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The Castle of Wolfenbach: A German Story
Matilda Weimar flees her lecherous and incestuous uncle and seeks refuge in the ancient Castle of Wolfenbach. Among the castle's abandoned chambers, Matilda will discover the horrifying mystery of the missing Countess of Wolfenbach. But when her uncle tracks her down, can she escape his despicable intentions?
One of the seven "horrid novels" named in Jane Austen's "Northanger Abbey," "The Castle of Wolfenbach" is perhaps the most important of the early Gothic novels, predating both "The Mysteries of Udolpho" and "The Monk."
This edition reprints the complete text of the 1793 edition and includes a new introduction and notes by Diane Long Hoeveler, one of the foremost modern scholars of Gothic literature and feminism.
One of the seven "horrid novels" named in Jane Austen's "Northanger Abbey," "The Castle of Wolfenbach" is perhaps the most important of the early Gothic novels, predating both "The Mysteries of Udolpho" and "The Monk."
This edition reprints the complete text of the 1793 edition and includes a new introduction and notes by Diane Long Hoeveler, one of the foremost modern scholars of Gothic literature and feminism.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1793
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3067 people want to read
About the author
Eliza Parsons
103 books19 followersEliza Parsons (née Phelp) (1739 – 5 February 1811) was an English gothic novelist. Her most famous novels in this genre are The Castle of Wolfenbach (1793) and The Mysterious Warning (1796) - two of the seven gothic titles recommended as reading by a character in Jane Austen's novel Northanger Abbey.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
June 2, 2011
This is one of the books mentioned in the Jane Austen novel Northanger Abbey. At one time the list of books was thought to be fictional. However, it was discovered they were actual novels. These books are now described as "horrid" novels. Also, see " With this Ring" by Amanda Quick. These books were wildly popular in their time, and Miss Austen's novel poked fun at the melodrama, but one can see why they were so popular. I really enjoyed it. Loved it, in fact. An editor would have been great back in those days, because there were times when I was confused as to who was speaking. But, the language was very modern,except for a few words being spelled differently than we are used to. There are no chapters, just volume 1 and volume 2. It is just a little over 200 pages. These books are available in a trade size paperback size from Amazon. Reasonably priced. I am not sure if they are available for the kindle but they might be.
Highly recommended for the gothic fan.
Highly recommended for the gothic fan.
March 22, 2015
This is the first of the 'Horrid Novels' mentioned in Northanger Abbey that I have read (Udolpho not technically being one of them). I did not think it was particularly horrid, it was a lot more moralistic than anything else. Long suffering and abused women are urged to be even more long suffering and they will be rewarded, they are urged to forgive and be virtuous, and wouldn't you know it, everything turns out in their favour at the end and their tormentors all confess and repent.
The book also has a very strong patriotic bend and wouldn't you know it, England is the best country in the world. It has the best justice system, the most beautiful ladies and the most generous populous. If they could just organize their charities a little better and the rich gave up late nights and gambling, there would be nothing else to improve. A very highly amusing point of view.
I also found the oft stated opinion that our heroine must be of high birth and nobility because of her honourable character, good manners and beautiful comportment rather funny. She could not have been of mean birth because her beauty and manners were so far above those of lesser rank and standing. Such a naive idea but it must have appealed to the romantic sensibilities of the era.
Despite of (or maybe because of) all the above, I liked the book. It's a fast read and should be be read with a satirical frame of mind for best enjoyment.
The book also has a very strong patriotic bend and wouldn't you know it, England is the best country in the world. It has the best justice system, the most beautiful ladies and the most generous populous. If they could just organize their charities a little better and the rich gave up late nights and gambling, there would be nothing else to improve. A very highly amusing point of view.
I also found the oft stated opinion that our heroine must be of high birth and nobility because of her honourable character, good manners and beautiful comportment rather funny. She could not have been of mean birth because her beauty and manners were so far above those of lesser rank and standing. Such a naive idea but it must have appealed to the romantic sensibilities of the era.
Despite of (or maybe because of) all the above, I liked the book. It's a fast read and should be be read with a satirical frame of mind for best enjoyment.
February 9, 2017
The Castle of Wolfenbach: A German Story - Eliza Parsons,Diane Long Hoeveler Wow. So it’s clear why this didn’t remain a popular book for long. All of the creepy gothic stuff takes place at the beginning. Then there’s a section of characters acting like normal (aristocratic) people and traveling and having large house parties, and crushing on each other, and oh, if I had read this book before reading Mansfield Park I would never have cast an aspersions upon Fanny. Mathilda is rather unusually perfect in every way, such that everyone who meets her is immediately smitten and keen to support her for the rest of her life….and, yeah, that’s not the most unbelievable part. Hard to say what is, though. There’s the way two different villains repent of the horrors they have done and are immediately forgiven by the only survivors. Or the way everyone talks in monologues that last for pages of dense paragraphs. Or the pirate who was planning to retire anyway, so he might just as well help Mathilda out...Really, there isn’t a single believable bit in the whole book, neither in the story nor in the telling. To sum up: gruesome, and not in a fun way (unless you enjoy reading awful books, which apparently I do, if they're old enough).First of <i>The Complete Northanger Horrid Novel Collection</i>, personal copy.
May 6, 2013
I'd say something pithy about how this was, yes, horrid as advertised, but no, not the kind of horrid I was after, but I still have six other Horrid Novels to get through, and I suspect this won't be the worst-written of the bunch (there's even another Eliza Parsons in the list; oh, dear).
But.
It's pretty horrid, you guys.
But.
It's pretty horrid, you guys.
August 16, 2020
"The Castle of Wolfenbach"? More like "The annoying Story of Matilda"
Don't read it, unless you like hating every character in a book and want to torture your brain
Don't read it, unless you like hating every character in a book and want to torture your brain
December 28, 2014
"The men having withdrawn, the lady seated herself at the dressing table, and having opened her portmantua to take out some linen for the ensuing day, she burst into tears on viewing the small quantity of necessaries she possessed; she cast a retrospection on her past calamities, they made her shudder; she looked forward to the future, all was dark and gloomy; she wrung her hands"
Though I myself am often aghast at the shortage of undergarments in my possession, I do not suffer from most of the hapless Matilda's calamities: ghosts, groans, clinking chains, incestuous uncles, bloody corpses, fires, evil French noblewomen, melancholy, knives, and seasickness. The whole arsenal of Gothic horrors makes an appearance in this novel, except the usual evil monks and nuns. Surprisingly, the Roman Catholic church actually seems beneficial and well-intentioned towards the heroine, who finds sort-lived shelter in a convent.
Six more horrid novels to go!
Though I myself am often aghast at the shortage of undergarments in my possession, I do not suffer from most of the hapless Matilda's calamities: ghosts, groans, clinking chains, incestuous uncles, bloody corpses, fires, evil French noblewomen, melancholy, knives, and seasickness. The whole arsenal of Gothic horrors makes an appearance in this novel, except the usual evil monks and nuns. Surprisingly, the Roman Catholic church actually seems beneficial and well-intentioned towards the heroine, who finds sort-lived shelter in a convent.
Six more horrid novels to go!
December 23, 2024
It hits WELL above its weight class in boredom. Came here for the ghosts and all I got was a boring marriage drama. Will the girl get married? Won’t she? Why do I care!!!! Just have the ghost kill these lame characters and call it a day! God it sucked. For 200 pages it felt like 1000. I liked the first quarter of the story but this book was pure torture. I know it’s old, but so is the poo I took 4 years ago which is in the sewer. Doesn’t mean I wanna smell it again! 💩
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2021
3.5 because it's hilarious even though I definitely don't think it was trying to be.
September 2, 2015
Bad, just so bad.
It's a "horrid" novel, one that Jane Austen referred to in her "Northanger Abbey". While many believe that "horrid" refers to the gothic nature of the writing, I believe Ms. Austen was using her tongue-in-cheek wit to describe the experience of actually reading it all the way through.
In the overly long story, Matilda is an orphan, having been cared for by an "uncle" all her life. When she comes of age, and apparent hotness, the uncles announces they are not related and he wants to marry her. When she refuses, he flips out (like the psycho he is) and tries to take advantage of Matilda. She entrusts the help of a servant and flees into the night unlaunching a story of such ridiculous turns of events and rambling dialogues and explanations that it will put even the staunchest reader into the deepest sleep.
So, in essence, it's just really awful. Personally, I'm not interested in reading books to get a point. I just want a good read. This wasn't it. I'll stick to Austen and leaved the horrid writing to others.
It's a "horrid" novel, one that Jane Austen referred to in her "Northanger Abbey". While many believe that "horrid" refers to the gothic nature of the writing, I believe Ms. Austen was using her tongue-in-cheek wit to describe the experience of actually reading it all the way through.
In the overly long story, Matilda is an orphan, having been cared for by an "uncle" all her life. When she comes of age, and apparent hotness, the uncles announces they are not related and he wants to marry her. When she refuses, he flips out (like the psycho he is) and tries to take advantage of Matilda. She entrusts the help of a servant and flees into the night unlaunching a story of such ridiculous turns of events and rambling dialogues and explanations that it will put even the staunchest reader into the deepest sleep.
So, in essence, it's just really awful. Personally, I'm not interested in reading books to get a point. I just want a good read. This wasn't it. I'll stick to Austen and leaved the horrid writing to others.
Read
September 5, 2019This is the first in a group of "horrid" novels sold in a package for Kindle, consisting of all of the mostly forgotten works that Jane Austen mentions in "Northanger Abbey" as ones Catherine and Isabella are either have read, are reading or hope to read.
I want to thank whoever at Amazon decided this would be a good idea! This is exactly the sort of thing I was hoping would become possible when I first bought my Kindle -- that weird, obscure old books would become easier to find and relatively inexpensive.
So, The Castle of Wolfenbach! Perhaps the silliest novel I've ever read, but enjoyable all the same. What made it so much fun is realizing this is the sort of thing that young Jane Austen was reading and making fun of. The story is totally improbable, full of Continental nobles, lost/switched infants, fake ghosts, fainting, coincidences and people who are either paragons of virtue or cold-blooded killers. Two separate stories of virtuous female victims and the horrible men who abuse them. But it all works out in the end! Whew.
I want to thank whoever at Amazon decided this would be a good idea! This is exactly the sort of thing I was hoping would become possible when I first bought my Kindle -- that weird, obscure old books would become easier to find and relatively inexpensive.
So, The Castle of Wolfenbach! Perhaps the silliest novel I've ever read, but enjoyable all the same. What made it so much fun is realizing this is the sort of thing that young Jane Austen was reading and making fun of. The story is totally improbable, full of Continental nobles, lost/switched infants, fake ghosts, fainting, coincidences and people who are either paragons of virtue or cold-blooded killers. Two separate stories of virtuous female victims and the horrible men who abuse them. But it all works out in the end! Whew.
September 15, 2022
Rating: 3.4 / 5
Volume One is Gothic perfection...
...but then Volume Two gets kind of ridiculous and far-fetched.
I mean, not to say that that's unusual for Gothic novels, but still:
I'm pro-Victorian-Gothic novels, and still iffy on the Romantic-Gothic novels. I mean, technically this is a Romantic Gothic novel, but still.
I'll take The Monk any day, not because it's ridiculous, but because it's all-out INSANE.
Also, quick note to anyone reading this edition: the formatting is terrible, so unless you like reading line after line with little to no paragraph breaks, as though everything were a train of thought instead of properly formatted, then do so at your own risk.
Volume One is Gothic perfection...
...but then Volume Two gets kind of ridiculous and far-fetched.
I mean, not to say that that's unusual for Gothic novels, but still:
I'm pro-Victorian-Gothic novels, and still iffy on the Romantic-Gothic novels. I mean, technically this is a Romantic Gothic novel, but still.
I'll take The Monk any day, not because it's ridiculous, but because it's all-out INSANE.
Also, quick note to anyone reading this edition: the formatting is terrible, so unless you like reading line after line with little to no paragraph breaks, as though everything were a train of thought instead of properly formatted, then do so at your own risk.
November 24, 2023
I wanted to read this because it is referred to as one of the "horrid novels" in Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen's satire of gothic novels. I want to read as many gothic novels as I can before reading Northanger Abbey - next up the other horrid novels.
Despite Jane Austen's apparent contempt for it, I enjoyed The Castle of Wolfenbach, for a variety of reasons. On the one hand, it is a historical document, a story of intrigues among the European nobility, written just prior to the French Revolution. Only a few years later the world described in the novel would be thrown into turmoil, and large swaths of the nobility eradicated. On the other hand, the Castle of Wolfenbach is a mixture of romance, horror story, and fairy tale. Scenes of princesses imprisoned in castle dungeons and children ripped from their parents' arms by evil relatives with ulterior motives are fairly common in the tales of the Brothers Grimm, written around the same period.
At the same time, if a bit overly dramatic, the novel is eventually very satisfying, with a multitude of plotlines resolving for a happy conclusion. The theme is essentially the travails of vulnerable women manipulated and exploited by unscrupulous suitors and/or relatives. I love damsel in distress novels, and this certainly fits that bill. I'm also not embarrassed to say I like happy endings - this is not Thomas Hardy.
I also thought the view toward religion was interesting - while the characters allude to "the Almighty" frequently, it is considered tantamount to suicide for the main character to "take the veil." When a villain ends up in a monastery devoted to poverty, rather than in prison, it elicits everyone's pity.
Whatever its merits, the book could use a fresh edition. Not only is the writing long-winded at times and inconsistent in quality, but the version I read was full of typos. The story is driven by dialogue, with limited narrative description. As such, it is easy to get confused with the characters, since there are multiple counts, countesses, etc. Form-wise, there are no chapters, only two volumes, each about 100 pages. Many paragraphs go on for three-quarters of a page or longer. Again, this is probably not on the to-do list for any publishing company, but putting a new editor on it would do wonders.
Despite Jane Austen's apparent contempt for it, I enjoyed The Castle of Wolfenbach, for a variety of reasons. On the one hand, it is a historical document, a story of intrigues among the European nobility, written just prior to the French Revolution. Only a few years later the world described in the novel would be thrown into turmoil, and large swaths of the nobility eradicated. On the other hand, the Castle of Wolfenbach is a mixture of romance, horror story, and fairy tale. Scenes of princesses imprisoned in castle dungeons and children ripped from their parents' arms by evil relatives with ulterior motives are fairly common in the tales of the Brothers Grimm, written around the same period.
At the same time, if a bit overly dramatic, the novel is eventually very satisfying, with a multitude of plotlines resolving for a happy conclusion. The theme is essentially the travails of vulnerable women manipulated and exploited by unscrupulous suitors and/or relatives. I love damsel in distress novels, and this certainly fits that bill. I'm also not embarrassed to say I like happy endings - this is not Thomas Hardy.
I also thought the view toward religion was interesting - while the characters allude to "the Almighty" frequently, it is considered tantamount to suicide for the main character to "take the veil." When a villain ends up in a monastery devoted to poverty, rather than in prison, it elicits everyone's pity.
Whatever its merits, the book could use a fresh edition. Not only is the writing long-winded at times and inconsistent in quality, but the version I read was full of typos. The story is driven by dialogue, with limited narrative description. As such, it is easy to get confused with the characters, since there are multiple counts, countesses, etc. Form-wise, there are no chapters, only two volumes, each about 100 pages. Many paragraphs go on for three-quarters of a page or longer. Again, this is probably not on the to-do list for any publishing company, but putting a new editor on it would do wonders.
July 11, 2019
Layers and layers of the old story of a woman who has been done wrong by a man, back in the time when men owned them.
Like, seriously. At one point there's a nun who repeats the main character's life story almost to the detail, the tales are so similar.
This started as a decent read but went downhill at the midpoint, when the drama turned to excessive summarizing. At the 2/3 mark, the main plot gets resolved. Then the author cycles through the other characters' plots, somehow expecting the reader to feel any drama whatsoever. Then the last quarter of the book is...happy ending. What, was this written before the invention of suspense? I think not! A lot of skimming.
I can see why Austen made fun of the book, although it could have been worse.
Recommended for gothic completists.
Like, seriously. At one point there's a nun who repeats the main character's life story almost to the detail, the tales are so similar.
This started as a decent read but went downhill at the midpoint, when the drama turned to excessive summarizing. At the 2/3 mark, the main plot gets resolved. Then the author cycles through the other characters' plots, somehow expecting the reader to feel any drama whatsoever. Then the last quarter of the book is...happy ending. What, was this written before the invention of suspense? I think not! A lot of skimming.
I can see why Austen made fun of the book, although it could have been worse.
Recommended for gothic completists.
August 15, 2020
2.5 stars!
October 13, 2025
Lepe korice...
September 11, 2023
For the most part the story was mundane and told in an unexciting way. The characters were bland, I feel she fell into the trap of veiling some personalities completely with lamentations and self pity, whilst not exploring the character traits of others as she was busy expounding on their virtues, also meaning that the good and bad was very black and white with no ambiguity on matters, which can make a book very boring.
This book however perfectly displayed that including all the gothic elements of the time does not make a book gothic. The evocation of eerie atmospheres, suspense and horror was poorly done, then it turned into crappy domestic affairs- if that sort of book is what I was after I would simply read Jane Austen.
I reasonably enjoyed some of the book near to the end and therefore upgraded it from one to two stars.
This book however perfectly displayed that including all the gothic elements of the time does not make a book gothic. The evocation of eerie atmospheres, suspense and horror was poorly done, then it turned into crappy domestic affairs- if that sort of book is what I was after I would simply read Jane Austen.
I reasonably enjoyed some of the book near to the end and therefore upgraded it from one to two stars.
November 18, 2020
"The Castle of Wolfenbach" is a tale that has left me with mixed feelings. I had first heard of this novel when reading through Jane Austen's "Northanger Abbey," and later stumbled upon it when reading a list of the greatest Gothic horror novels of all time. I can see the reasoning behind it being listed as a Gothic fiction, but it cannot hold a candle to some of the greater works that have since been published in the late nineteenth century. All the same, this is a great staple of Gothic literature. It has ghosts to a certain degree, an ancient castle that lies in the deep forestry of Germany, and a horrid story of murder and betrayal. I was captivated by the plot-line from the start, but to my disappointment it was not fulfilling enough to hold my interests entirely.
Maltidia is an honourable, good-hearted woman. Indeed, she is quite spotless in the eyes of society. She is a amiable, sensible, and a well-behaved child that is indebted to her uncle's partiality towards her. Upon discovering the awful truth of her family's relations, Maltidia flees for her life and seeks refuge in the Castle of Wolfenbach. It is from there that the real story begins, but it still did not enrapture me wholly. Perhaps, it was the main character's penchant of fainting at every moment, and when not falling to the floor when being frazzled with pure nerves she is brought to a state of baleful tears. I know this is a classic troupe of women fainting when full of fear, but in this novel it was beyond redundant, it was almost humorous in a way. Oh, the amount of times Maltilda "Quitted the apartment with a flood of tears," or "Leaning on her friend's shoulder, burst into a flood of tears," is beyond me. The poor girl was sensible for a moment, and then bawling her eyes out in another. I know I am reading this novel with a modern day perspective, but it still puzzles me how so many women and men can be brought into a state of tears at any moment.
The villains were absolutely delicious, if only we could have seen more of them. They were the true monsters in this story, and they did not disappoint. Parson's characterizations of them were descriptive and their true motives were ambiguous until the very end. I could receive nothing but sheer delight whenever they came across the page, but that is perhaps because of my natural tendency to be dazzled by villains in classical pieces of literature. All in all, I would recommend this novel to anyone that enjoys literature from the eighteenth and nineteenth century. If you enjoy a story of murder, cruelty and a touch of ghosts then this is the book for you.
Maltidia is an honourable, good-hearted woman. Indeed, she is quite spotless in the eyes of society. She is a amiable, sensible, and a well-behaved child that is indebted to her uncle's partiality towards her. Upon discovering the awful truth of her family's relations, Maltidia flees for her life and seeks refuge in the Castle of Wolfenbach. It is from there that the real story begins, but it still did not enrapture me wholly. Perhaps, it was the main character's penchant of fainting at every moment, and when not falling to the floor when being frazzled with pure nerves she is brought to a state of baleful tears. I know this is a classic troupe of women fainting when full of fear, but in this novel it was beyond redundant, it was almost humorous in a way. Oh, the amount of times Maltilda "Quitted the apartment with a flood of tears," or "Leaning on her friend's shoulder, burst into a flood of tears," is beyond me. The poor girl was sensible for a moment, and then bawling her eyes out in another. I know I am reading this novel with a modern day perspective, but it still puzzles me how so many women and men can be brought into a state of tears at any moment.
The villains were absolutely delicious, if only we could have seen more of them. They were the true monsters in this story, and they did not disappoint. Parson's characterizations of them were descriptive and their true motives were ambiguous until the very end. I could receive nothing but sheer delight whenever they came across the page, but that is perhaps because of my natural tendency to be dazzled by villains in classical pieces of literature. All in all, I would recommend this novel to anyone that enjoys literature from the eighteenth and nineteenth century. If you enjoy a story of murder, cruelty and a touch of ghosts then this is the book for you.
February 5, 2016
I'm a fan of gothic romances in general. I love Castle of Otranto, Frankenstein, and Dracula, but had a hard time getting through The Mysteries of Udolpho. Crimson Peak got me interested in the genre again though, so this year I want to visit some more of the classics. Jane Austen may have called them "horrid novels," but I have a fondness for the twisty, coincidence-filled plots about guileless maidens and the wicked counts who try to control them.
Castle of Wolfenback is a good one. It's full of the problems these kinds of books have: everyone is one-dimensional and there are so many counts and countesses that I literally lost track of them all. But as an oasis from more complicated literature, I enjoy the absolute goodness of the heroes in Wolfenbach and seeing the villains get their comeuppance.
Also, in addition to haunted rooms and secret passages, this one's got pirates.
Castle of Wolfenback is a good one. It's full of the problems these kinds of books have: everyone is one-dimensional and there are so many counts and countesses that I literally lost track of them all. But as an oasis from more complicated literature, I enjoy the absolute goodness of the heroes in Wolfenbach and seeing the villains get their comeuppance.
Also, in addition to haunted rooms and secret passages, this one's got pirates.
December 15, 2020
I can see why this was such a hit when it came out. I love gothic stories and the atmosphere is perfect. It did drag on a bit, especially with the two stories happening at the same time and I felt there were way too many convenient random nice people but overall, a fun tale.
April 26, 2017
A reverent Protestant's take on the Gothic romance; an attempt to prove the superiority of Christian, English morale.
The year 1793 is a particularly important year in Parsons' penmanship, during which she published no less than four novels, one of which was the one for which she would garner the most fame: Castle of Wolfenbach; a German story. It is listed as the first amongst the seven 'Northanger horrid novels' – a list which Jane Austen formulated in her tale Northanger Abbey – and with its repeated graphic murders and allusions to incest one could see why someone would place it there. (As a side note her novel The Mysterious Warning, a German tale also made the list, making Parsons the only author to be honoured twice in this manner.)
Castle of Wolfenbach would truly have been a shocking tale in its time and most of its credit comes from this fact, at the same time it does suffer from other flaws such as a messy plot and characters whose personalities are rather on the simple side; and indeed it was penned to remedy Parsons' monetary shortages rather than as a result of devotion to the art of writing. In short, today we would have put the label 'pulp fiction' on this kind of novel.
Mathilda Weimar is a woman whose misfortunes are already numerous by the time she reaches the Castle of Wolfenbach. Her arrival there is coincidental, spurred by a sudden illness that accosted her while travelling. Joseph and Bertha, the custodians of the castle in Count Wolfenbach's absence, happily accommodates her and shows much generosity, presenting her with the finest room they dare offer. However, this room resides on the upper floor of the castle where it were no secret that hauntings abound. Most guests would have fled after the first night, but as far as Mathilda is concerned the threat of ghosts and death are trifles compared to the woes of her past, and so she decides to seek the true secret within the castle, namely the source of its phantasmal presence.
In the late 18th century the Gothic novel was still young, and as it was often aimed at a female audience there were many authors and critics that insisted on dampening the supernatural aspect of them. In England this resulted in a subgenre called the 'explained supernatural', where any such aspect has a rational cause. (Of course, it turns out that women are no more averse to a good horror story than men and so the subgenre is now almost dead, surviving almost solely in children's shows such as the adventures of Scooby Doo.) Especially the Gothic romance were partial to this reasoning and Castle of Wolfenbach is one of its subscribers. In fact the hauntings are but an introduction to the dramas from which it originated, and it is among these intrigues that the true horrors of the story unfold.
This is also a tale of morality and it preaches its morality from its high, cross-bearing horse. Parsons was a devout Protestant with clear aversions towards Catholics, and since France was still a Catholic nation at the time it is the ways of the Frenchmen which receive the brunt of her dismissals. She also makes a point out of having her most unfortunate characters weep inconsolable rivers on a regular basis – this reviewer estimates that there average space between each outburst is around four or five pages, totalling to a decent flood over the novel's five hundred – but the novel postulates that this tide is possible to stem with religious devotion in the correct form. Parsons also takes the time to admonish on subjects such as the raising of children, the correct behaviour of ladies, on choosing spouse based on love, in trusting your fate to higher powers rather than your own abilities, and quite a few others. It is also worth noting that while some do consider her support of a woman's own choice in husband as a progressive idea, which of course it was, she is nevertheless far from a feminist and does in fact support the notion that a woman should be under the responsibility of either her husband or her male family members unless she is widowed or in a convent. This might seem like a harsh verdict, but Parsons is very blatant in her dealings with these issues and presenting them as anything else would be to do the novel injustice.
As previously noted, Castle of Wolfenbach was written in a short space of time and to secure an income to Parsons family, which had been a relatively wealthy one until her husband's warehouse burned down a few years prior. The novel does indeed show signs of haste in its writing. The plot itself is rather messy, but the most telling signs are the sudden appearance of new characters that stop by the story to tell their tale and then vanish, as if they were put there merely to lengthen the story; moreover they increase in number as the story progresses, giving further fuel to this idea.
One's capability to ignore these issues, or, alternatively, appreciate them, is of utter importance if one is to appreciate this novel. Yet, despite these issues Castle of Wolfenbach remains one of the better exemplars of the early Gothic romance. It has one of the most memorable stories amongst its kind and is one of few which keeps the reader guessing throughout the tale. In a genre where the solutions often are too obvious or unimaginative this is a welcome exception.
This review has been based on a reprint by Gale ECCO Print Editions, which is made capture by capture from a microfilm recording of the original first printing by Minerva Press. Both volumes contain near flawless text, granting the modern reader the chance to experience this tale as it was when made over two hundred years ago. Gale ECCO also has a reprint of the second edition, but this reviewer do not know the quality of it. This novel has also seen many other reprintings and the one by Valancourt deserves a special mention since they always include a prolonged introduction containing both historical facts pertaining to the book and the effect it has had on ensuing literature.
The year 1793 is a particularly important year in Parsons' penmanship, during which she published no less than four novels, one of which was the one for which she would garner the most fame: Castle of Wolfenbach; a German story. It is listed as the first amongst the seven 'Northanger horrid novels' – a list which Jane Austen formulated in her tale Northanger Abbey – and with its repeated graphic murders and allusions to incest one could see why someone would place it there. (As a side note her novel The Mysterious Warning, a German tale also made the list, making Parsons the only author to be honoured twice in this manner.)
Castle of Wolfenbach would truly have been a shocking tale in its time and most of its credit comes from this fact, at the same time it does suffer from other flaws such as a messy plot and characters whose personalities are rather on the simple side; and indeed it was penned to remedy Parsons' monetary shortages rather than as a result of devotion to the art of writing. In short, today we would have put the label 'pulp fiction' on this kind of novel.
Mathilda Weimar is a woman whose misfortunes are already numerous by the time she reaches the Castle of Wolfenbach. Her arrival there is coincidental, spurred by a sudden illness that accosted her while travelling. Joseph and Bertha, the custodians of the castle in Count Wolfenbach's absence, happily accommodates her and shows much generosity, presenting her with the finest room they dare offer. However, this room resides on the upper floor of the castle where it were no secret that hauntings abound. Most guests would have fled after the first night, but as far as Mathilda is concerned the threat of ghosts and death are trifles compared to the woes of her past, and so she decides to seek the true secret within the castle, namely the source of its phantasmal presence.
In the late 18th century the Gothic novel was still young, and as it was often aimed at a female audience there were many authors and critics that insisted on dampening the supernatural aspect of them. In England this resulted in a subgenre called the 'explained supernatural', where any such aspect has a rational cause. (Of course, it turns out that women are no more averse to a good horror story than men and so the subgenre is now almost dead, surviving almost solely in children's shows such as the adventures of Scooby Doo.) Especially the Gothic romance were partial to this reasoning and Castle of Wolfenbach is one of its subscribers. In fact the hauntings are but an introduction to the dramas from which it originated, and it is among these intrigues that the true horrors of the story unfold.
This is also a tale of morality and it preaches its morality from its high, cross-bearing horse. Parsons was a devout Protestant with clear aversions towards Catholics, and since France was still a Catholic nation at the time it is the ways of the Frenchmen which receive the brunt of her dismissals. She also makes a point out of having her most unfortunate characters weep inconsolable rivers on a regular basis – this reviewer estimates that there average space between each outburst is around four or five pages, totalling to a decent flood over the novel's five hundred – but the novel postulates that this tide is possible to stem with religious devotion in the correct form. Parsons also takes the time to admonish on subjects such as the raising of children, the correct behaviour of ladies, on choosing spouse based on love, in trusting your fate to higher powers rather than your own abilities, and quite a few others. It is also worth noting that while some do consider her support of a woman's own choice in husband as a progressive idea, which of course it was, she is nevertheless far from a feminist and does in fact support the notion that a woman should be under the responsibility of either her husband or her male family members unless she is widowed or in a convent. This might seem like a harsh verdict, but Parsons is very blatant in her dealings with these issues and presenting them as anything else would be to do the novel injustice.
As previously noted, Castle of Wolfenbach was written in a short space of time and to secure an income to Parsons family, which had been a relatively wealthy one until her husband's warehouse burned down a few years prior. The novel does indeed show signs of haste in its writing. The plot itself is rather messy, but the most telling signs are the sudden appearance of new characters that stop by the story to tell their tale and then vanish, as if they were put there merely to lengthen the story; moreover they increase in number as the story progresses, giving further fuel to this idea.
One's capability to ignore these issues, or, alternatively, appreciate them, is of utter importance if one is to appreciate this novel. Yet, despite these issues Castle of Wolfenbach remains one of the better exemplars of the early Gothic romance. It has one of the most memorable stories amongst its kind and is one of few which keeps the reader guessing throughout the tale. In a genre where the solutions often are too obvious or unimaginative this is a welcome exception.
This review has been based on a reprint by Gale ECCO Print Editions, which is made capture by capture from a microfilm recording of the original first printing by Minerva Press. Both volumes contain near flawless text, granting the modern reader the chance to experience this tale as it was when made over two hundred years ago. Gale ECCO also has a reprint of the second edition, but this reviewer do not know the quality of it. This novel has also seen many other reprintings and the one by Valancourt deserves a special mention since they always include a prolonged introduction containing both historical facts pertaining to the book and the effect it has had on ensuing literature.
February 8, 2020
Not as bad as y'all make it out to be! Although it's not amazingly brilliant either. The best way to describe it is imagine if Jane Austen and Dario Argento were like 'HEY, LET'S WRITE A BOOK TOGETHER!' - this would be the outcome. The final takeaway I have is that it confirms that men have in fact always been trash.
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March 19, 2025Per lavoro. Ha del potenziale, la storia è interessante e a tratti divertente, si capisce perché Jane Austen l'abbia citato nella sua Abbazia di Northanger. Ci sono pesantezze e manierismi dell'epoca, ma nella traduzione ho cercato di snellire alcuni passaggi.
August 23, 2025
This book is so bad that it's good. An absurdly stupid story with a most unrealistic happy ending, but it was sure entertaining!
November 18, 2025
Saçma bir dedikodu köşesi gibi kitap.. 1 yıldızı da bazı dedikoduların iyi olmasına veriyorum
December 9, 2025
3.5 🌟
A fun read and a bit different from most gothic novels I've read. Many instances of women fainting and not coping with news well. An entertaining story line with surprises relating to the characters' history.
A fun read and a bit different from most gothic novels I've read. Many instances of women fainting and not coping with news well. An entertaining story line with surprises relating to the characters' history.
October 23, 2019
Good ole fashioned ghost story. 👻
September 7, 2025
I can see why these gothic romances were so popular - the drama never lets up! The writing style and subject matter are naturally very much of their time, but I really enjoyed this novel nonetheless. It was a proper page turner with endless twists and turns, wicked noblemen, rivers of tears, multiple swoons, convents, kidnappers, and a very satisfying denouement.
December 16, 2023
My fourth read of the list of seven titles Isabella Thorpe gives to Catherine Morland in Austen's Northanger Abbey. While there are certain aspects that made this book hard for my eyes to read at times -- huge sections of block text, even when numerous people are speaking; the occasional missing word or punctuation; towards the end, a typical designation on who is speaking at any given time is "The Countess," when more often than not, there are three countesses in the room at the time, so just giving the title gives no assistance at all to the reader; and, as with Austen's work, different spelling than what is commonly used in modern print. This last one didn't bother me really because I'm used to it, but the other problems did take a bit of mental effort to read around, especially in the beginning before I got very invested in the story. I don't know whether the huge block text is just a problem of the edition that is available via Hoopla (Mint Editions) or if it's a characteristic of the original 1793 text, but it did drive my inner grammarian a bit insane at first; I kept wanting to put the "new paragraph" editor's mark on it.
As to the story, this is a pretty typical Gothic Romance, but I found it to be the most enjoyable of the four titles I've read so far. Some people find the ever virtuous and seemingly perfect Matilda to be an unbearable heroine, but she doesn't seem any more unbearable than any other Gothic Romance heroine I've read over the years. It's kind of a notable trait of this genre and while I wish that women would stop fainting any time anything stressful happens, I really don't see the point in throwing hands over the situation. The book is over 230 years old, for crying out loud. And well, Matilda did walk into the scene of a grisly murder and the room was described as totally covered in blood; even modern women would get a bit (or a lot) woozy at the image if they came across it in reality.
Of all the 4/7 titles I've read so far, this one seems the most in line with the kind of content I would expect Catherine to have been really interested in, and the moralistic narration in this work seems most in line with some of the ideas of the narrator in Austen's famous satire. And while I did enjoy 2 out of the 3 "horrid novels" I had read before this one, this is the first where I could why Isabella considered it "horrid." Also, there's a character in here that I am 100% sure was partial inspiration for said character, and yes, I detested her on sight and enjoyed every moment of hating her as I read it.
And while I can never crush on any man as I much as I crush on Mr. Henry Tilney, I did adore Count de Bouville and was happy to see he and Matilda get their happy ending together. He was a hero who actually attempted to deserve his heroine and that's more than I can say for most of the men in the genre.
I look forward to reading the other Parsons title on the list (The Mysterious Warning) in the near future.
As to the story, this is a pretty typical Gothic Romance, but I found it to be the most enjoyable of the four titles I've read so far. Some people find the ever virtuous and seemingly perfect Matilda to be an unbearable heroine, but she doesn't seem any more unbearable than any other Gothic Romance heroine I've read over the years. It's kind of a notable trait of this genre and while I wish that women would stop fainting any time anything stressful happens, I really don't see the point in throwing hands over the situation. The book is over 230 years old, for crying out loud. And well, Matilda did walk into the scene of a grisly murder and the room was described as totally covered in blood; even modern women would get a bit (or a lot) woozy at the image if they came across it in reality.
Of all the 4/7 titles I've read so far, this one seems the most in line with the kind of content I would expect Catherine to have been really interested in, and the moralistic narration in this work seems most in line with some of the ideas of the narrator in Austen's famous satire. And while I did enjoy 2 out of the 3 "horrid novels" I had read before this one, this is the first where I could why Isabella considered it "horrid." Also, there's a character in here that I am 100% sure was partial inspiration for said character, and yes, I detested her on sight and enjoyed every moment of hating her as I read it.
And while I can never crush on any man as I much as I crush on Mr. Henry Tilney, I did adore Count de Bouville and was happy to see he and Matilda get their happy ending together. He was a hero who actually attempted to deserve his heroine and that's more than I can say for most of the men in the genre.
I look forward to reading the other Parsons title on the list (The Mysterious Warning) in the near future.
December 4, 2023
If you can put aside a never ending urge to roll your eyes at the dramatic flare of the aristocratic and dainty cast of nobles, this novel actually presents an intriguing story. Although classifying this story as a gothic novel is far-fetched given that the only slightly horror-esque scenes are limited to the first couple pages, the motley crew of counts and countesses inspire a story fraught with drama, love affairs and murder that is, if nothing else, page-turning. I wouldn’t put this book at the top of my list, but it certainly happily surprised me in it’s constant ability to keep you questioning what further (albeit far fetched and perhaps absurd) events were going to happen to the naive and unaware “poor and wretched” Mathilda and “the lady of the house” (if you can remember which countess that even is by the end).
In addition, I fear that a warning but be issued to all those who fall under the title of grammar police (or anyone who reads) you’re in for a wild ride. The scariest part of this book, I fear, lies in the inability of the author to use a comma, period or to end a paragraph in less than 3 pages unfortunately.
In addition, I fear that a warning but be issued to all those who fall under the title of grammar police (or anyone who reads) you’re in for a wild ride. The scariest part of this book, I fear, lies in the inability of the author to use a comma, period or to end a paragraph in less than 3 pages unfortunately.
May 30, 2017
Από τον καιρό που διάβασα το Northanger Abbey της Jane Austen είχα την περιέργεια να διαβάσω τα περίφημα επτά horrid novels, τα γοτθικά μυθιστορήματα, δηλαδή, που αναφέρονται μέσα στο βιβλίο και που προέρχονται κυρίως από συγγραφείς που δεν έγραψαν ακριβώς ιστορία στη λογοτεχνία. Να φανταστείτε ότι μέχρι στις αρχές του εικοστού αιώνα υπήρχε διάχυτη η αντίληψη πώς ήταν απλά φανταστικοί τίτλοι.
Αυτό εδώ το βιβλίο είναι το πρώτο από τα 7 που είπα επιτέλους να ασχοληθώ. Πρόκειται για ένα βιβλίο που ακολουθεί πιστά όλους τους κανόνες του πρώιμου γοτθικού μυθιστορήματος, κάτι που βέβαια έχει τη γοητεία του αλλά δεν είναι και απαραίτητα καλό. Το ξεκίνημά του είναι όσο γοτθικό όσο μπορεί να είναι. Ένα βράδυ που 'βρεχε - που 'βρεχε μονότονα - μία ευγενική δεσποσύνη σε κίνδυνο χτυπάει μία πόρτα και με τα πολλά καταλήγει σε ένα κάστρο γεμάτο μυστήρια. Από εκεί και πέρα οδηγούμαστε σε μία ιστορία γεμάτη ανατροπές - και απιθανότητες -, πλούσια σε συναισθηματισμό - και γυναίκες που κλαίνε όταν δεν λιποθυμάνε -, με διαχωρισμένους σαφώς τους χαρακτήρες σε καλούς και κακούς.
Με λίγα λόγια κάτι που μάλλον δεν μπορεί να χαρακτηριστεί ιδιαίτερα υψηλής ποιότητας λογοτεχνίας και σαφώς απευθύνεται σε ειδικές κατηγορίες αναγνωστών, όπως για παράδειγμα στη μειονότητα που εκτιμά τα βιβλία της Ann Radcliffe, αν και φυσικά δεν υπάρχει καμία σύγκριση.
Αυτό εδώ το βιβλίο είναι το πρώτο από τα 7 που είπα επιτέλους να ασχοληθώ. Πρόκειται για ένα βιβλίο που ακολουθεί πιστά όλους τους κανόνες του πρώιμου γοτθικού μυθιστορήματος, κάτι που βέβαια έχει τη γοητεία του αλλά δεν είναι και απαραίτητα καλό. Το ξεκίνημά του είναι όσο γοτθικό όσο μπορεί να είναι. Ένα βράδυ που 'βρεχε - που 'βρεχε μονότονα - μία ευγενική δεσποσύνη σε κίνδυνο χτυπάει μία πόρτα και με τα πολλά καταλήγει σε ένα κάστρο γεμάτο μυστήρια. Από εκεί και πέρα οδηγούμαστε σε μία ιστορία γεμάτη ανατροπές - και απιθανότητες -, πλούσια σε συναισθηματισμό - και γυναίκες που κλαίνε όταν δεν λιποθυμάνε -, με διαχωρισμένους σαφώς τους χαρακτήρες σε καλούς και κακούς.
Με λίγα λόγια κάτι που μάλλον δεν μπορεί να χαρακτηριστεί ιδιαίτερα υψηλής ποιότητας λογοτεχνίας και σαφώς απευθύνεται σε ειδικές κατηγορίες αναγνωστών, όπως για παράδειγμα στη μειονότητα που εκτιμά τα βιβλία της Ann Radcliffe, αν και φυσικά δεν υπάρχει καμία σύγκριση.
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