10-30-2007, 08:56 PM
Since Desdemona has not read "The Castle of Otranto", I don't want to say anything that might spoil the plot. However, in discussing good vs. evil, I want to comment on the fact that the author of this book seemed to imply that evil is hereditary. Therefore, the innocent was sacrificed to atone for wrongdoings.
The idea that evil is hereditary survives into 20th century Gothics. However, this idea takes on a different twist. It is one that is imagined or assumed, rather than real. Many times the hero is portrayed as evil, coming from a long line of evildoers, but is actual fact, the good guy.
The idea that evil is hereditary survives into 20th century Gothics. However, this idea takes on a different twist. It is one that is imagined or assumed, rather than real. Many times the hero is portrayed as evil, coming from a long line of evildoers, but is actual fact, the good guy.