The Castle of Otranto

«The Castle of Otranto» – a work that initiated the genre of gothic novel. A medieval castle, a sinister prophecy, vengeful ghosts, and fateful secrets – Walpole masterfully blends the real and the supernatural. Even the first edition was a mystification: Walpole presented the novel as a translation of an ancient Italian text found in Otranto. However, in the preface to the second edition, he acknowledged his authorship.

The story of the tyrant Manfred, who tries to maintain power, begins with the death of his son, crushed by a giant helmet, and turns into a nightmare where the fates of the living are determined by a dark past.