The Castle of Otranto
This book is the earliest and most influential of the Gothic novels. 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." He gives us a series of catastrophes, ghostly interventions, revelations of identity, and exciting contests. Crammed with invention, entertainment, terror, and pathos, the novel was an immediate success and Walpole's own favorite among his numerous works.
What you might want to know about The Castle of Otranto
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
On the wedding day of his sickly son, Prince Manfred of Otranto sees the boy crushed by a giant black helmet that has fallen from the sky. Manfred decides to divorce his wife and marry his son's bride to keep the line.
The Castle of Otranto was written by Horace Walpole and published in 1764. It is widely cited as the first gothic novel and influenced everything from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein to modern haunted-house horror.
Yes. The Castle of Otranto was published in 1764 and is in the public domain. Free editions are available legally through Project Gutenberg.
The Castle of Otranto is 114 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, The Castle of Otranto takes most readers about 2 hours to finish.
The Castle of Otranto is a standalone novel by an unknown author, not part of a series.
The Castle of Otranto is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
