The Castle of Otranto

E10269

The Castle of Otranto is a 1764 novel by Horace Walpole that is widely regarded as the first Gothic novel, blending medieval romance with supernatural horror.


Statements (48)
Predicate Object
instanceOf English-language literary work
Gothic novel
novel
adaptedAs stage adaptations
author Horace Walpole
containsMotif ancestral curse
forbidden love
haunted castle
labyrinthine architecture
prophetic visions
supernatural apparitions
countryOfOrigin Kingdom of Great Britain
criticalReputation often described as the first Gothic novel
firstEditionPublisher Thomas Lownds
genre Gothic fiction
horror fiction
medieval romance
hasTheme family curse
hereditary guilt
legitimacy and inheritance
prophecy and fate
supernatural
tyranny and usurpation
influenced Ann Radcliffe
Gothic novel tradition
Matthew Gregory Lewis
initialPublicationForm anonymous publication
inThePublicDomain true
laterEditionParatext author’s preface acknowledging authorship
literaryMovement Gothic literature
literarySignificance established many conventions of Gothic fiction
mainCharacter Conrad
Hippolita
Isabella
Manfred
Matilda
Theodore
narrativeForm prose fiction
narrativePerspective third-person narration
originalClaimedForm translation of an Italian manuscript
originalLanguage English
placeOfPublication London
publicationDate 1764
settingCountry Italy
settingLocation Otranto
settingPeriod medieval period
structure five chapters
subtitle A Story

Referenced by (19)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Conrad
Hippolita
Isabella
Matilda
appearsIn
Gothic literature
Horace Walpole
Strawberry Hill House ("inspired "The Castle of Otranto"")
notableWork
Conrad
Matilda
diesIn
Hippolita
Matilda ("The Castle of Otranto (1764)")
firstAppearance
Gothic literature
firstMajorWork
Otranto ("The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole")
hasLiteraryConnection
Strawberry Hill Press
hasNotableWork
Horace Walpole
knownFor
Hippolita ("The Castle of Otranto (1764 novel)")
publicationContext
Hippolita ("The Castle of Otranto, or The Castle of Otranto: A Gothic Story")
relatedWork
The Mysterious Mother
relatedWorkByAuthor
Isabella ("Castle of Otranto")
settingOfActions

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