Manfred, the lord of the castle of Otranto, has long lived in dread of an ancient prophecy: it's foretold that when his family line ends, the true owner of the castle will appear and claim it. In a desperate bid to keep the castle, Manfred plans to coerce a young woman named Isabella into marrying him. Isabella refuses to yield to Manfred's reprehensible plan. But once she escapes into the depths of the castle, it becomes clear that Manfred isn't the only threat. As Isabelle loses herself in the seemingly endless hallways below, voices reverberate from the walls and specters wander through the dungeons. Otranto appears to be alive, and it's seeking revenge for the sins of the past.

From the eerie corridors of ancient strongholds to the depths of ancestral secrets, The Castle of Otranto and The Old English Baron are captivating works of classic horror with significant influence in the history of gothic fiction. Esteemed and highly influential, Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto (1764) was England's first gothic horror novel, but when Clara Reeve rewrote the story as The Old English Baron (1778) over thirty years later, her work was received with heavy criticism. With looming curses and familial treachery, both works are set in the medieval era with atmospheres steeped in relentless suspense. Yet, where Walpole's prolific work blurs the line between realism and the supernatural, Reeve rewrote the fantastical story with features of naturalism for the modern reader. Discover the origins of gothic fiction in these two prolific novels and read their comparisons and critiques in this volume's featured excerpts by H. P. Lovecraft and Montague Summers.

The Castle of Otranto, written by Horace Walpole in 1764, is credited as being the original gothic novel. The first edition claimed to be a translation of an ancient, 16th-century?Italian manuscript, which had been recently discovered among the belongings of a Catholic family in the north of England. Furthermore, that manuscript was said to have its roots in tales from the time of the Crusades. All of this intrigue, of course, served to make the novel an instant success and launched the gothic fiction craze. This volume contains not only Walpole's story, but a brief biography of him written by later gothic novelist, Clara Reeve. She credits The Castle of Otranto with having influenced her book, The Old English Baron, which is also included here.

An important and unique work about Gothic fiction, by"the major anthologist of supernatural and Gothic fiction", Montague Summers.

In this enthralling gothic novel, Clara Reeve takes the foundation laid by Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto and crafts a unique narrative set against the backdrop of medieval England. This volume is part of the Mothers of the Macabre series, celebrating the gothic horror masterpieces of pioneering women writers who played a pivotal role in shaping and advancing the genre. Breathing new life into the gothic horror genre, The Old English Baron serves as a compelling rewrite of the influential classic, The Castle of Otranto (1764). First published in 1777, Clara Reeve's masterful storytelling pays homage to Walpole's, while infusing the narrative with realism and her own distinct vision. Through atmospheric settings, complex characters, and intricate plotlines, this volume stands as a testament to the enduring allure of gothic literature.

This text offers scholarly and critical editions of significant novels of Gothic fiction from the Romantic period. It illustrates the various forms of female Gothic literature as a vehicle for representing the modern forms of subjectivity, or complex and authentic inward experience and identity.

To her contemporaries, Ann Radcliffe was 'The Great Enchantress'. Her wild and stormy Gothic romances made her one of the most popular and successful writers of the later eighteenth century.

Nine spine-tingling stories from the creator of Sherlock Holmes Mournful cries in an ice-bound sea, a potion that allows the user to commune with ghosts, an Egyptian priest who cannot die, and a mesmerist of unrivaled power. Brace yourself for these and other chilling encounters in The Parasite and Other Tales of Terror. Even before he created Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle terrified and delighted readers with tales of suspense, haunted by mysterious forces that defy rational explanation. These stories capture the unique draw of the uncanny and the curiosity that compels us all to ask, "Could it be true?" Presented by the Horror Writers Association, and introduced by award-winning author Daniel Stashower, this collection illuminates Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's talent for the macabre and the supernatural. The Parasite and the other stories in this collection showcase Conan Doyle at his most inventive, sure to entertain both new readers and his most dedicated fans.

This is the first full-length study to examine the links between high Romantic literature and what has often been thought of as a merely popular genre - the Gothic. Michael Gamer offers a sharply focused analysis of how and why Romantic writers drew on Gothic conventions whilst, at the same time, denying their influence in order to claim critical respectability. He shows how the reception of Gothic literature, including its institutional and commercial recognition as a form of literature, played a fundamental role in the development of Romanticism as an ideology. In doing so he examines the early history of the Romantic movement and its assumptions about literary value, and the politics of reading, writing and reception at the end of the eighteenth century. As a whole the book makes an original contribution to our understanding of genre, tracing the impact of reception, marketing and audience on its formation.