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“The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins?” - Edgar Allan Poe


generally regarded as the first Gothic novel, Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto is about a series of unusual occurrences and ghostly manifestations of gigantic proportions surrounding the demise of Prince Conrad, son of Lord Manfred.
i was surprised to learn that Walpole himself never used the word Gothic to label his work although he did introduce set-pieces which will become the trademark of the Gothic novel. what Walpole attempted was to blend the "old and new styles of romance" in writing by incorporating fantastic elements and placing real people and situations in them. the result is a short dark story about hauntings, curses, greed, deception, betrayal, secrets and a bit of romance.
i did find the romantic parts quite unrealistic though but i liked some of the twists in the tale including the exaggerated, comedic outbursts provided by Bianca, servant to Lord Manfred's daughter Princess Matilda.
i felt that a couple of the revelations were pretty predictable but in general, i would consider the novel a pleasant diversion.