Horace Walpole and His World: Select Passages from His Letters

Name: Horace Walpole and His World: Select Passages from His Letters
Author: Horace Walpole

By Horace Walpole

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British Literature Essays, Letters & Speeches

About This Book

An editorial selection of Horace Walpole’s letters sketches his life, public career, travels, retirement, and the creation of his celebrated house and collections. The extracts emphasize social amusements, artistic and literary judgments, friendships and rivalries, and responses to major events, while editorial chapters organize material around themes such as country life, court ceremonies, travel, taste, and political unrest. The correspondence combines anecdote, criticism, and observational detail to portray personal character and the manners, fashions, and cultural preoccupations of the eighteenth-century social world.

About the Author

Horace Walpole

Horace Walpole (1717-1797) was an English writer, art historian, and politician, best known for his contributions to Gothic literature and his role in the development of the novel. He is often credited with popularizing the Gothic genre through his seminal work, "The Castle of Otranto," which is considered the first Gothic novel. Walpole's extensive correspondence, particularly in his "Letters of Horace Walpole," provides valuable insights into 18th-century society and politics. His historical writings, such as "Historic Doubts on the Life and Reign of King Richard the Third," reflect his keen interest in history and its interpretation. A prominent figure in the cultural life of his time, Walpole's legacy continues to influence literature and art.