How Would You Fix Horace Walpole's the novel The Castle of Otranto ?

[BAYLOR]

I read the book many years ago was not overly impressed with it. But I thought that the book had alot interesting elements to it. My question is , how would you fix the things are wrong with this book and make it into good book ? What would you change in the story and characters ?

 

[Bick]

I can’t help as I haven’t read it. It wasn’t written by Hugh Walpole though. Just sayin’.

 

[BAYLOR]

I can’t help as I haven’t read it. It wasn’t written by Hugh Walpole though. Just sayin’.

I was hoping get discussion going on taking a bad novel and making it better one . But it seems not be waring out.

 

[tegeus-Cromis]

I've only read the first few chapters and the summary on Wikipedia. It sure is batty. But it was also a huge hit. Clearly a lot of people loved it. It was hugely influential on the rise of the "Gothick" taste. So calling it a "bad novel" doesn't seem quite right. It is what it is. I wouldn't change a thing.

 

[BAYLOR]

I've only read the first few chapters and the summary on Wikipedia. It sure is batty. But it was also a huge hit. Clearly a lot of people loved it. It was hugely influential on the rise of the "Gothick" taste. So calling it a "bad novel" doesn't seem quite right. It is what it is. I wouldn't change a thing.

I understand what your saying but, I still think it could do with a rewrite .

 

[BigBadBob141]

With a paper shredder?????

 

[Randy M.]

It was written in the idiom of the time, and the people of the time seemed able to read it without becoming bored. When I read, 40+ years ago, I was not a person of the time. I read it packaged with The Mysteries of Udolfo by Ann Radcliffe, which was better; The Old English Baron by Clara Reeves, which was also better; three other shorter works and Carmilla by J. S. Le Fanu, which was terrific.

Anyway, I suspect what you're asking, Baylor, has already been done, sort of. Branching off of ...Otranto was the mystery genre, the horror genre, and all the Gothic romances you could ever want. Also, maybe, Scooby Doo (see, there's a rational explanation for all of this ...). [If you want a fun read, try to find John Dickson Carr's The Burning Court if you haven't already. Two endings, one rational, the other less so.]

As I recall the devices used in Otranto are so old hat now they would be difficult to freshen up. You'd probably have to bring them into the present day, or try writing a Gothic of your own and disguising that it was Otranto rewritten.

Randy M.