As I mentioned in class today, The Castle of Otranto abounds in what I will call, for lack of a pithier term, "WTF moments." The enormous helmet that falls out of the sky, crushing Conrad, on the second page of the novel is perhaps the most obvious and bewildering of these instances, but there are other points in the novel where readers may find themselves puzzled about the sheer ridiculousness of what happens, moments where one is not sure if the reader is meant to weep, gasp, or giggle.
Identify an episode, a line, a moment in this novel that prompts your "WTF???" reflex.
Deadline: Friday (4/27), 1pm.
11 comments:
It’s not exactly an episode or line, per se, but one aspect of this novel that prompts my “WTF reflex” is the character of Hippolita. And the reasons why don’t necessarily have anything to do with things that are strange or creepy, or even related to the Gothic, but more so with just how ridiculous and clueless she is. I mean, I haven’t read many eighteenth century novels (the only mother figure I know to compare her to is Mrs. Shandy, and even then Mrs. Shandy displays a type of “intelligent ignorance”), so maybe this was typical of how women were portrayed in literature then, but Hippolita, for lack of more eloquent terminology, is a complete idiot. She seems to have no inclination of how slimy a husband she actually has, and even if she did know I don’t think it would matter much. She is so oddly obsessed and devoted to him, despite how horrible a person he so far seems to be, and honestly, she kind of drives me a bit crazy.
One "WTF" moment I saw was at the end of chapter 2 when Jerome realizes that Theodore is his son, simply by seeing a mark on his back. Before this, even while talking with Theodore, Jerome had no idea that he was his son. He also had no idea what happened to Theodore's mother until Theodore specifically described that she was no longer alive. I felt as though this qualifies for a WTF moment because for one, a friar should not be a father and if he were to be one would not think that he would have no idea of his family; and two he realizes that Theodore is his son just before he is about to be executed.
My “WTF” moments do not revolve around the literary interpretation of “W.T.F.” but the other kind. My “WTF” moment is about Manifred’s blatant hatred towards his daughter, Matilda. When he is distraught over Conrad’s death, the mother commands Matilda to comfort him and she does so even though she has no affection for him either. But, he hastily replies “Manfred, stepping back hastily, cried, "Begone! I do not want a daughter;" and flinging back abruptly, clapped the door against the terrified Matilda.” This is so sad! He is nuts and an awful father. Furthermore, the fact that he logically thinks it is ok and rational that he should marry Isabella is just sick. It reminded me a lot of Shakespeare and some of his plays where the daughters were just there to be married off and the sons were where the praise and glory went to. What a messed up family this is that Manifred went from being a grandparent to Isabella’s children (possibly) to her husband. Also, that he can just declare a divorce from Hippolita. He proclaims to Isabella: "I tell you," said Manfred imperiously, "Hippolita is no longer my wife; I divorce her from this hour. Too long has she cursed me by her unfruitfulness. My fate depends on having sons, and this night I trust will give a new date to my hopes." It is so Shakespearian! Many people have mentioned the “WTF” moments revolving around the mysterious helmet crushing Conrad, but that does not bother me, or seem weird in the context of this story. I like the drama and I like that it started off with a dramatic act that entices the reader to continue reading. Because, if it starts out with a seemingly dramatic, implausible event, then I wonder what the rest of the book has in store for me.
It’s interesting that in a gothic novel, I find the “WTF” moments to have little to do with the supernatural or ghostly. I thought it was funny when Diego and Jacquez were “chased” by a giant, but that still didn’t warrant as much of a reaction from me as the last paragraph of Chapter one. I couldn’t help but laugh when Manfred so happily thought “Presuming on the unshaken submission of Hippolita, he flattered himself that she would not only acquiesce with patience to a divorce, but would obey, if it was his pleasure, in endeavouring to persuade Isabella to give him her hand” (35). As extreme as this assumption Manfred makes is, I think it fits him perfectly. He’s so repulsive and egotistical. I also enjoyed this “WTF” moment because, as SMR pointed out, I wouldn’t be surprised if Hippolita really did help Manfred pursue Isabella. She is so hopeless and oblivious to the lunacy of her husband. It makes for a great story. Just to follow up on a question/point SMR made, I’m not TOO surprised by Hippolita’s reaction to her husband. I took English 428 last semester which focused on C18 plays and many women showed little agency. A great example of that is Colley Cibber’s Love’s Last Shift. It’s really sad how women were portrayed during this time, but thankfully not ALL women lacked sustenance.
My WTF moment definitely has to be the processional that takes place on pg. 58. If I've counted correctly (and keep in mind that as an English major its entirely possible that I have not) there are 366 men accompanying the main knight to Manfred's castle. The sheer number of people seems quite ridiculous, after all is it really necessary to have one hundred "foot-guards" and one hundred "footmen"? I'm not entirely sure what the difference between is between a "foot-guard" and a "footman," but it doesn't seem like all two hundred of them are that crucial. However, it gets even crazier when you find out that there are "an hundred gentlemen bearing an enormous sword." I have a hard time even imagining a sword that large, let alone picturing what it would be used for. I haven't finished the story at this point, but perhaps it belongs to the giant that Diego and Jacquez saw earlier, or else comes as part of a matching set with the over sized helmet?
Like Gberry, I too am not compelled to think “WTF” with the supernatural occurrences (I may have become immune to them with all the Harry Potter reading I do.. ) My WTF moment has to do with Manfred’s ridiculous behavior, in particular the entitlement he thinks he has over Isabella. His possessiveness over her really boils my blood, specifically when he says: “I am answerable for her person to her guardians, and will not brook her being in any hands but my own”(44). Here he is
saying that she belongs to him, and he is basically liking her to an object that he can own. I don’t understand what makes him think that it is okay for him to marry Isabella against her own will. You would think that by her running away and being “half –dead with freight and terror” when he tells her he wants to marry her would embarrass him and make him discontinue his pursuit to marry someone that is repulsed by him (25). I am simply perplexed by his justification for wanting to marry his dead sons fiancé. If his only reasoning to want to divorce his wife and marry Isabella is because he wants an heir than the least he can do is have respect for his son and marry a woman who was not originally betrothed to his son.
Given the Gothic context of the novel, some of the unusual occurrences do not seem as abnormal, but there are certainly WTF moments throughout the text. I thought the whole sequence when Manfred was tracking down Theodore and the subsequent fight with the Knight who turns out to be Isabella's father all seemed a little bizarre. I took it in stride though as it fit into the context of the rest of the novel. After this sequence, the whole plan between the two men to marry each others daughters also seemed a little WTF after all that had taken place. I feel like Walpole really embraced the idea of twists and felt as though he had no limitations on the story, so he might as well make it as bizarre as possible.
I think that the whole discussion between Manfred and Jerome over Manfred's want of Isabella, in front of Hippolita no less, is a definite WTF moment. The whole situation seems so odd that a man would be talking about the women he is pining for in front of the woman he is already married to. What is even more interesting is that Hippolita doesn't seem to be terribly bothered by the situation that is being played out before you. Just as blogger Gberry noted on, the gothic elements in Castle of Otranto are not what jump off the page as ridiculous and overdramatic. In fact, I think the actions and thoughts of the novels characters intensify the typical gothic elements, making the whole novel a conglomerate "WTF" moment.
For me the moment that sticks out most to me is when the Friar all the sudden becomes not only a father but a duke of some sort. I totally had to laugh outloud when that happened. Since I am a writer I could totally imagine Walpole thinking, "Crap I gotta make this guy a prince somehow! Oh, I know the Friar can be his dad. Oh, and the friar is the also a duke who is the lover of the secrect daughter of Alphonso the Good." It was so contrived and felt to me like Wa;lpole wrote himself into a hole and had to figure out how to get out. It was all just too easy.
My WTF moment was, like some of the others, more of a "really?" moment. I feel with some of the supernatural stuff I have became a bit immune. Yet, the story has way too many moments that are ever so convenient. One that stood out to me was on pg 49, "at the upper end of the hall, where Manfred sat, was a boarded gallery with latticed windows, through which Matilda and Bianca were to pass". Not only were they happening to walk past in this convenient place, but Manfred spoke to catch her attention. Even more convenient, but Bianca had a wonderful view of this "stranger", which she immediately recognized as an exact resemblance of Alfonso. Come on Walpole, couldn't you have tried a little harder there?
My favorite "WTF moment" comes from the conversation Diego and Jaquez have with Manfred when they finally catch up to him in the underground path about what they've seen. They are outrageously over the top in claiming "Satan himself I believe is in the great chamber, next to the gallery" (32). While this statement made me think that maybe some all-powerful dark creature had, in fact, found itself in the house, as the description progresses, it gets sillier and sillier. While originally it was Satan, it changed to a giant clad in armor... Now, when I think ruler of the underworld, I do not think about a giant napping in my living room.
But, at the same time, I think Walpole makes a pretty Gothic point. When we hear something at night that isn't normal, our minds and imaginations start taking us to places that we wouldn't go with the lights on. The darkness plays tricks on the characters, just as it does in real life. However, in this case, he takes it way over the top and their ridiculous recollection of their story was so slapstick, one could hardly take it seriously.
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