The castle of otranto is the original gothic novel written by horace walpole and first published anonymously in 1764 only after it proved to be a success did walpole admit that the story was not as originally claimed a translation from an old italian manuscript the story about ancient curses delapidated castles in foreign parts supernatural events and dire prophecies became the template for an entire genre. The castle of otranto is the original gothic novel written by horace walpole and first published anonymously in 1764 only after it proved to be a success did walpole admit that the story was not as originally claimed a translation from an old italian manuscript the story about ancient curses delapidated castles in foreign parts supernatural events and dire prophecies became the template for an entire genre. The castle of otranto a gothic story oxford worlds classics english edition ebook horace walpole nick groom amazonde kindle shop. The castle of otranto 1764 is the first supernatural english novel and one of the most influential works of gothic fiction it inaugurated a literary genre that will be forever associated with. Horace walpoles novel is a fascinating work of gothic fiction involving a mediaeval castle supernatural events and an autocratic prince manfred who rules with a rod of iron it is the forerunner of similar tales which were so beloved by the victorians who revelled in dark satanic locations ghosts and mysterious happenings when reading it one could almost picture the scenes being depicted on the stage of a victorian theatre where so many plays of this genre saw the light of day the