It immediately caught my attention in the first chapter of The Castle of Otranto that the peasant was not imprisoned in some high tower of the castle like we might imagine, but he was imprisoned deep in the caverns of the castle. This, to me, is reminiscent of an idea that Freud later described as the Uncanny. The Uncanny is complex, but a simple explanation might say that something that was once familiar to us has somehow been made strange and unfamiliar; this strange and unfamiliar then reasserts itself, and causes within us an "uncanny" feeling. Dolls, automatons, or other lifelike inanimate objects are often cited as examples of the Uncanny; they were familiar playthings of our childhoods that we then naturally strayed from as we grew older. So, occasionally, one may encounter an adult who is afraid of a doll's lifelikeness. We familiarity with dolls have been buried, so when they reassert themselves later, they may be terrifying. This is how I viewed the tunnels in which the peasant is placed. The tunnels are part of a home, a castle, and they are used for something so entirely opposed to the ideals of a home--a prison. So, the comfort and familiarity of a home is buried and made strange by using part of it as a prison; also, the peasant is semi-literally buried within the castle this way. He then reasserts himself by finding his way out and leading Isabella out.
Did anyone else see similarities between the Uncanny and any part of the novel thus far? If so, do you believe the entity Manfred sees in the window is in anyway uncanny? Have you made any connections to any other Gothic stories? Maybe the way Fortunato is buried within the catacombs of a home within Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado"? Other Poe stories? Am I reading too much into this tunnels of the castle? You can tell me, please.
I didn't really see the tunnels as a prison, like you say. The peasant was actually imprisoned in the courtyard, under a giant helmet. The ground broke, and he fell into the tunnel, which also serves as a place where Isabella could escape. It seems to me that the tunnel has a more positive connotation since it assists in saving these innocent characters.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, you are right. I don't know how I forgot that.
ReplyDeleteIt defineteltly is interesting to see how the tunnels were used as part of both a home and a prision. I foudn this article that I thought would be interesting as it talks about how there are many genres mixed into this novel which is what helps make it more uncanny. Both the medievil feel with the gothic is what adds to the superaturals in the book.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ampltd.co.uk/digital_guides/gothic_fiction/introduction3.aspx
While the tunnels were not technically where Theodore was imprisoned, he was actually trapped in them once he fell through the ground under the helmet and probably would not have been able to escape had Isabella not been there to open the trap door. I kind of see a connection between the castle itself as a home and the uncanny. As her home, Isabella is supposed to feel safe but she is first being forced to stay there in order to be married to Conrad and then following Conrad's death, she is being pursued by Manfred and constantly has to been on watch.
ReplyDeleteThere are almost too many instances of the uncanny in this story to narrow down the options for one post, but two paired instances emerged immediately in the text. The peasant's original observation of the helmet's resemblance to that of a saint's statue in a church devoted to a yet higher saint, coupled with the disappearance later discovered of that same statue's helmet, strikes me as doubly uncanny.
ReplyDeleteThe original observation of the resemblance of a mysterious, supernatural instrument of tragic death to the hallowed likeness of a prince baring the appellation "the Good" in and of itself is remarkably uncanny.
Similarly, the disappearance/desecration of that same likeness would be uncanny, not only for the idea that perhaps the big helmet WAS the small helmet transformed, but moreover because disturbing such a holy statue would be nearly unthinkable at that time, yet it had been done, to all appearances.
I might be completely missing the mark here, but I think the institution of family serves as uncanny in Castle of Otranto. Though she does not necessarily anticipate the match with Conrad as particularly favorable, Isabella understands it as an economical and normative marriage. She would have followed through with it had he lived. Then, her understanding of family becomes unfamiliar and strange as her almost-father-in-law becomes an unfavorable suitor and physically pursues her for her body (to produce an heir). She can no longer trust an institution that was once straightforward and promoted strong moral values. Similarly, the institution of family fails when Manfred & family come to understand how their ancestor usurped the throne of Otranto. They believed their position of nobility to be acquired through legitimate means, but their understanding is challenged when the actual story comes out. Basically, the ability to trust family (normally genuine & trustworthy) is scrutinized through the tension in Otranto.
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