The Castle of Otranto is a 1764 novel written by British author Horace Walpole. It is the first novel in Gothic literature, having inspired many later authors such as Ann Radcliffe, Bram Stoker, Daphne du Maurier, and Stephen King. In the work, the author blends two types of novels: the ancient, dominated by imagination, and the modern, true to reality. The result is a mixture of the supernatural, ghostly visions, and inexplicable events on the one hand, with the passions, intrigues, and psychology characteristic of flesh-and-blood people on the other. It is a classic reputed as the pioneer of the Gothic genre, much appreciated by today's readers. It is no wonder that The Castle of Otranto is part of the famous collection ‘1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die.’
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Horace Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford (London, September 24, 1717 – London, March 2, 1797), was an English aristocrat and novelist. He inaugurated a new literary genre, the Gothic novel, with the publication of The Castle of Otranto(1764).
Walpole, Earl of Orford, was the youngest son of British Prime Minister Robert Walpole. He graduated from King's College, Cambridge, where he studied mathematics, music, and anatomy. In 1741, he entered the English parliament, remaining as a member after his father's death in 1745. Loyal to King George II and Queen Caroline, Walpole took their side against their son, Frederick, Prince of Wales, whom he referred to bitterly in his memoirs. Walpole's residence, Strawberry Hill, near Twickenham, is a fanciful ensemble in the neo-Gothic style, inspiring an architectural trend.
In 1757, Walpole began printing his works at Strawberry Hill. The publications are numerous, but his memoirs, recorded in correspondence with his friends, have become a detailed source of information for historians about the political and social scene of that period.
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