The Castle of Otranto

The Castle of Otranto is a novel by Horace Walpole in 1764 and is considered to be both the first Gothic novel and the first horror novel.
== Plot ==
Manfred is the lord of the Castle of Otranto with his wife Hippolita and their children Conrad and Matilda. Conrad is to marry Princess Isabella but on the day of his wedding Conrad is crushed from above by a falling giant helmet. The event is inexplicable to the Otranto residents and ominous, as there is an ancient prophecy that claims "that the castle and lordship of Otranto should pass from the present family, whenever the real owner should be grown too large to inhabit it". Manfred believes this signals the end of the family line and his only hope is to marry Princess Isabella himself. To this end, he also intends to divorce his current wife Hippolita, as he felt he bore him a sickly and ineffective heir in Conrad prior to his death.
Category:Novels
Category:Gothic Novels
Category:Books
Category:Horror Novels
Category:Fantasy
Category:Fantasy Novels
Category:Dark Fantasy