John Wiswell has reminded me that National Novel Reading Month begins on February 1st. It’s quite simple – you choose a classic you’ve never read, read it in February, and then talk about it.
As I’m looking at the Gothic as part of my PhD thesis, I think it only right that I choose a book related to my topic. I’ve chosen Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto. I’ve been meaning to read it for months now, but this has given me a very good excuse!
The Castle of Otranto is largely considered the first Gothic text, and was originally published in 1764 as an alleged translation of an ancient text. Walpole eventually acknowledged authorship by the time the second edition came out. It’s available for the Kindle for free through Project Gutenberg but I’ll be reading the paperback version, a book I bought at an art exhibition about his rather stunning house at Strawberry Hill.
I’ve read it. It was hard going because of the way he wrote his women characters. Probably accurate for his day, but SHEEESH! That said, he sets the mood perfectly.
Have a good read!