The Castle of Otranto

Horace Walpole's foundational gothic novel, where a doomed castle, a monstrous prophecy, and supernatural terror announce a whole new genre.

At a glance The eerie, influential tale that gave birth to gothic fiction. A giant helmet crashes from the sky and crushes a young prince on his wedding day, and… Horace Walpole's brief, feverish tale changed the course of English fiction. What it's about In a brooding medieval castle, the tyrannical lord Manfred sees his line…

In a brooding medieval castle, the tyrannical lord Manfred sees his line thrown into crisis when his son dies beneath a supernatural apparition.