On the origins of the Gothic novel : from Old Norse to Otranto

Arnold, Martin

Abstract

This essay assesses the extent to which Old Norse tradition provided the basis for a subspecies of literary horror. It focuses on those formations and interpretations of Old Norse Literature as it came gradually to light from the sixteenth century onwards, and how the Nordic Revival impacted on what is widely considered to be the first Gothic novel, The Castle of Otranto (1764) by Horace Walpole (1717-97).

Citation

Arnold, M. (2016). On the origins of the Gothic novel : from Old Norse to Otranto. In C. Wynne (Ed.), Bram Stoker and the Gothic: formations to transformations (14-29). Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137465047

• Publication Date: Jan 6, 2016
• Deposit Date: Jul 4, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 7, 2019
• Journal: Bram Stoker and the gothic
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• Pages: 14-29
• Series Title: Palgrave Gothic
• Book Title: Bram Stoker and the Gothic: formations to transformations
• Chapter Number: 1
• ISBN: 9781137465030
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137465047
• Keywords: Old Norse; Otranto; Gothic novels
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/440590
• Publisher URL: Details of the book are available at http://www.palgrave.com/gb/book/9781137465030.