The Castle of Otranto
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Set in the 18th century, The Castle of Otranto begins on the day Manfred’s son, Conrad, was meant to be married. Known for his sickly nature, Conrad is the eldest child of two, and is set to marry Princess Isabella, a union that would reap strong benefits for the noble family. However, when tragedy strikes right before the ceremony, Manfred is terrified that it is a premonition of a bad luck curse. Paranoid that the curse would threaten his bloodline, he leaps into action. Determined to strengthen his legacy before it’s too late, Manfred decides to divorce his wife so that he can marry Isabella in his son’s place. However, when Isabella adamantly refuses, Manfred slips into a manic state of immorality, as he becomes desperate to do whatever it takes to marry Isabella. After Theodore, a brave peasant man with mysterious origins, becomes dedicated to protecting Isabella from Manfred, the lord must outsmart and overpower the couple to get his way. Through coercion, capture, and even murder, Manfred will do anything to avoid the threat of a curse.
First published under a pseudonym in 1764, The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole is regarded as the first gothic horror novel, a literary genre that later flourished in the 18th and 19th century. Walpole’s work has shaped the modern-day gothic aesthetic in literature, film, art, and music. The Castle of Otranto and the genre it inspired also encouraged many major writers, such as Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, and Edgar Allan Poe. Featuring a dark narrative, twists, tragedy, and elements of surrealism, The Castle of Otranto is dramatic and shocking, enthralling from start to finish.
This edition of The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole features an eye-catching new cover design and is printed in a font that is both modern and readable. With these accommodations, The Castle of Otranto caters to a contemporary audience while preserving the original innovation of Horace Walpole’s work.
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Horace Walpole (1717-1797) was an English writer, art historian, Whig politician, and a man of letters, a group of intellectuals dedicated to solving society’s problems. As the youngest son of a prime minister, Walpole was born into a noble family and became an Earl in 1791. Long before that, Walpole was an elected member of parliament, where he represented the Whig party for thirteen years. Because Walpole’s house, called Strawberry Hill, had its own printing press, he was able to enjoy a prolific writing career, publishing many works of fiction and nonfiction. Walpole has been credited for creating the gothic literary genre with his novel The Castle of Otranto.
