Chronicles Of Reverence; Horace Walpole

Horace Walpole

Born in London, United Kingdom on 24 September 1717, Horatio Walpole (better known as Horace) was the youngest and third surviving son of politician Sir Robert Walpole and his wife Catherine Shorter. While he was known primarily in Britain for following in his father's footsteps by joining the political circle upon his return from France with poet Thomas Gray and becoming the Member Of Parliament for Cornwall, Walpole gained bigger recognition worldwide with his literary works which included Some Anecdotes of Painting in England (1762), On Modern Gardening (1780) and Hieroglyphic Tales (1785) among others until his death at the age of 79 in 2 march 1797. Given the title 4th Earl Of Orford (which was first given to his father and passed down to his 2 brothers before he became the 4th following their respective deaths), Horace Walpole had several alleged dalliances with the likes of Madame du Deffand while in France and Mary Berry, he passed away unmarried and bringing the title to an end as there was no one to succeed the lineage

(Castle Of Otranto, Horace Walpole's famous work)

Why is he important?
Regarded as a manifesto for the modern Gothic romance, The Castle Of Otranto (1764) is seen as the pioneer for the Gothic literature movement even before the likes of Ann Radcliffe and Edgar Allan Poe popularised the term with their literary works and the Romanticist movement with their offerings from poets such as Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth. With his ability to weave between the lines of romance, the supernatural and the unpredictable, The Castle Of Otranto starts off with the wedding of Conrad, son of Manfred who is the owner of the castle and Princess Isabella but shortly before the wedding, Conrad was crushed to death by a heavy helmet that was hanging above him and this terrified Manfred who is reminded of an ancient curse and in haste, decides to marry Isabella in a bid to stop the curse and leave his current wife Hippolita, who had failed to bear him a proper offspring aside from Conrad, who was said to be sickly at the beginning of the book. This sparked off a series of convulated romance, knights, shocking revelations and murder with themes such as medievalism, forbidden romance and horror prevalent throughout the book and it has been cited as one of the most influencial literary works in Gothic literature together with the likes of Dracula, Frankenstein and Wuthering Heights

(Strawberry Hill)

Walpole's self-styled castle in Strawberry Hill, London has its place in Gothic architecture with its combination of a typical medieval castle and a cathedral which is still standing tall right up till today. Together with John Chute and Richard Bentley, the self styled "Committee Of Taste" worked on building Walpole's villa with William Robinson overseeing the process although Bentley left in the midst of it due to a falling out. With the Westminster Abbey chapel and the tomb of Edward The Confessor as inspiration, great detail was put into its construction such as the chimney pieces improvised from engravings of tombs, arched windows and stained glass incoporated from Gothic cathedrals. Along with his majestic fortress, Horace Walpole has left a lasting legacy for generations past, present and the future to admire and be inspired by his vision