Driven by insatiable greed, Lord Manfred sets into motion a tragic story of reveal that always comes too late. Published in 1764, The Castle of Otranto is considered the English first gothic novel, its subtle mysticism and eerie plot were widely copied by Walpole’s successors in the genre: Ann Radcliffe, Edgar Allan Poe, even Bram Stoker.

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Next “Vathek” by William Beckford (1786)