First, that there was at least one really, really crappy book published in the 18th century. Now, in fairness, it should be noted that the book was written in 1764 and is widely considered to be the first ever Gothic novel. In other words, suckage on a grand and towering scale. No, I mean planets and stars being pulled toward the event horizon of a black hole suckage. From this book I learned that classics CAN ALSO REALLY, REALLY SUCK!!! Now before continuing, I would like to be clear that when I say this book sucked, I don’t mean “it was well written but kinda dry and boring”sucked. “CLASSICS” can teach us a great deal about things like history, culture, customs and different literary styles.

In this new edition Nick Groom's wide-ranging introduction explores the novel's Gothic context in the cultural movement that affected political and religious thinking before Walpole developed it as a literary style, helping to explain the novel's impact on contemporaries, its importance, and Walpole's pioneering innovations in the horror genre. Chilling coincidences, ghostly visitations, arcane revelations, and violent combat combine in a heady mix that is both chilling and terrifying. The virgin Isabella flees through a castle riddled with secret passages. After the grotesque death of his only son, Conrad, on his wedding day, Manfred determines to marry the bride-to-be. Professing to be a translation of a mysterious Italian tale from the darkest Middle Ages, the novel tells of Manfred, prince of Otranto, whose fear of an ancient prophecy sets him on a course of destruction.

It inaugurated a literary genre that will be forever associated with the effects that Walpole pioneered. The Castle of Otranto (1764) is the first supernatural English novel and one of the most influential works of Gothic fiction. 'Look, my lord! See heaven itself declares against your impious intentions!'

The castle of otranto as a gothic novel