The supernatural is put into the novel purposely by Walpole to evoke the feelings of horror from his readers. Being the first gothic novel, it also set the stage for further gothic novels. It has supernatural events and figures, such as the moving painting, and the prophecy; it is set in an old castle; it has a heroine who is distressed because of a male which is very common in gothic literature. Although today we might find the story almost ridiculous, it’s clear to see how 18th and 19th century readers might have been terrified by it, to the point where they are astonished by the book. Burke states that the sublime , “is the strongest emotion the mind is capable of feeling”, (A philosophical Enquiry, 36), and it’s clear to see why readers in the 18th and 19th century felt strong emotions while reading The Castle of Otranto because it was new, and filled with tension, the supernatural, and the constant suspense.…