From the eerie corridors of ancient strongholds to the depths of ancestral secrets, The Castle of Otranto and The Old English Baron are captivating works of classic horror with significant influence in the history of gothic fiction.
Esteemed and highly influential, Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto (1764) was England’s first gothic horror novel, but when Clara Reeve rewrote the story as The Old English Baron (1778) over thirty years later, her work was received with heavy criticism. With looming curses and familial treachery, both works are set in the medieval era with atmospheres steeped in relentless suspense. Yet, where Walpole’s prolific work blurs the line between realism and the supernatural, Reeve rewrote the fantastical story with features of naturalism for the modern reader. Discover the origins of gothic fiction in these two prolific novels and read their comparisons and critiques in this volume’s featured excerpts by H. P. Lovecraft and Montague Summers.
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Clara Reeve (1729–1807) was an English author and pioneering figure in the development of the gothic novel. Known as the ‘Mother of the Gothic’, her influential work ‘The Old English Baron’ set the foundation for the genre with its blend of mystery, romance, and supernatural elements. Published in 1777, her novel was inspired by and sought to emulate the style of Horace Walpole’s ‘The Castle of Otranto’. Reeve’s contributions to gothic fiction extended beyond her own writings, as she also wrote critical essays that examined the genre’s themes, tropes, and literary techniques.
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