The Castle of Otranto the Mysterious Mother
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THE CASTLE OF OTRANTO A GOTHIC STORY and THE MYSTERIOUS MOTHER A TRAGEDY Horace Walpole edited by Frederick S. Frank broadview literary texts 02003 Frederick S. Fr.ink All rights n:servcd. The: use of any part of this publication reproduced, transmiued in any form or by any means, electronic, mc:chamcal, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or stored in a n:tr1eV3l system. without prior written consent of the publishc:r - or in the: case: of photocopying, a hcc:ncc: from Access Copyright (Canadian Copyright Licc:nsing Agency), One Yonboe Street, Suite 20 1, Toronto, 0111 MSE 1 ES - is an infringement of the copyright law. National Ubrary of Canada Cataloguing in Publication Walpole:, Horace, 1717- 1797 The: castle: of Otranto a gothrc smry, and, The mysterious mo1her: a tt":lboedy I Horace Walpole; edited by Frederick S. Frank. (Broadview literary 1exts) Includes brbliDb'T.IPhical references. ISBN 1-ss 111-304-x I. Frank, Frederick S. II. Title. Ill. Series. IV Title: The mysterious mother. ra3757.w2c3 2002 8:18 ",009 c2002-905134-7 Broadview Press Lid. is an mdc:pendent, mternational publishing house, incorporated in 1985. Broadview belic:vt.-s in shared ownership, both with its cmployc•-s and with the gen• er.ii public; since the year 2000 Broadview shares have tr.ided publicly on the Toronto Venture Exchange under the symbol BOP. We welcome comments and suggestions n:gardmg any aspect of our publications-please: feel free 10 conuct us at the: addn:sses bc:low or at broadv1c:w@broadviewpn:ss.com. Nonh America PO Box 1243, l'eterborough, Ont:1rio, Canada K9J 7115 3576 California Road, Orchard Park, NY, USA 14127 Tel: (705) 743-8990; Fax: (705) 743· 8JSJ email: customc:rsc:rv1ce@broadV1cwpn:n.com UK, Irc:land, and continental Europe Thomas Lyster Ltd., Units J & 4a. Old Boundary Way lluncough Road, Ormskirk Lancashire, L39 2YW Tel: (01695) S7SI 12; Fax: (01695) 570120 email: [email protected] Austr.ilia and New Zealand UNIREPS, University of New South Wales Sydney. NSW, 2op Tc:l: 61:: 9664 0999; Fax: 6129664 5.po Horace Walpole, 1759 email: info.pn:[email protected]:du.au www.broadviewpn:ss.com Droadvic:w Pn:ss Ltd. gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Government of Canada through the: Book Publishing Industry Dc:vc:lopmc:nt J'rogr.im for our publishing activities. This book is printed on acid-free paper containing JO% post-consumer fibre. Series editor: Professor L. W. Conolly Advisory editor for 1his volume: Colleen Franklin /~·~·····.., .. Text dc:sib'TI and composition: Georg~ Kirkp3trick " - \ . .i ....,_;,. ..~ . PRINTED IN CANADA PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION THE following work was found in the library of an ancient Catholic family in the north of England. It was printed at Naples, in the black letter, 1 in the year 1529. How much sooner it was written does not appear. The principal incidents are such as were believed in the darkest ages of Christianity; but the language and conduct have nothing that savors of that barbarism. The style is the purest Italian. If the story was written near the time when it is supposed to have happened, it must have been between 1095, the era of the first crusade, and 1243, the date of the last, or not long afterwards. There is no other circumstance in the work, that can lead us to guess at the period in which the scene is laid. The names of the actors2 are evidently fictitious, and probably dis guised on purpose: yet the Spanish names of the domestics seem to indicate that this work was not composed until the establish ment of the Arragonian kings in Naples3 had made Spanish appellations familiar in that country. The beauty of the diction, and the zeal of the author (moderated, however, by singular judgement), concur to make me think, that the date of the com position was little antecedent to that of the impression. Letters were then in their most flourishing state in Italy, and contributed to dispel the empire of superstition, at that time so forcibly attacked by the reformers. It is not unlikely, that an artful priest might endeavour to turn their own arms on the innovators; and might avail himself of his abilities as an author to confirm the populace in their ancient errors and superstitions. If this was his view, he has certainly acted with signal address. Such a work as the following would enslave a hundred vulgar minds, beyond half the books of controversy that have been written from the days of Luther" to the present hour. I A Gothic typeface, e.g. ~~r ~uifr nttmtr. 2 Several of the characters' names an: taken from Shakespc3n:. Dianca is uken from 0111· tllo; lsabdb i~ ukc:n from Mtasurr for Afou11rc. Hippoliu is ukcn from A Midsummer N(~/11~ Drca1t1 . Manfred Jnd Conr.id wen: ukcn front historical accounu of the lulian kinb.Jom ofSicily in the: period 1200-1300. 3 These kings assumed the: rule of the: Neapolitan kingdom after the defeat and death of King Manfred in 1266. 4 Martin Luther (1483-1546), German Proicsunt n:ligious reformer. THE CASTLE Of OTRANTO 59 This solution of the author's motives is, however, offered as a thor's defects. I could wish he had grounded his plan on a more mere conjecture. Whatever his views were, or whatever effects au ful moral than this: that" tl1e sins ef fathers arc visited 011 tl1eir clril- use 1 h h · h' the execution of them might have, his work can only be laid to t/ic tlrird a11d fourth ge11cratio11. " I doubt w et er, m is dret 1 bd' . f before the public at present as a matter of entertainment. Even as time any more than at present, ambition cur e its appetite o such, some apology for it is necessary. Miracles, visions, necro dominion from the dread of so remote a punishment. And yet mancy, dreams, and other preternatural events, are exploded now this moral is weakened by that less direct_ insinuati.on, t~at eve~ even from romances. That was not the case when our author such anathema may be diverted, by devotion to samt N1ch.olas. wrote; much less when the story itself is supposed to have hap Here, the interest of the monk plainly gets the better of the judg pened. Belief in every kind of prodigy was so established in those ment of the author. However, with all its faults, I have no doubt dark ages, that an author would not be faithful to the manners of but the English reader will be pleased with a sight of this pe~or the time who should omit all mention of them. He is not bound mance. The piety that reigns throughout, the lessons of virtue to believe them himself, but he must represent his actors as that are inculcated, and the rigid purity of the sentiments, exempt believing them. this work from the censure to which romances are but too liable. If this air of the miraculous is excused, the reader will find Should it meet with the success I hope for, I may be encoura~ed nothing else unworthy of his perusal. Allow the possibility of the to reprint the original Italian, though it will tend to depreciate facts, and all the actors comport themselves as persons would do my own labour. Our language falls far short of the ~har~ of the in their situation. There is no bombast, no similes, flowers, digres Italian, both for variety and harmony. The latter is. particularly i ( sions, or unnecessary description~""Everything tends dlrectly to excellent for simple narrative. It is difficult, in English, to relate tne catastrophe. Never is the reader's attention relaxed. The rules without falling too low, or rising too high; a fault obviously occa of the drama 1 are almost observed throughout the conduct of the sioned by the little care taken to speak pure language in co~mon piece. The characters are well drawn, and still better maintained. conversation. Every Italian or Frenchman, of any rank, piques Terror, the author's principal engine, prevents the story from ever himself on speaking his own tongue correctly and with choice._ I languishing; and it is so often contrasted by pity, that the mind is cannot flatter myself with having done justice to my author m kept up in a constant vicissitude of interesting passions. this respect: his style is as elegant, as his conduct of the passions is Some persons may, perhaps, think the characters of the domes masterly. It is a pity that he did not apply his talents to what they tics too little serious for the general cast of the story; but, besides were evidently proper for, the theatre. their opposition to the principal personages, the art of the author I will detain the reader no longer, but to make one short is very observable in his conduct of the subalterns. They discover remark. Though the machinery is invention, and the names of the many passages essential to the story, which could not be well actors imaginary, I cannot but believe, that the ground wo~k ?f brought to light but by their 11ai'vcte and simplicity: in particular, the story is founded on truth. The scene is undoubtedly laid m the womanish terror and foibles of Bianca, in the last chapter, some real castle.l The author seems frequently, without design, to conduce essentially towards advancing the catastrophe. describe particular parts. "171c clramber:• says he, "011 tire riglrt lra11d; It is natural for a translator to be prejudiced in favour of his tire door 011 tire left lra11d; tl1e distaucc from tile clrapel to Conrad~ apart- adopted work.