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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 the effects that Walpole pioneered. Professing to be a translation of a mysterious Italian tale from the darkest Middle Ages, the novel tells of Manfred, prince of Otranto, whose fear of an ancient prophecy sets him on a course of destruction. After the grotesque death of his only son, Conrad, on his wedding day, Manfred determines to marry the bride-to-be. The virgin Isabella flees through a castle riddled with secret passages. Chilling coincidences, ghostly visitations, arcane revelations, and violent combat combine in a heady mix that terrified the novel''s first readers.In this new edition Nick Groom examines the reasons for its extraordinary impact and the Gothic culture from which it sprang. The Castle of Otranto was a game-changer, and Walpole the writer who paved the way for modern horror exponents.

This volume, with its erudite introduction by Mario Praz, presents three of the most celebrated Gothic novels: The Castle of Otranto, published pseudonymously in 1765, is one of the first of the genre and the most truly Gothic of the three. Vathek (1786), an oriental tale by an eccentric millionaire, exotically combines Gothic romanticism with the vivacity of The Arabian Nights and is a narrative tour de force. The story of Frankenstein (1818) and the monster he created is as spine-chilling today as it ever was; as in all Gothic novels, horror is the keynote.

Un torrente de misterios y calamidades acechan el castillo de Otranto. Cuando el tirano Manfred va a desposar precipitadamente a su hijo Conrad con la bella Isabella, hija del marqués de Vicenza, un gigantesco yelmo cae sobre el vastago como por obra de magia. Desde entonces ya no solo son despropositos las acciones del señor del castillo; sus movimientos e intenciones despiadados son una lucha contra la maldicion. Los desconocidos, los fantasmas, la pasion o el terror entran en danza por un curso de prodigios sin sosiego que desembocaran en la siempre sorprendente verdad.

Macabre and melodramatic, set in haunted castles or fantastic landscapes, Gothic tales became fashionable in the late eighteenth century with the publication of Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto (1764). Crammed with catastrophe, terror, and ghostly interventions, the novel was an immediate success, and influenced numerous followers. These include William Beckford's Vathek (1786), which alternates grotesque comedy with scenes of exotic magnificence in the story of the ruthless Caliph Vathek's journey to damnation. The Monk (1796), by Matthew Lewis, is a violent tale of ambition, murder, and incest, set in the sinister monastery of the Capuchins in Madrid. Frankenstein (1818, 1831) is Mary Shelley's disturbing and perennially popular tale of young student who learns the secret of giving life to a creature made from human relics, with horrific consequences. This collection illustrates the range and the attraction of the Gothic novel. Extreme and sensational, each of the four printed here is also a powerful psychological story of isolation and monomania.

Horace Walpole (1717-1797), hijo del primer ministro británico Sir Robert Walpole, estudió en Eton y en el King’s College de Cambridge, centro que abandonó sin obtener un título. En 1747 Walpole adqu

Horace Walpole -novelista, historiador y coleccionista inglés del siglo XVIII- nos ofrece una breve historia del arte de los jardines en la que defiende la nueva estética del jardín inglés.

En el presente volumen, número 10 de la colección Gótica, el aficionado encontrará tres obras pertenecientes al primer periodo gótico: El Castillo de Otranto, la novela fundacional del género, en la cual Walpole intento restituir lo maravilloso y lo sobrenatural al reino de la ficcion, ya que ambos habian sido desterrados del reino de lo real; El Espectro del Castillo, debida a El Monje (CD 4) (GOT 3) de Lewis, fue la primera representacion de un drama gotico -en el Drury Lane Theatre de Londres en 1797-, e intenta llevar a la escena los mismos presupuestos esteticos de grandeza y terror que impregnan sus novelas, lo cual explica que el teatro gotico se convirtiera en un verdadero fenomeno de masas. Zastrozzi, obra de juventud del gran poeta romantico Percy Bysse Shelley, aporta al genero gotico la singular figura del malvado Zastrozzi, que a pesar de ser condenado por la justicia, es descrito como un semidios, como alguien que ha cumplido su destino de un modo consciente, no dando sintoma alguno de remordimiento o arrepentimiento, alcanzando en medio de sus crimenes una suprema inocencia.

Relatos completamente excepcionales en las letras inglesas dieciochescas, los CUENTOS JEROGLÍFICOS se distinguen del resto de la producción literaria de HORACE WALPOLE (1717-1797) por el protagonismo concedido a la fantasia y a las situaciones insolitas. Compuestos en 1772 para divertir a la niña Caroline Campbell, preceden en casi un siglo a Alicia en el pais de las maravillas (BT 8003) de Lewis Carroll, y en ellos se descubre el mismo rechazo de la realidad y del orden establecido, como si se tratase en ambos casos de rendir homenaje a la imaginacion turbulenta y anarquista de la infancia. Extravagantes y vertiginosos, estos cuentos se ofrecen en traduccion de Luis Alberto de Cuenca, responsable asimismo del prologo, de las notas y de un apendice en el que se situa a Lord Walpole en la literatura de su tiempoRelatos completamente excepcionales en las letras inglesas dieciochescas, los CUENTOS JEROGLÍFICOS se distinguen del resto de la producción literaria de HORACE WALPOLE (1717-1797) por el protagonismo concedido a la fantasia y a las situaciones insolitas. Compuestos en 1772 para divertir a la niña Caroline Campbell, preceden en casi un siglo a Alicia en el pais de las maravillas (BT 8003) de Lewis Carroll, y en ellos se descubre el mismo rechazo de la realidad y del orden establecido, como si se tratase en ambos casos de rendir homenaje a la imaginacion turbulenta y anarquista de la infancia. Extravagantes y vertiginosos, estos cuentos se ofrecen en traduccion de Luis Alberto de Cuenca, responsable asimismo del prologo, de las notas y de un apendice en el que se situa a Lord Walpole en la literatura de su tiempo

First published as a scholarly translation from an ancient Italian text, this tale of a fatal prophecy set in the time of the crusades inspired terror in its early readers. On receiving a copy, the poet Thomas Gray wrote to Walpole admitting that he was "afraid to go to bed o'nights", little suspecting that his friend was the novel's true author. With The Castle of Otranto, Walpole established the Gothic as a literary form in England. The eerie architecture of the castle and its adjacent monastery, the guilty secrets and unlawful desires of its inhabitants, and the supernatural happenings have inspired writers in this tradition from Ann Radcliffe and Bram Stoker, to Daphne Du Maurier and Stephen King.

Special Illustrated Edition: Dive into the Gothic Abyss with Exclusive Content Illustrated Edition: Immerse yourself in the visual spectacle with 15 enchanting illustrations that breathe life into the gothic tales of Otranto. Enhanced Reading Experience: Accompanied by a succinct summary to enrich your journey through the dark corridors of Walpoles imagination. Meet the Cast: A detailed character list to guide you through the twisted fates and entwined destinies of the inhabitants of Otranto. Author Spotlight: Delve deeper with an author biography, exploring Horace Walpoles eccentric world and his pioneering impact on gothic literature. Descend into "The Castle of Otranto": A Haunting Tale of Power, Ambition, and Supernatural Retribution ??Envelop yourself in the dark and stormy world of Horace Walpoles "The Castle of Otranto," where the eerie shadows cast by ancestral sins linger ominously over the desperate and power-hungry Prince Manfred. Nestled within the imposing walls of Otranto Castle, secrets seep through ancient stones, and the veil between the living and the dead wafts unsettlingly thin.After the enigmatic and gruesome death of his only son, Manfred, insatiable in his lust for power and unyielding lineage, succumbs to a path darkened by treachery, obsession, and malevolent intentions. The once-majestic castle transforms into a stage where spectral apparitions, tragic love, and the relentless pursuit of destiny unfold, spiraling towards cataclysmic consequence."The Castle of Otranto" is heralded as the progenitor of the Gothic novel, weaving a tale where the inexplicably supernatural entwines with the tragically human. Manfreds unnerving descent into moral decay parallels a cascade of eerie phenomena, as the castle itself groans under the weight of spectral retribution and ancient prophecy.Within these illustrated pages, the haunting ambiance of the castle, the spectral chill of the supernatural, and the visceral emotions of the characters are vividly brought to life. Each illustration, crafted to enhance your reading experience, draws you deeper into the enigmatic world Walpole so masterfully conjures.Encounter the uncanny, navigate through the maelstrom of desperate ambition, and witness the inexorable hand of fate within the dark confines of Otranto. This edition, meticulously curated to blend Walpoles timeless narrative with vivid visual and supplementary textual content, invites you to experience this classic gothic tale as never before.Embark on this haunting journey and witness a tale where the boundaries between the earthly and spectral dissolve, revealing the darkness that lurks within the human soul and the chilling echoes of the unforgotten past.

Il Castello di Otranto (The Castle of Otranto) fu pubblicato nel 1764 ed e considerato il primo romanzo di genere gotico, precursore, quindi, di una letteratura molto amata da generazioni di lettori. Horace Walpole narra le vicende di Manfredi, il principe di Otranto, che viene sconvolto dalla morte del figlio Corrado proprio il giorno delle sue nozze con la splendida Isabella. La disgrazia avviene in circostanze misteriose e inquietanti ed e il primo segno dellavverarsi di una maledizione che grava da secoli sulla sua casata. Il lettore e trasportato in un mondo carico di tensione gotica in cui il sovrannaturale si mescola con lumano. Il Castello di Otranto e una storia dintrighi, misteri, duelli e orrori, ma non mancano temi classici come lamore, il tradimento e lonore. È una storia che continua a incantare con la sua trama avvincente e il suo fascino oscuro.

El castillo de Otranto (The Castle of Otranto, en inglés) es una novela escrita por Horace Walpole en 1764. Es considerado el texto inaugural de la literatura de terror gótico, iniciando un género literario que llego a ser extremadamente popular a finales del siglo XVIII y principios del XIX.