# Epigraph explained — The Castle of Otranto

> Chapter companion for The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole.

## What happens

The chapter opens with an epigraph from Horace's Ars Poetica, warning against fantastical creations that lack unity and coherence, setting a thematic tone for the blend of supernatural and realistic elements in the story.

## Key lines

> Vanae Fingentur species, tamen ut Pes, et Caput uni Reddantur formae.

Fantastical forms may be invented, yet they must be made to fit together as one body, with foot and head belonging to a single shape.

_Horace's warning against artistic inconsistency, foreshadowing the novel's blend of supernatural events with a coherent narrative._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/chapters/epigraph
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/chapters