I have never read a book with such a strong gothic feeling other than ‘The Castle of Otranto’. The plot caught my eye, and with the way it started out, with the death of an immediate main character, it was the calm before the storm. I had read about two other gothic cultural books, but that was a while ago so reading this new book would refresh my memory a bit on what kind of vibes I would feel reading this book.
Some elements I noticed right off the bat were desperation, a decent towards madness, sadness, dread, and the rise of the supernatural. The feeling of losing your son is a feeling that many would hate to feel, but this was just the start of Manfred’s power hungry rise and also his downfall. With apparitions apparently swarming his castle, it seems they are stuck in a ‘limbo’, as they are neither dead nor alive to an extent. With Manfred also wanting to take advantage of his son’s death and marry his fiance, this was just a means to and end.
Using this book as a sort of ‘template’ for future references in the world of gothic culture is a very great idea, it is a very interesting read, however it does take a bit of patience to understand, and one should have an open mind and broaden their horizon a bit if they are to submerge themselves in the world of gothic culture. An entertaining read, only downside is sometimes you may end up having to read back a few pages due to some confusion.
