A bit boring but the strange parts make the reading worth it. I do like how the obsessive master of the castle, Manfred, gets his punishment, the ending of his family line, just like promised, the mystery of the peasant (Theodore) being part of it. This is a really odd story, going on a bit long in some parts, but really weird in some scenes, especially at the start (the surprise!head, the bleeding statue, a hermit ghost). Walpole’s story: A supposed true tale from Medieval Italy, where a marriage has been arranged, but after its strange failure, the father-in-law becomes obsessed with the bride, and an ancient prophecy comes true. Stories where anxiety exists with no possibilities to escape, and redemption is not guaranteed.
Notes at the end of the book offer some explanations to some parts in the stories. The novels are: Walpole’s “The Castle of Otranto”, Beckford’s “Vathek”, and Shelley’s “Frankenstein”. Took me a while to finish, but was very interesting, and it was nice to compare the books with each other. 3.5 stars if ratings for all three are combined, otherwise 3 for the first two, 4 for Frankenstein.
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