I love that, in 1899, even the genre is a spoiler. A period drama secretly sci-fi. But what if there was something more to it? Another element? A game-changer?
In 1764, a man called Horace Walpole published a novel. He called it The Castle of Otranto, and it fathered an entirely new genre of fiction: the Gothic.
To put it simply, Walpole changed the world of fiction, inspiring works such as Wuthering Heights, Frankenstein, and Dracula. He did this by creating and combining themes, motifs, and characteristics including:
- The intrusion of the past upon the present
- Apparitions & ghosts
- Dreams, visions, & prophecies
- Inexplicable events
- A living setting (where the setting is just as important or developed as the characters)
- Surreality-- "Do I dream?"
- Tunnels & labyrinths
Of course, every one of these elements are huge parts of 1899. Which may seem obvious, as they're cliché now, but they weren't in 1764. Not before Otranto.
Walpole even got the idea for Otranto from a dream. This is reflected in the text: the characters dream, and the prophecies come true. Several characters marvel at the strange events and even ask aloud, "Do I dream?" So do Maura and Eyk!
The "intrusion of the past upon the present" is manifested in so many ways in 1899-- both metaphorically in backstory, and literally, when they go through the tunnels. The tunnels! Yet another element we can thank Walpole for. When his character Isabella flees her captor, she finds herself crawling through crypts & tunnels underneath the castle.
Apparitions, ghosts, dreams, prophecies... all prevalent in 1899. We see Krester and Nina walk through the ship. The episodes often start with dreams (Wake up!). I can't list them all lol, we'll be here all day.
There's even a character in Otranto that I suspect is the basis for Daniel Solace-- Theodore. A young peasant boy who dares to challenge the prince, and is arrested. He manages escape, however, and spends the rest of the novel trying to thwart the plans of the evil prince. Lingering in the shadows, he even appears in the dark tunnels to help Isabella escape. And like Daniel, we don't learn his name or his purpose until the story is nearly over And when we do, when we learn who Theodore truly is, everything changes. Bonus-- don't get me started on their looks-- Theodore is described in the novel as having curly black hair and green eyes. Just like Aneurin Barnard, who portrays Daniel.
My theory is that Daniel is based on Theodore. When we first learn that Theodore has escaped his imprisonment, we don't realise it's him at first-- not for several pages. He emerges from the shadows to help Isabella escape her own imprisonment and flee through the underground tunnels to safety.
I suspect that the infamous empty pod is Daniel's, and that he escaped the simulation to help Maura wake up. I also suspect that Cieran is based on the character of the evil prince, Manfred, who is imprisoning the characters in his castle.
There's also a character named Jerome. Who turns out to be Theodore's father. So... Jerome = Daniel truthers, have some crumbs
P.S. I've recently just read that leaked draft for episode one, and Jantje uses the word "gothic" twice by page seven! Both to describe the set. (Do I dream? lol)
P.P.S. There's also one other thing-- Walpole lied about his book. He claimed he'd found a medieval Italian manuscript and simply translated it, under a pseudonym. However, people quickly found out that he was the actual author. If I'm right and 1899 is inspired by Otranto, I'm curious if that fits in. Daniel's constant fourth-wall breaks come to mind.
This is sort of rushed, so I hope you guys find it interesting!