The Castle of Otranto, Horace Walpole
The Castle of Otranto, Horace Walpole
24 Rating(s)
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The Castle of Otranto

Author: Horace Walpole

Narrator: Peter Joyce

Unabridged: 4 hr 24 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/01/2006

Categories: Fiction, Gothic

Synopsis

"Visions have always been my pasture. I almost think there is no wisdom comparable to that of exchanging the realities of life for dreams. Old castles, old pictures, old histories take one back into centuries that cannot disappoint. I waked one morning from a dream of which all I could recover was that I had thought myself in a ancient castle and that on the uppermost banister of a great staircase I saw a gigantic hand in armour. In the evening I sat down to write, without knowing in the least what I intended to say or relate. The work grew on my hands and I grew fond of it - in short I was so engrossed with my tale, which I completed in less than two months, that one evening I wrote till I could not hold the pen to finish the sentence!" -- Horace Walpole The action in 'The Castle of Otranto' never ceases. It is set against the murky background of Gothic battlements where enchanted helmets and swords fall as the villain rants and raves. The heroine escapes his clutches through a musty trapdoor into a chill underground cavern helped by a mysterious hero of strange origin and a friar who is not all he seems. Will truth and justice triumph? Enjoy the original Gothic thriller leavened with wit and timeless humour and find out.

About Horace Walpole

Horace Walpole (1717–1797), was educated at Eton and King’s College, Cambridge, and then spent several years in politics. In 1757, he established a private printing press at Strawberry Hill, his home in Twickenham. There he published his own works as well as those of other authors. Upon his death, he held the title of Earl of Oxford.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Bill on January 29, 2020

This granddaddy of all Gothics is still worth a read. It has its flaws, but Walpole's style is crisp and economical, and the book itself is mercifully brief. Manfred possesses all the important features of the classic gothic hero that Mrs. Radcliffe and others would later use to great advantage, and......more

Goodreads review by Justin on January 15, 2021

The Castle of Otranto was the Blair Witch Project of 1764. Both were game-changers which popularized a new genre. Blair Witch launched the “found footage” horror trope and Otranto inaugurated the “Gothic.” Interestingly enough, Otranto also employs a “found footage” gimmick with its first edition, pr......more

Goodreads review by Henry on June 21, 2024

Prince Manfred of Otranto in medieval Italy is looking forward to the wedding of his only son Conrad, because the family name must continue...In those violent times, petty men try for glory against others of the same class , (the era of the Crusades also) Italian politics dictates noblemen have sons......more

Goodreads review by Paul on April 04, 2023

This classic was sooo baaad. You know in these fancy introductions when these big shot professors are frothing about how brilliant this thing is that you are now about to read, well, in the introduction to this book the guy tells you right there he’s sorry but this is a baaaad book The dream origin o......more

Goodreads review by Katie on April 29, 2020

Quite frankly one of the oddest things I've ever read.......more

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