Supernatural explanations
The Castle of Otranto (1764) set the scene for the Gothic novel: a medieval castle, an aristocratic villain, imperilled maidens, hidden passages, and ghostly visitations. Walpole wrote the novel for amusement in an age he considered “too sombre”, the supernatural occurrences creating a sense of dread, but also enjoyment.
Clara Reeve responded to Walpole’s novel with her own, The Old English Baron (1778), criticising Walpole’s writing as “more liable to excite laughter than the desired effect” with his supernatural occurrences verging on the absurd. While the novel utilised many of the same tropes as The Castle of Otranto - evil aristocrats, hidden passages, and a haunted castle – the seemingly supernatural elements have a rational explanation, keeping the events believable and coherent.
Whether explained or not, supernatural episodes underline Gothic tales. Ghosts, animated corpses, and pictures coming to life create a sense of the uncanny - familiar, yet terrifying due to its unfamiliarity.
Suit of armour
In the opening chapter of Castle of Otranto, Manfred’s son is crushed to death by an impossibly large helmet that falls on him from out of nowhere. This initial supernatural act paves the way for a novel full of spiritual interference. The Old English Baron also describes an animated suit of armour that chides the villain’s lackeys, yet, in contrast, by the end of the novel it is explained that this was actually an old servant dressed up to scare them.
