-The Castle of Otranto

https://www.lehigh.edu/~asj316/gothic/otranto_001.jpg

Recognized as the first work in the Gothic genre and adding the subtitle “a Gothic Story” in its second edition, this work featured themes of horror, the supernatural, romance, and the dark confines of a castle. The Castle of Otranto named in the title is imagined as a medieval structure in Puglia, Italy, that is haunted by ancestors, including those who have been nefariously murdered. Secret underground passages connect the castle to the church of St. Nicholas that is located nearby.

Horace Walpole (1717-1797).
The Castle of Otranto, a Gothic Story. Parma: Bodoni, for J. Edwards. 1791.

Lehigh University Catalog Record: https://asa.lib.lehigh.edu/Record/241861

A version of this text has been digitized and is available through the Internet Archive.