The Castle of Otranto

Horace Walpole

Aug 2014 · Open Road Media

About this ebook

The Gothic masterwork that revolutionized popular fiction

When Prince Manfred of Otranto loses his son in a strange and terrifying accident, he fears that an ancient prophecy has come to pass and his family will be stripped of its castle and lands before he can produce a new heir. Desperate to hold on to their power, he decides to divorce his wife and marry Isabella, his son’s betrothed. But Isabella escapes into the gloomy passages beneath the castle, and with the help of a young peasant named Theodore, finds sanctuary in a nearby monastery. Manfred threatens to kill Theodore unless Friar Jerome turns the girl over to him. Only a shocking twist of fate can save Isabella and ensure that the Castle of Otranto falls to its rightful heir.
 
An immediate sensation when it was published pseudonymously in 1764, The Castle of Otranto is widely considered to be the first Gothic novel. Rich with romance, spine-tingling suspense, and supernatural horror, the novel profoundly influenced the works of Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, and Mary Shelley.
 
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Ratings and reviews

I think a tiny bit of this may have inspired a bit of Sir Lancelot's tale in Monty Python's The Holy Grail.

very nice i like to read this

Very interesting

About the author

Horace Walpole (1717–1797) was an English politician and author. Born to the first British prime minister, Sir Robert Walpole, he served as a member of Parliament from 1741 to 1768. He is best remembered today for The Castle of Otranto, widely considered to be the first Gothic novel.