The letters I'm posting for today is O & P for the A-Z Challenge. O was not easy so I decided on the The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole, published in 1784. And for P, I've decided to feature one of my favorites, The String of Pearls."The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole"
Although this one is not a true penny dreadful, The Castle of Otranto, an original Gothic novel, fueled many of the great Gothic horror stories such as Dracula and Frankenstein. In addition to these classics, it also lead to many Gothic penny dreadfuls in the 19th century. According to the British Library, the story is about "Manfred, the prince of Otranto, who is keen to secure the castle for his descendants in the face of a mysterious curse. The novel begins with the death of Manfred’s son, Conrad, who is crushed to death by an enormous helmet on the morning of his wedding to the beautiful princess Isabella. Faced with the extinction of his line, Manfred vows to divorce his wife and marry the terrified Isabella himself." The novel was responsible for creating some of the many Gothic horror supernatural elements we us today such as, "secret passages, clanging trapdoors, hidden identities and vulnerable heroines fleeing from men with evil intent."
Where can I get a copy of The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole?
"The String of Pearls"
Edward Lloyd's The People's Periodical and Family Library, first published The String of Pearls penny dreadful serial in 1847. The famous tale, also known as Sweeney Todd, the Barber on Fleet Street (a.k.a. The Demon Barber) had two authors linked to the writing, James Malcolm Rymer and Thomas Peckett Prest. For those that aren't familiar with the Demon Barber's story, its about a bitter barber who slits the throats of his patrons and robs them of their personal property. The remains of the dead customers are then put into a pie by Margery Lovett as depicted in the illustrations below. The story is a love story and is quite more involved than that description I gave you. I've read the book and reviewed it here and also had the chance to see Tim Burton's musical version featuring Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, and Alan Rickman. I found both the original penny dreadful and the movie exceptional!
Where can I get a copy of The String of Pearls?
A copy of the The String of Pearls can be found at ManyBooks here.
Have you had a chance to read either one of these creepy classics? I haven't read The Castle of Otranto yet, but it's on my must-read TBR list!
Mina Burrows
