“The Castle of Otranto” is a novel written by the English author Horace Walpole. It was first published in 1764 and is often regarded as one of the earliest and most influential works of Gothic fiction. The story is set in the Castle of Otranto in Italy and revolves around the character of Manfred, the lord of the castle. When Manfred’s son dies on his wedding day under mysterious circumstances, he becomes obsessed with the idea of securing the family line. This obsession leads to a series of supernatural occurrences, including the appearance of a giant helmet and the spectre of a ghostly armoured knight. “The Castle of Otranto” is notable for introducing many of the tropes and conventions that would become standard in Gothic fiction, including gloomy castles, hidden passages, family curses, and supernatural phenomena. The novel’s atmosphere of foreboding and the portrayal of the tyrannical Manfred contribute to its Gothic sensibility. Horace Walpole’s work had a significant influence on later Gothic writers such as Ann Radcliffe and Matthew Lewis, and it played a pivotal role in the development of the Gothic literary tradition. “The Castle of Otranto” remains a classic of the genre and continues to be studied and appreciated for its role in shaping the Gothic novel.
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