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Shvoong Home>Books>Mystery & Thrillers>The Castle of Otranto/Dracula Review

The Castle of Otranto/Dracula

Book Review   by:OlinSain     Original Authors: Horace Walpole; Bram Stoker
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A Look At Horror Over The Years (1-2) Olin Sain


The Castle Of Otranto - Part 1

What was the first horror book ever written? Walpole's 'The Castle of Otranto' What horror monster was created? Next, Dracula and Frankenstein. How did they evolve? How about Alien's of the fifties symbolizing atomic annihilation.



The Devil Children of the sixties? What else does horror have in store for readers of the genre? Monster babies of the seventies come next.



Moving along, the eighties brought Freddy Kruger, Jason and many more horror monsters. The nineties introduced the 'Silence of the Lambs and American Psycho'.



Will the single family income ever be attainable? "Wake Up government war's cost money."



Anything else, how about a no name titled 'The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch'



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Supernatural



An allorgy 'The Castle of Otranto' by Horace Walpole is the first Gothic book published. Incidentally the books discovery was found in the library of an ancient Catholic family in north England, printed in Naples in the year 1529. Originating during the darkest ages of Christianity, between 1095 and 1243.



In the dark castle walls the Prince of Otranto is killed on his wedding day by a large helmet. Jealous passion, intrigue, murder and supernatural phenomena are exposed in this fast-paced horror book, became a number one best seller when it appeared in 1764 is today a classic.

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Dracula - Part 2


Dracula the blood sucker finds its origin in Transylvania not necessarily as Vlad The Impaler who killed 20,000 - 40,000 (politcal rivals, criminals and useless people) Rather, a secret fraternal order of knights called the Order Of The Dragon.



Literally, though, Dracula remains a book involving crude, sensational, psychological, sexual liasons between the same sex. Sensing danger can change into mist, bat or werewolf in a second.



First published as Dracula in 1897 by Bram Stoker. Strucurally it is an epistolary book told as a series of diary entries and letters. Set in the town of Whitby.



Bram Stoker first title for Dracula is 'The Dead Un-Dead' this title change came about doing research on the Romanian word: "Dracul" meaning the "Devil"


Published: May 04, 2012   
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