Publisher's Synopsis
Horatio (Horace) Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford (1717-1797), was an English art historian, man of letters, antiquarian and Whig politician. He was the youngest son of the British Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole.
Walpole was an early enthusiast of the Gothic revival, an archtectural movement looking back to the Middle Ages for inspiration. This enthusiasm also manifested itself in his "Gothic" novel, The Castle of Otranto.
The Castle of Otranto was a huge success and created the literary genre of Gothic literature. By way of books like The Mysteries of Udolpho, The Monk, Frankenstein, and Dracula, it ultimately gave rise to modern horror fiction.
