The Castle of Otranto: A Quick Read edition

· Quick Read
Ebook
148
Pages
Eligible
Ratings and reviews aren’t verified  Learn More

About this ebook

Discover a new way to read classics with Quick Read.
This Quick Read edition includes both the full text and a summary for each chapter.
- Reading time of the complete text: about 3 hours
- Reading time of the summarized text: 5 minutes

The Castle of Otranto is a novel by Horace Walpole, published in 1764, and is generally regarded as the first gothic novel. The novel merged medievalism and terror in a style that has endured ever since. Walpole was inspired to write the story after a nightmare he had at his Gothic Revival home, Strawberry Hill House. The novel initiated a literary genre that would become extremely popular in the later 18th and early 19th century. The Castle of Otranto is widely regarded as the first Gothic novel, and is a singularly influential work of Gothic fiction. It blends elements of realist fiction with the supernatural and fantastical, establishing many of the plot devices and character types that would become typical of the Gothic novel. The novel tells the story of Manfred, lord of the castle, and his family. The violent question of bloodlines and succession serves as a key element in many of Shakespeare's plays, from Hamlet to Richard II and Macbeth, and it is clearly one of the major concerns of Otranto. Otranto is generally credited with creating the entire Gothic novel genre.

Rate this ebook

Tell us what you think.

Reading information

Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.