Synopses & Reviews
This provocative and playful tale of medieval dynastic and sexual politics is regarded as the first-ever published gothic novel and has inspired authors from Stoker to Poe to Rowling
Abounding with unfulfilled prophecies, supernatural occurrences, adventure, suspense, and destiny, it follows the fortunes of the royal family of Sicily in the 13th century. Prince Conrad is crushed to death on the day of his wedding to the beautiful Princess Isabella. Heirless and terrified of an ancient prophecy that foretells the downfall of his dynasty, his father, King Manfred, divorces his wife and resolves to marry the princess himself. Far from enamored with her new fiancé, Isabella flees the royal castle and makes for the sanctuary of a nearby church with the help of the humble Theodore. When the pair are captured their respective fates seem inescapable; but at the moment of Theodore's death, delivery comes from the most unexpected of places.
Review
"Containing a Harry Potter-like array of animated portraits, supernatural adventures in vaults and cellars and astonishing, inexplicable events." —Telegraph
Synopsis
The Castle of Otranto written in 1764 is the first Gothic novel and has begun a genre that has is still very popular. The introduction says that this novel was first written in the 16th century in Italy. Conrad is crushed by a large helmet on his wedding day. Conrad's father Manfred decides he must divorce his wife and marry his son's fianc. The novel to chucked full of supernatural events stemming from a curse on the castle. Ghosts, blood, and huge limbs are just a part of the adventure.
Synopsis
First published pseudonymously in 1764, The Castle of Otranto purported to be a translation of an Italian story of the time of the crusades. In it Walpole attempted, as he declared in the Preface to the Second Edition, "to blend the two kinds of romance: the ancient and the modern." Crammed with invention, entertainment, terror, and pathos, the novel was an immediate success and Walpole's own favorite among his numerous works. The novel is reprinted here from a text of 1798, the last that Walpole himself prepared for the press.
Synopsis
First published pseudonymously in 1764,
The Castle of Otranto purported to be a translation of an Italian story of the time of the crusades. In it Walpole attempted, as he declared in the Preface to the Second Edition, "to blend the two kinds of romance: the ancient and the modern." Crammed with invention, entertainment, terror, and pathos, the novel was an immediate success and Walpole's own favorite among his numerous works. The novel is reprinted here from a text of 1798, the last that Walpole himself prepared for the press.
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About the Author
Horace Walpole (1717-1797) was an English historian, politician, and writer. He revived the Gothic style of architecture decades before the Victorians, and penned the proto-Gothic novel The Castle of Otranto.