The Castle of Otranto

“Sparked the vogue for Gothic romance in English literature.” –Observer

“My Lord,” said Theodore, “you wrong my father: neither he nor I are capable of harbouring a thought against your peace. Is it insolence thus to surrender myself to your Highness’s pleasure?” added he, laying his sword respectfully at Manfred’s feet. “Behold my bosom; strike, my Lord, if you suspect that a disloyal thought is lodged there. There is not a sentiment engraven on my heart that does not venerate you and yours.”

Considered the first Gothic novel, The Castle of Otranto, by Horace Walpole was published in 1764, and is an incredible and vital read. The novel is filled with mystery, damsels in distress, supernatural occurrences and murder. The Castle of Otranto was an important inspiration to the likes of Ann Radcliffe, Bram Stoker, and Edgar Allen Poe.

Published on Christmas Eve, 1764, on Walpole's private press at Strawberry Hill, his Gothicized country house, The Castle of Otranto became an instant and immediate classic of the Gothic genre as well as the prototype for Gothic fiction for the next two hundred years. Walpole's brooding and intense drama, The Mysterious Mother, focuses on the protagonist's angst over an act of incest with his mother, and includes the appearance of Father Benedict, Gothic literature's first evil monk. Appendices in this edition include selections from Walpole’s letters, contemporary responses, and writings illustrating the aesthetic and intellectual climate of the period.