The Castle of Otranto

Horace Walpole (1717-97) was born in an aristocratic family - in fact, his father became the first Prime Minister of Britain. Walpole was primarily known for his Gothic extravaganza. Strawberry Hill was a place he owned and redesigned over a period of time to resemble a medieval fortress. He also established a printing press on the grounds where his most acclaimed work and the first Gothic novel, The Castle of Otranto, was printed in 1764. Walpole's style combined medieval tradition with the elements of supernatural and romantic as well as featured significant plot borrowings from Shakespeare. The writer was also known for his prolific correspondence multivolume editions of which were printed in the twentieth century.