Homoerotic and Homophobic Possibilities in The Castle of Otranto

Homoerotic and Homophobic Possibilities in The Castle of Otranto

Eve Sedgwick describes the gothic novel as a “dialectic between the homosexual and homophobic” (92). Homosexuality was first recognized in the eighteenth century and resulted in far reaching social responses. With the establishment of the term “homosexuality”, social tensions appeared. These tensions found their way into novels as fears of sexuality and the struggle for sexual expression. Sedgwick terms this emerging homoeroticism as the “gothic unspeakable”, which is reflected through the depiction of male class and male sexuality (95). Although homosexuality is not explicitly discussed in the text of Otranto, some critics find the relationships and behaviours between the male characters to manifest Sedgwick’s queer reading of the gothic novel.

Research on Walpole has yet to turn up any concrete evidence that proves he had a preference for men. However, analysts of Walpole’s letters have found that he had developed strong intimate relationships with men that can only be described as romantic, and therefore homoerotic in nature (Fincher 231). Historically, Walpole has also been accused of being effeminate. In a pamphlet written by William Guthrie, an attack is made on Walpole’s “ambiguous gender”, of which Guthrie describes Walpole as “delicate” of “the third sex” and “possessing a most ladylike manner” (Fincher 233). There is always the possibility that Guthrie’s pamphlet was only written out of anger. Never the less, it functions as a piece of evidence that suggests Walpole’s sexuality, as well as provides an indication of the attitude towards homosexuality at the time.

If indeed Walpole had homoerotic tendencies, then his sexuality would “give rise to rec...

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... wins at the end of the novel, as Manfred’s title and property is stripped from him. Whether this indicates Walpole coming to peace with his own sexuality is debatable, and one can only speculate. Never the less, Sedgwick’s queer reading of the gothic novel provides another unique perspective towards Otranto.

Works Cited

Fincher, Max. “Guessing the Mould: Homosocial Sins in Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto.” Gothic Studies 3 (2001): 229-45.

Haggerty, George E. "Literature and Homosexuality in the Late Eighteenth Century: Walpole, Beckford, and Lewis." Studies in the Novel 18 (1986): 341-352.

Napier, Elizabeth R. The Failure of Gothic. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1987.

Sedgwick, Eve Kosofsky. Between Men: English Literature and Male Homosocial Desire. New York: Columbia UP, 1985.

Walpole, Horace. The Castle of Otranto. New York: Oxford UP, 1996.