Born this day, 1717: Horace Walpole (d. 1797), the progenitor of the Gothic literary tradition. Walpole wrote in his letters that “a god, at least a ghost, was absolutely necessary to frighten us out of too much senses" (Vol. 3, 381). His ghost came to him in a dream - a giant armoured hand - and was the source of his work of fiction, the very first gothic novel, 'The Castle of Ortanto' (1764). The novel, which took just two months to write, was criticised for its flat characters and its return to barbaric (true, historical 'gothic') sensibilities. The reliance of the plot upon superstition contradicted the efforts of the Enlightenment - an intellectual movement which confined unfounded beliefs within contemporary religion. Walpole cared not for his critics; his public were captivated by his crazy tale, which influenced the direction of literature to follow. Writing from his homemade, pseudo-gothic castle, Strawberry Hill House (see stories), the tale looks back to medieval times and is set in the real, historical castle of Otranto (again, see stories). To this day, the absolute OG of the gothic canon is often overlooked. Why not celebrate his birthday by reading 'The Castle of Otranto (it's available to download free online)? If you do, let me know what you think! 📸: 1. Manfred's servants vs "the ghost's gigantic foot," Bertie Greathead. 2. The hand of the ghost, unknown. Anyone else getting major Monty Python vibes from these 2 illustrations?! . #generallygothic #gothic #glimpsesofghosts #ghost #haunting #haunted #spirits #thecastleofotranto #horacewalpole #gothicnovel #gothicfiction #progenitor #englishliterature #gothicliterature #literary #literarygenre #spookynerd #booknerd #academic #bornonthisday #bookish #bookstagram #illustration #religion #theenlightenment #giantghost #gothicghost #strawberryhillhouse #literaryhistory #politics https://www.instagram.com/p/B20Ock2A4mr/?igshid=1578apvubevio










