The Castle of Otranto: A Story, Translated by William Marshal, Gentleman, from the Original Italian of Onuphrio Muralto, Canon of the Church of St. Nicholas at Otranto

The Castle of Otranto: A Story by Horace Walpole is widely regarded as the first Gothic novel and a foundational work in the genre of Gothic fiction. Originally published in 1764, this novel was presented as a translation from the Italian by William Marshal, Gentleman, a fictional translator, and was supposedly based on the original Italian manuscript of Onuphrio Muralto, a fictitious author and canon of the church of St. Nicholas at Otranto. This framing adds an extra layer of mystery and intrigue, a hallmark of Gothic literature.