Widely considered the first gothic novel, and indeed an initiator of the whole genre, The Castle of Otranto is a 1764 novel by Horace Walpole. It tells the tale of the lord of a castle, Manfred, and his family. Manfred's son Conrad is about to be married to princess Isabella, but Conrad is killed; crushed to death by the fall of a huge helmet from above. In light of an ancient prophesy, this tragic event is especially ominous.
Widely considered the first gothic novel, and indeed an initiator of the whole genre, The Castle of Otranto is a 1764 novel by Horace Walpole. It tells the tale of the lord of a castle, Manfred, and his family. Manfred's son Conrad is about to be married to princess Isabella, but Conrad is killed; crushed to death by the fall of a huge helmet from above. In light of an ancient prophesy, this tragic event is especially ominous.
