The castle of Otranto / Horace Walpole ; edited with an introduction and notes by Michael Gamer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Walpole, Horace, 1717-1797.

Contributor:

Gamer, Michael.

Series:

Penguin classics

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Inheritance and succession--Fiction.

Inheritance and succession.

Italy--Fiction.

Italy.

Genre:

Gothic fiction.

Horror fiction.

Fiction.

Physical Description:

xlii, 159 pages ; 20 cm.

Place of Publication:

London ; New York : Penguin Books, [2001]

Summary:

On the day of his wedding, Conrad, heir to the house of Otranto, is killed in mysterious circumstances. Fearing the end of his dynasty, his father, Manfred, determines to marry Conrad's betrothed, Isabella, until a series of supernatural events stands in his way. . . . Set in the time of the crusades, "The Castle of Otranto" (1764) established the Gothic as a literary form in England. With its compelling blend of psychological realism and supernatural terror, guilty secrets and unlawful desires, it has influenced a literary tradition stretching from Ann Radcliffe and Bram Stoker to Daphne Du Maurier and Stephen King. This Penguin Classics edition includes a full selection of early responses to the novel, as well as a critical introduction, chronology of Walpole's life and works, suggestions for further reading, and full explanatory notes. "[Walpole] is the father of the first romance and surely worthy of a higher place than any living writer." (Lord Byron)

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages xxxvi-xl).

ISBN:

0140437673

OCLC:

47063400