Date of Award
December 2021
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
English
Committee Member
Erin Goss
Committee Member
William Stockton
Committee Member
Elizabeth Rivlin
Abstract
The parts of this thesis work together to understand Walpole’s Prefaces, defend the presence of servants in the novel, and critique Manfred’s dismissal of the servants as merely comedic necessity for the sake of dramatic tension. Ultimately this thesis shows that while servants are comedic, their comedy has the larger function of providing illuminating details and prophetic information to the reader thereby mediating our understanding of key events and characters. This thesis finds that Walpole does not dismiss servants, but rather values them as essential to his design of creating tension intended to boost the reader’s excitement.
Recommended Citation
Dunn, Laura Caroline, "The Art of The Author: A Discussion of Servants in The Castle of Otranto" (2021). All Theses. 3658.
https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/3658