17th Century Fears

Literature is always representative of the time it was written. This is because the author is a byproduct of his environment. 17^th century England was a confusing, dark, rigidly constructed, and constraining time period and Walpole’s Castle of Otranto draws in the appropriate fears to frighten and delight a contemporary audience.

Walpole deals with environmental fears such as darkness, and storms. To a modern day reader these fears are almost nonexistent. Aside from rare circumstances of extreme weather, a modern day reader can almost always avoid these situations. The world is filled with lights, flashlights, stabile and frequent shelter, raincoats, and cars. Someone in 2013 rarely needs to fear getting caught away from home unprepared for the weather. 17^th century readers did not enjoy these luxuries. To get caught outside unprepared could mean your death. A particularly strong storm might destroy your home, or leak through your primitive roof meaning you were not even safe in your own home. When the sun went down, and darkness fell, there was no work around. This darkness creates a perfect environment of mystery and misunderstanding which harbors all things dreadful and supernatural.

Science in the 17^th century was laughable. People were still very dependent on the supernatural for providing explanations questions, which could not be answered. Today, there is scientific method and theory, and many of those questions have been answered. In the 17^th century the supernatural was less extraordinary, and more accepted. That is not to say that the power of the supernatural was lost on Walpole or his contemporaries. Since the supernatural served as the traditional method of explaining things, and had such an integral part in their lives, when the supernatural was warped and made dreadful the effect was all the more powerful. A skeleton hermit in a hood was not something to be questioned, but something to be feared and respected.

Equally as important in 17^th century England was the respect for the Church. Walpole displays the Church as a shining beacon of light, Matilda wishes to be a nun, Hippolita would be happy doing the same, Jerome is a pious and just man who resists Manfred’s cruelty, and offers sanctuary to Isabella. Here the church is doing exactly what the church should be doing. What 17^th century readers feared was the breakdown of the status quo. Much of The Castle of Otranto focuses on people behaving as they should not or being afflicted by troubles foreign to their station. Manfred is cruel rather than magnanimous, Isabella is husband less rather than married to Conrad, Matilda is dead and in love with a peasant rather than alive and married to a nobleman, Hippolita has a disloyal husband, Theodore is a peasant, than a prisoner, than a dueling knight, and finally a prince. 17^th century England was built on a strict class system, and the chaos ensuing around the breakdown of this system was a real fear. In modern day society where social mobility is high, this fear is foreign. The breakdown of the system was not the only fear. The system working correctly was also frightful because it left woman almost powerless to their male counterparts.

Walpole was able to create a work, which frightened his contemporaries. Audiences love a good scare. There is something to be said for the simple pleasure, the rush of endorphins, which a good scare can deliver. Except one does not have to risk all the actual side effects which would accompany such a scare. No need to actually duel your future father in law, go face to face with a giant, see the ruin of a castle, or the death of a young groom by falling helmet. This scare takes place in a controlled environment. When one has had too much all one has to do is close the book. Walpole allowed 17^th century readers to experience that rush by drawing in very real fears and making them “scary fun” rather than “scary you might die.”