Considered by many to the be first true Gothic novel, The Castle of Otranto and Walpole helped pave the way for the popularity of this genre in the later part of the 18th century. Many think that Ann Radcliffe, Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe and others owe their careers to this Gothic pioneer. At the centre of Walpole's tale is Manfred, lord of the castle, and his family. Just before the wedding of his son to a princess, disaster strikes, an event made even more ominous by an ancient prophecy regarding the castle and his lordship of Otranto.