provides a slight disclaimer,
advising the reader not to overlook the “air of the miraculous” and insisting that readers will find
entertainment in the performance if they allow themselves to believe in these possibilities, (6-7,
Walpole). This further exemplifies Walpole’s use of the supernatural as a form of entertainment.
Walpole expands on this in his second preface: “It was an attempt to blend the two kinds of
romance, the ancient and the modern. In the former all was imagination and improbability: in the
latter, nature is always intended to be, and sometimes has been, copied with success,” (9,
Walpole). He demonstrates his inclination toward the imagination and the fantastical. Voller, the
author of The Supernatural Sublime, explains this concept further:
These writers sought to ground their supernaturalism, their literary praxis, in a
theoretical matrix that linked them to mainstream literary culture; tapping the
sublime allowed the artists to legitimate their experimental enterprise while their
deep fascination with the tropes of supernaturalism produced a discretely
different, if recognizably related, hybrid aesthetic, (5, Voller).
This blending of old ideas and new values is what sets his novel as the marker of the first Gothic.
This is Walpole’s goal: to write supernaturalism into the already existing literary culture. It is the
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entertainment value of these fantastical events that shape the Gothic novel. It elicits a pleasant
terror and satisfies the reader with this type of entertainment, (5, Voller).
However, in order for the supernatural to work on a level of entertainment, the characters
of the novel had to believe it. It is integrated throughout the story, contributing to the plot, and
creating the overall entertaining effect that Walpole strives for. The characters experience fear
and wariness toward the inexplicable events that occur and put their faith in the prophecies
delivered to them. This increases both the level of suspense and curiosity of the inexplicable.
Walpole establishes the supernatural hook within the first few pages of the novel. A man named
Manfred arranges a marriage between his son, Conrad, and Isabella. Shortly after, it is revealed
that there is a prophecy. The prophecy is indecipherable, and the characters don’t know what it
means or how it applies, (17, Walpole). This makes the reader inclined to figure it out. Shortly
after this prophecy is revealed, a violent supernatural scene occurs. A giant helmet inexplicably
falls from the sky, crushing Manfred’s only heir:
The fellow made no answer, but continued pointing towards the court-yard; and at
last, after repeated questions put to him, cried out, Oh, the helmet! the helmet! In
the mean time some of the company had run into the court, from whence was
heard a confused noise of shrieks, horror, and surprise, (18, Walpole).
This opening scene is filled with action, confusion and suspense. The characters are terrified,
unable to communicate what is happening. There is panic and surprise. As the first supernatural
event, it sets the foundation of entertainment for the novel. This is the atmosphere for the
remainder of the novel, increasing with each supernatural event. Walpole sets the pace,
introducing more marvelous events.
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Voller discusses how it is a vessel in which horror is shown in desire and explains how it
adds elements of drama. These moments of supernatural sublime contribute immensely to the
story: “In the history of the sublime the very origin of desire is the quest to recover intimations of
divinity in and from the natural universe,” (38, Voller). There is a moment of divinity within one
of the final scenes of supernatural moments in The Castle of Otranto. Within these final pages,
Manfred accidentally kills his daughter: “A clap of thunder at that instant shook the castle to its
foundations; the earth rocked, and the clank of more than mortal armour was heard behind,”
(112, Walpole). This moment has god-like moments in it. There’s thunder and an earthquake, a
sublime moment of terror to emphasize the destruction of Manfred’s family. It is in this moment
that the prophecy comes true, bringing the story full-circle.
Now that the supernatural presence, necessity, and contribution in The Castle of Otranto
has been established, it is important to show how the novel was received because of those
elements. The novel received mixed reviews based on the audience’s perception of the
supernatural. There were conflicting views based on the cultural, scientific, and public attitude
towards the supernatural of the time. Though the eighteenth century is widely regarded as a
movement toward more scientific advances and experimentation, it still holds some old scientific
values. Many magical elements such as witchcraft and alchemy still remain. There were still
articles written on the philosopher’s stone and alchemy, as the transmutation of metals didn’t
seem impossible, (57, Shorr). Science still held old values, but the belief in the supernatural also
still existed. Some people also still believed in witchcraft. Scientists were still willing to consider
instances of the fantastical and of witchcraft, despite its disagreement with their philosophies,
because of hundreds of cases earlier that suggested such supernaturalisms, (33, Shorr).
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Clery shows evidence of this excitement and curiosity using an event from Walpole’s
life. In 1762, there was a rumored haunting occurring in a lodging house in London: “Walpole
was one of the numerous visitors who went to witness a spirit that knocked in response to
questions from the curious,” (26, Clery). Although the eighteen century is regarded as a time
period of scientific advancement, moving away from such superstitions, it is clear that some
curiosity and entertainment from the possibilities still remains.
These beliefs in the supernatural allowed for the Gothic novel to make an appearance.
Though people weren’t inclined to believe every supernatural occurrence, these lingering fears
allowed for moments of curiosity and entertainment in which the Gothic novel explored. These
lead to mixed reviews of The Castle of Otranto. Some readers enjoyed the strange events while
others saw it as literary regression.
There were people who loved The Castle of Otranto. In a Monthly Mirror review of
1804, someone describes the novel as an “admirable production.” They go on to describe it as the
foundation of romance and say that the novel is so popular and read that further description isn’t
necessary, (164, McNutt). However, there were also reviewers who saw the novel as distasteful.
In a Monthly Review of 1765, the novel is described as a “preposterous phenomena,” and that it
lends itself to “false taste in a cultivated period of learning,” (163, McNutt). The respondents is
unable to see past the supernatural in order to indulge in the story and is instead distracted,
seeing its inclusion as a scientific regression. There are also reviews that fall in the middle. Many
adopt Walpole’s view, in which they do not necessarily believe in the supernatural but appreciate
it for its amusement. Two reviewers in 1765 seem to agree that “those who can digest the
absurdities” will find the Gothic novel enjoyable; the writing is “accurate and elegant” with wellwritten characters and “the narrative kept up with surprising spirit and propriety,” (163, McNutt).
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They believe that the supernatural raises the stakes, adding tension and energy to the story that
makes for an engaging pace.
After reviewing the importance of the supernatural in The Castle of Otranto and
recognizing its impact on the eighteenth century audience, it is necessary to look at it on a
broader scale—the inclusion of the supernatural in the Gothic novel as a whole. Despite the
reviews the novel received based on the audience’s beliefs, the Gothic novel stands as a
recognizable progression in literature. Matthews critiques the reviews of Gothic novel of the
eighteenth century by claiming that a surrealist work of fiction cannot be properly and
unbiasedly judged by those obsessed with realism and accuracy, (16, Matthews). He further
discusses the divide between the acceptance and rejection of the Gothic novel due to the
supernatural. Walpole was aware of the risk he was taking with writing the supernatural into his
novel and was conscious of the critiques it would receive. Matthews suggests this is why he
doesn’t take recognition as the author and prefaces the story with advising the readers to enjoy
rather than judge the fantastic, (17, Matthews). Although Matthews recognizes and validates this
fear, he argues that it is the supernatural elements that shape the Gothic novel. He believes that
the surrealism is neglected and that Walpole’s novel was successful, as it “‘paved a road for men
of brighter talents,’” (19, Matthews).
Many reviewers comment that the Gothic novel consists of old ideas pertaining to the
dark ages with its magical elements, but Cross argues that though the ideas are old, the genre is
an advancement:
Just as the novel of sentiment and humor, when social and educational theories
were brought to bear upon it, passed through a series of changes, resulting in the
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declination of national characteristics [. . .] It meant the abandonment of analysis
and ridicule, and a return to magic, mystery, and chivalry,” (98-99, Cross).
Walpole is discussed directly and how his work helped create and shape the Gothic novel
as a whole: “Walpole gave it its machinery, its characters, its castle, and its Gothic name,” (102,
Cross). Cross argues that Walpole’s story set the foundation for the Gothic novel.
The supernatural elements of The Castle of Otranto were used for entertainment
purposes. It was a rejection of the strict analysis and ridicule of literature, and instead appealed to
the imagination. Although many beliefs in such marvelous events no longer existed, there was a
lingering excitement in these spooks. Horace Walpole drew readers in with with curiosity, terror,
and humor, establishing a foundation for the Gothic novel genre.
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Bibliography:
J., Mac Nutt Dan. The Eighteenth-century Gothic Novel: An Annotated Bibliography Criticism
and Selected Texts. Folkestone: Dawson, 1975. Print.
Cross, Wilbur L. The Development of The English Novel. New York: Macmillan, 1899. Print.
Shorr, Philip. Science and Superstition in the Eighteenth Century: A Study of the Treatment of
Science in Two Encyclopedias of 1725-1750. (Chamber’s Cyclopedia: London, 1728 and
Zedler’s Universal Lexicon: Leipzig, 1732-1750). No 364, Studies in History, Economics and
Public Law. Edited by the Faculty of Political Science of Columbia University. New York:
Columbia Univ. Press, 1932. Print.
Matthews, J.H. Surrealism and the Novel. Ann Arbor: Univ. of Michigan Press, 1966. Print.
Voller, Jack G. The Supernatural Sublime: The Metaphysics of Terror in Anglo-American
Romanticism. DeKalb: Northern Illinois UP, 1994. Print.
Walpole, Horace. The Castle of Otranto and the Mysterious Mother. Ed. Frank Frederick.
Toronto: Broadview, 2003. Print.
Walpole, Horace. The Castle of Otranto. Ed. W. S. Lewis. New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 2008.
Print.
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Clery, E. J., and Robert Miles. "1.6 Horace Walpole (1717-97), on the Cock Lane Ghost
(1762)." Gothic Documents: A Sourcebook, 1700-1820. Manchester: Manchester UP, 2000. N.
pag. Print.