#thecastleofotranto

26th December 1716, birth of English pre Romantic poet Thomas Gray. Despite publishing only 13 poems, Gray was well known during his lifetime, mostly for his poem, ‘Elegy Written in a Country Church Yard’, published in 1751. The poems themes of the contemplation of death and afterlife, foreshadow the Gothic movement, beginning with the first Gothic novel “The Castle of Otranto” (1764), written by his childhood friend Horace Walpole. Gray was a popular influence to the Romantic poets of the succeeding generation, such as Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth. William Blake also was commissioned to illustrate the poem by his friend and sculptor John Flaxman. 1st January 1818, first anonymous publication of "Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus" by the small London publishing house of Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones. William Blake had known Mary's mother Mary Wolstonecraft, through his association with the publisher Joseph Johnson. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Mary Wolstonecraft, and William Blake are featured in the Ofgraveconcern Industrial Sublime Tarot 1760 - 1848, an historically inspired tarot deck, with a heavy dose of steampunk illustration. Prints of the cards handcoloured or black ink can be found on the website, and come with an historical explanation of the card. Also available as shown are reproductions of the first edition of Frankenstein, alongside original artwork. All books are made using actual antique salvaged books, which are repaired and repurposed as artwork to be hung on a wall, for a unique display item. See link in bio for all art shown. #gothicliterature #thecastleofotranto #maryshelley #maryshelleysfrankenstein #frankensteinart #frankensteinmonster #18thcenturyhistory #tarotillustration #tarotart #tarotartist #tarotdecks #steampunktarot #macabre #macabreart #macabreillustration #strangehistory #steampunkillustration #steampunkdecor #historicalillustration #tarothistory #thisweekinhistory #historymystery #darkillustration #illustrationartwork #williamblakeart #williamblaketarot #gothicfiction https://www.instagram.com/p/CJlqiHzngbm/?igshid=1pvs33288pvxg

«A by-stander often sees more of the game than those that play.» (Chapter II) ~ «But alas! my Lord, what is blood? what is nobility? We are all reptiles, miserable, sinful creatures. It is piety alone that can distinguish us from the dust whence we sprung, and whither we must return.» (Ch. II) ~ «... I can forget injuries, but never benefits.» (Ch. IV) ~ #Finished: #TheCastleOfOtranto by #HoraceWalpole. • Rating: 6/10 • *spoiler alert* The #novel, in short, tells the hot-tempered and selfish tyrant prince #Manfred, having caused many troubles to his family and some other people, is revealed to be the grandson of an usurper, a giant helmet falls from nowhere and a gigantic sabre appears, and a dark prophecy related to the usurpation is fulfilled. Because this book is considered by many the very first #gothic novel and #Walpole himself claims in the preface to the second edition that he had attempted something new, "to blend the two kinds of romance, the ancient and the modern", it's normal it doesn't feel like a gothic novel and it lacks some technicality of the genre, though surely contributing to the genre. But it also lacks a decent plot, which even many earlier, non-Gothic novels had. Some parts move very fast while some dull parts too slowly. A few weird coincidences, plain and uninteresting plot twists, characters' sudden changes of mind, and the hurried ending make it feel amateurish. Though I can say that some parts of the novel were gripping, and I liked the comic reliefs and some of the supernatural symbols and elements, the ending was anticlimactic and the falling actions were ridiculous. ~ «Do I dream? cried Manfred returning, or are the devils themselves in league against me? Speak, internal spectre!» (Ch. I) ~ «It is sinful . . . to cherish those whom heaven has doomed to destruction. A tyrant's race must be swept from the earth to the third and fourth generation...» (Ch. IV) ~ #CastleOfOtranto #PrinceManfred #Isabella #Theodore #Hippolita #Matilda #Jerome #LordFrederic #AlfonsoTheGood #englishnovel #gothicnovel #horror #book #books #bookstagram #literature #bibliophile #reading #read #instabook #bookworm #booknerd #classics https://www.instagram.com/p/CG_6bbHgo3I/?igshid=1ubkezrr9acwx

1963 SC The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole. Introduction by Sir Walter Scott. This is generally regarded as the first Gothic novel inspiring an entire genre. There is a repaired tear to front cover and a small chip to the bottom corner as shown. 📦$4 shipped in the US. Link in bio, claim in comments or DM to purchase. 📚🏰🕸️🕷️🦇👻 #horacewalpole #gothic #gothichorror #thecastleofotranto #sirwalterscott #gothiccastle #otranto #manfredofsicily #vintagebookseller #vintagebooks #bookstore #bookstsgram #booksofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #bookworm #bibliophile #bookaneer #bookaneer4sale (at Dodge Center, Minnesota) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_-ay9IgvzU/?igshid=1i8q5ym80b3b0

Had this for years. So much classic, creepy goodness in one book: #frankenstein #dracula #drjekillandmrhyde #thepictureofdoriangray #thecastleofotranto #theturnofthescrew https://www.instagram.com/p/BxEMrSJJ5Bp/?igshid=6wuw7k0r7mm7

"Otranto teatime playset" paper toy i devised and illustrated for the marvellous @benjamin_pollocks_toyshop 44 The Market Covent Garden London. #thecastleofotranto #horacewalpole #anthropomorphism #ZEEL #illustration #papertoy #gothicnovel #manfred #surrealism (at Covent Garden London) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv4hM5BlKlk/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=a0ijdmdqwktd

🇬🇧 I’ve been meaning to visit all the historical places in London since I moved here. This is such a beautiful city with wonderfully preserved historic sites and it would be a shame if one doesn’t see at least a few of them. So I started with one of the nearest spots. This is Strawberry Hill House in Twickenham. It is a gothic revival villa, built by Horace Walpole, the author of the first gothic novel: The Castle of Otranto. If you are into architecture this house is a must see, especially the library! And of course if you’ve read The Castle of Otranto, you have to see this cause the story goes that Walpole conceived of this novel, while dreaming one night in his gothic castle. 🦇 It is forbidden to take photos inside but I’m sure you won’t be able to forget some of the rooms once you see them. Would make a nice weekend attraction now that there is this once in a life time exhibition of Walpole’s famous collection: Lost Treasures of Strawberry Hill. 🍓 Have you read The Castle of Otranto? Do you like gothic fiction? 🦇 . 🇹🇷 Otranto Şatosu’nun yazarı Horace Walpole’un yaptırdığı gothic revival tarzındaki Strawberry Hill House’u ziyaret ettim geçtiğimiz hafta. İçeride fotoğraf çekmek yasak olduğundan sadece bahçeden birkaç fotoğraf koparabildim. Açıkçası fotoğraf çekmek yasak olsa da bazı odalar ve özellikle kütüphane o kadar büyüleyiciydi ki unutmamın imkanı yok. Siz kitabı okudunuz mu? Gotik edebiyat meraklılarından mısınız? 🦇 . . . . . . #strawberryhillhouse #strawberryhill #horacewalpole #thecastleofotranto #gothicrevival #gothicrevivalarchitecture #gothic #gothicnovel #gothicfiction #gothicliterature #architecture #london #historiclondon #prettycitylondon #otrantoşatosu #gotikroman #gotikedebiyat #londonerslondon #historicalbuilding #twickenham #gothicreads #londra #historichomes #historicpreservation #historichouse #historicplaces #historicarchitecture (at Strawberry Hill House) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqZtJ1flpYn/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=l835u9ciqhrd

"The Castle of Otranto" is so tied to the canon of "gothic" that I was expecting something kind of spooky, but by today's standards it's pretty tame. Less thrills and chills and more comedy of errors, with a lot of soapy, convenient plot twists. Our main character and antagonist is Prince Manfred, ruler of Otranto who ascended to the throne by precarious means and now hopes to secure his position by marrying his only son and heir, Conrad, to Isabella, the daughter of his political rival. Prince Manfred, it is also worth noting, is ripe for a mid-life crisis, which blows up fantastically throughout the novel. But on Conrad and Isabella's wedding day... A GIANT BRONZE HELMET FALLS FROM THE SKY CRUSHING CONRAD UNDERNEATH IT. Manfred then decides, "you know what, I'm gonna marry Isabella my damn self. She's a hot young babe, I'm a... rich guy!" But this presents several problems, not least of which being that ol' Manny already has a wife, Hippolita, who is a nice gal, dumb as a rock, and like... head over heels in love with Manfred. Additionally when Manfred broaches the subject to Isabella she's straight up like "Ew, you're old!" and runs the fuck away. And it kinda goes on like that for 110 pages. Isabella spends the entire book trying to get away from Manfred so that she doesn't have to touch his wrinkled scrotum, Manfred is presented with a litany of obstacles he thinks he's smart enough to overcome but totes isn't. Hippolita spends the whole fucking book being like "Manfred wants a DIVORCE so he can chase after a teenage girl... BUT I LOVE HIM". Also there's a subplot about Manfred's least-favorite child, Matilda, who thinks maybe she should just become a nun because at least it would get her out of the house, falling in love with a mysterious peasant boy named Theodore. ... Actually Theodore and Matilda take up a lot of real estate in this book--a lot more than Isabella does--but I'm having a hard time expressing why they're so important without going into the whole convoluted backstory of this book. All in all, short read, kinda fun, better than Sleepy Hollow, but kind of a mess. #TheCastleOfOtranto #HoraceWalpole #bookreview https://www.instagram.com/p/BpkApkjlTPo/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1cvwys37a8omm

#fallforcostume day 16: fantasy. this is a mood board i made for one of the characters in “the castle of otranto”, easily the most classically fantasy projects i’ve done. it was the first gothic novel, written in 1764 by horace walpole. it involves princesses, knights, long lost fathers, love at first sight, an ominous prophecy and a giant ghost, i don’t know what’s more fantasy than that! i love putting together mood boards, and i had A LOT of fun with the set i did for this novel. this particular one is for the knight who returns from distant shores half way through the story, so i drew from medieval knights, as well as some more more modern interpretations. #fantasy #thecastleofotranto #gothic #gothicnovel #knight #armour #armor #goldarmour #goldenarmor #gold #moodboard #imageboard #research #design #designproject #costumedesign #costume #medieval #edwardburnejones #phoebedoescostume https://www.instagram.com/p/BpAN7-aA0Iu/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=zf20yb4dwjco