The Castle of Otranto

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What things have you heard called “goth” or “gothic”? What elements do these things have in common? Where does this term come from?

Teaching Suggestion: Students are likely to have heard this term in one or more contexts—used informally to describe fashion, music, or a worldview or used in a more academic sense to describe literature, art, film, architecture, etc. The first part of this prompt is intended to get students thinking about how widespread the term’s use is and what—if anything—these uses have in common. Discussion in small groups or as a class will facilitate students’ understanding of these points. Unless you have already studied the term’s origins, few students are likely to connect it with the Goths who invaded the Roman Empire in the third century. The resources below should be helpful in clarifying this point and making students’ understanding of the term “gothic” more cohesive.

• This style guide from the Mayfair Gallery explains the history of the term and offers visual examples from various disciplines.
• This 5-minute video from TED-Ed explains the origins of the term and the history of its use.

2. When was the term “gothic” first applied to literature? What are some of the characteristics of gothic literature? Who are some of its most well-known creators? Which contemporary genres are related to gothic literature, and why do you think gothic-style literature is so popular today?

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt asks students to examine the specific case of gothic literature in more detail—its history, its characteristics, and its relevance to the contemporary world. As you consider their responses to the prompt and identify strengths and weaknesses in their understanding, you can use the resources below to fill in any gaps that might hinder their understanding and appreciation of The Castle of Otranto.

• This research guide to gothic literature from Tufts University contains comprehensive information about the genre. (Please note that this resource is very thorough, and you may wish to identify sections of particular importance for your own students to focus on.)
• This infographic series from The Guardian charts characteristics of gothic novels in an entertaining way.
• This article from BBC Culture explores the popularity of contemporary gothic fiction.

Short Activity

Author and artist Edward Gorey has been called the “Granddaddy of Goth.” In this activity, you will learn about Gorey and one of his most popular books. Then, you will show your understanding of the gothic nature of Gorey’s work by drawing your own imitation Gorey.

Learn about Gorey:

• Read this article from the Edward Gorey House.
• Watch a reading of his book The Gashlycrumb Tinies in this 3-minute video.

Create your own Gashlycrumb Tiny:

• Choose a letter of the alphabet, a name, and a manner of death.
• Illustrate the death and write a caption describing it: Mimic the style of the art and language in The Gashlycrumb Tinies.

Teaching Suggestion: Before students begin working on their own Gorey-inspired pieces, you might wish to discuss what they have learned about his work from the article and video. If you stress to students that the work is intended to be morbid but amusing, it will help them recreate the tone in their own work. This is a good opportunity to discuss dark humor, tone words that describe dark humor, and the difference between this type of humor and simply being offensive or upsetting to an audience. Fully appreciating what makes Gorey’s work successful with its audiences will also help students later as they consider the more theatrical, even campy, aspects of Walpole’s work.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students with visual impairments may not be able to complete this assignment as written. Instead of drawing an illustration for their alphabet entry, these students might be asked to choose four to six contiguous letters and write rhyming entries for these letters. Students with aphantasia may not be able to create an illustration without a visual reference; they might be encouraged to choose a death to illustrate that they are comfortable sketching from a visual reference accessible online.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

Is there a form of gothic expression that you personally enjoy more than others (art, literature, fashion, music, architecture, or another)? What do you enjoy about it? If you like or dislike all these forms equally, why do you think this is?

Teaching Suggestion: Depending on their temperament, some students may hesitate to share their preferences aloud; this prompt is probably best answered independently, in writing, before discussion. If the discussion is likely to be dominated by a few strong voices, you might ask students to discuss their responses in small groups instead of as a whole class.