The Monk (Oxford World's Classics)

The narrator 'Anais 9000', as you say, is no more than a machine. It jumps over and mispronounces some words and has a completely horrible voice. Listening to this disc for 5 minutes gives one a headache, let alone 13 hours. You should be ashamed to market such a phoney product. I am horrified. I intend to apply for a partial refund, as I had to take the product out of its packaging to hear just how unsatisfactory the narration was.

This novel was controversial in its day and still packs an unpleasant punch. The tale of an admired cleric, Ambrosio, who obliterates his vows through lust, murder, and a pact with the dark power might cause a stir even in today's more secular age. Ambrosio's couplings with Matilda and Antonia, while done euphemistically, are still borderline pornographic and were a reason author Lewis had to tone down subsequent editions of his book. It is near the book's finale, with Ambrosio and Matilda being tortured then sentenced to death by fire, that the tale achieves true power. When Lucifer reveals himself to Ambrosio, undisguised and now looking his terrible self, he forces the monk to choose between "signing on" with him or an agonizing death. Ambrosio hesitates: if he signs on with Satan he will lose his sould and any hope of forgiveness by the God he has, until almost then, believed in absolutely. Here Lewis goes beyond the Gothic to present a very real crisis for anyone who has lived in belief of the Almighty's redemption. Then, to add irony and ultimate degradation, Lucifer tells Ambrosio that he had been long-targeted, with Miranda merely an emissary. The very end, with Ambrosio being hurled to his death in an infernal canyon,can still shake.
One flaw:some linguistic carlessness, with Lewis using "segnor," "strada," and "Pablos" in certain sentences. The first word, a mix of Spanish and Italian,doesn't exist; the other is Italian (the novel is set in Spain); the last should have been "Pablo." Petty errors, but the author was also a translator, and here seems lax in his practice.

The lurid and the intellectual collide in "The Monk", Matthew Lewis' classic late-18th century Gothic novel that alighted a storm of controversy on its release and seems in many ways surprisingly modern today (unlike many such past controversial works, it retains some of its salaciousness today). This is one of my favourite novels, and has a lot to recommend to the 21st century reader. Spoilers for the ending follow.

It really isn't possible to fully understand "The Monk" unless you grasp the nature of the development of the early Gothic novel, and in particular the success of Ann Radcliffe's "The Mysteries of Udolpho". Radcliffe's work (considerably larger than "The Monk") was a huge hit on its release, famous for its heroine investigating the seemingly supernatural forces permeating her life, as well as hinted-at illicit relations and other skulduggery. Lewis was, like most readers, enraptured as he read it. However, he expressed extreme disappointment with "Udolpho"'s conclusion, where Radcliffe went on at length to show contrived logical explanations for everything, and to tamp down all of the previously-suggested immoralities. Radcliffe was aiming to make the novel (and the genre) more 'respectable', but Lewis thought the whole thing was a copout, and resolved to Radcliffe's story better.

The result is a story that embraces wholeheartedly all those things (and more) that Radcliffe was content to hint at: murder, incest, Satanism, and the pervasive supernatural. The story focuses on the gradual corruption of the title character, a monk named Ambrosio who is reputed to be the holiest member of a particular Spanish monastery. In particular, he becomes fascinated by a young woman named Antonia, who is perhaps the distilled essence of the virgin martyr figure. Meanwhile, other characters find themselves investigating the goings-on in a neighbouring nunnery, and ghosts and the Wandering Jew put in appearances. The chilling final pages will have readers torn between pity and satisfaction.

At the same time, one must understand that Lewis's literary goals do not run exclusively to the trashy. He uses the story to advance a number of ideas about institutions, as well as moral values. At the core of the story is a scathing critique of the ideas behind monasteries and clerical celibacy, as he argues that people who attempt to so thoroughly hide away from temptation do not have genuine virtue. We see this with Ambrosio, who quickly descends into depravity when the opportunity materializes. The nunnery likewise turns out to be ruled by a cruel and inhuman clutch of fanatics, and though the truth ultimately will out, it is only through an extraordinary outside intervention. Lewis also takes aim at ideas of female virtue, when take to extremes. Antonia is not just an innocent virgin, she is unnaturally innocent, to the point of having no survival skills. Ultimately, she dies because of this. Meanwhile, another female character has a child out of wedlock (while a nun!), and is given a happy ending, a daring decision by the standards of the times.

Very much a novel worth reading.

The Monk is perhaps the most significant and certainly the most controversial of the Gothic novels of the late 18th century. Amazingly, its author, nineteen-year-old Matthew Lewis, wrote the novel in a period of only six weeks. Although inspired by the work of Ann Radcliffe (among other Gothic writers), Lewis goes far beyond the sensibilities of his predecessors and does not choose to explain away the supernatural events fuelling this inflammatory novel. The Monk is a tale of human evil in its most vile form; the unspeakable acts described in these pages are committed by the supposedly most devout individuals in society. The Catholic Church was incensed with the novel's publication, and it is actually quite remarkable that The Monk was published at all and that its author faced nothing more dire than censorship and indignant protest as a consequence of it.
Ambrosio is the most celebrated, revered monk in Madrid (in the era of the infamous Spanish Inquisition) - his sermons attract crowds far too large to gain admittance to the sanctuary, and everyone holds him up as a veritable saint walking the earth. His fall from grace is precipitous indeed. Secretly, Ambrosio is vain and proud, blissfully assured of his own near-perfection. At the first temptation of lust, however, this holy man reveals himself to be the ultimate hypocrite, giving in rather easily to the type of desire he rails against each Sunday. After learning that his friend Rosario is in fact a lovely woman in disguise named Matilda, he revels in the love she declares for him and quickly becomes her secret lover. Quickly and ever more thoroughly consumed by his new-found passion and carnal lasciviousness, he grows tired of the ever-willing Matilda and turns his perverted eye toward the sweet and wholly innocent young Antonia. Through the witchcraft of Matilda, he comes to consort with demons in the sacred crypts underneath the abbey itself, giving up his morality and piety in the blind pursuit of actions worse than mere rape.
Ambrosio is not the only hypocritical, secretly sinful church official in Madrid, however. The prioress of the convent bordering the abbey is a sickeningly cruel and spiteful agent of perfidy herself. When she discovers that Agnes, one of her novitiates, is pregnant, she is so mortified at the impending shame this fact will bring down upon her and the convent that she resorts to the most barbaric of punishments for the poor and pitiable young lady. While her crimes do not quite exceed those of Ambrosio, the devastating consequences of her sinful acts result in long-lasting, deeply grievous repercussions.
The novel takes a while to really come together. After seeing Ambrosio in his publicly sanctimonious guise and watching his pitiful descent into the passions and lusts inspired by Matilda, we spend a great deal of time becoming acquainted with Antonia, Agnes, and the gentlemen who love them and will eventually fight bravely to try and save them both physically and morally from their sad fates. The story of the Bleeding Nun apparition is an important part of this section of the book and gives the reader his first real introduction to the supernatural aspects of the story. It is almost possible to forget about Ambrosio completely for a time; when he returns to the story, however, he commits unspeakable acts and profanes the very name of the God he supposedly serves in such excess that he earns a permanent spot in the annals of literature's most despicable villains.
It is in the crypts, among the moldering corpses of the dead, that the most blasphemous acts take place. Antonia's fate is quite horrible, but it is actually Agnes' tale of woe that takes the reader to the most horrific of extremes. Just when the worst seems to be over, we learn in graphic detail the almost unimaginable extent of the ordeal suffered by Agnes and her innocent child - the tale is quite gruesome even by today's standards, almost unimaginably so by those of Lewis' own time. The suffering of the innocent Agnes and Antonia is, in my opinion, unparalleled in the realm of Gothic horror.
Even some critics who are less than found of the Gothic horror genre have embraced this novel, partly because it does distinguish itself from the more Romantic writings of an author such as Ann Radcliffe. As such, it seems less pretentious and much more visceral than the typical Gothic tome. Lewis holds nothing back in presenting his portrayal of evil in the hearts of men and women. There is a love story aspect to the events surrounding Agnes and Antonia, but the author does not indulge in flowery descriptions of love, nor does he concern himself with rapturous expositions on the beauty of nature. There is very little of beauty to be found in these pages at all, and what innocence exists is ultimately lost at the hands of corrupted servants of God. With such complexity underlying the plot, The Monk is open to a number of interpretations, and its microscopic portrayal of evil's power to overcome the best of men and women continues to fascinate and leave a lasting impression on one generation of readers after another. Even in our own time, The Monk is more than capable of shocking the reader with its unbridled revelations.

We sometimes think that only good horror stories can be written today because folks in earlier times didn't have the ability to convey terror adequately. This book dispells that notion completely. Although it was written more than 200 years ago, in many ways it appears contemporary.

The plot is a bit convoluted, but it certainly moves along at a fast pace. Although there is not much character development, and it's difficult at times to sepatate the Dons, things such as that can be ignored by reading on into the story. Also, there is a lot of unnecessary dialogue, which seems common for the time, but skimming parts can be helpful, and the reader won't miss anything important.

While the book has definite sexual overtones, the mores of the time in which it was written kept the author from being more graphic in his details. That doesn't detract from the tale, because he does give enough detail to let the reader know what is happening. There are quite a group of characters, and following along can get somewhat confusing.

The scenes are well set, and there is an overwhelming feeling of terror and evil permeating the entire book. This book throws in everything but the kitchen sink! Some of the scenes, even with the writing constraints of the time, are truly frightening, and the many different appearances of Lucifer can bedazzle the reader, as they did the title character.

In the end goodness prevails (mostly) and the evildoers receive their just punishment, so think of this as a semi-modern morality play. Open the book, buckle on your seat belt, and go along for a thrilling ride!

Matthew Lewis's 'The Monk' deserves every scrap of reputation it has ever received; good, bad, or indifferent. Sadly it is the only novel by a brilliant, daring author.
Ambrosio, bearer of the title moniker, has lived a life of seclusion and service among a monastic order, which he never ventures from. His 'uncorrupted' status makes him highly sought after for his counsel, wisdom, and spiritual guidance. He is loved by all.
But one loves him in a very different way. Rosario, a novice of the order, reveals 'his' undying affection for Ambrosio, and begs him to love in return, by revealing himself as not Rosario, but Matilda, who disguises her sex as she has long disguised her heart, just to be near him. Ambrosio abandons his vows and embraces Matilda's affections, which marks his entrance into a life of corruption to come.
In a nearby convent lies the sickly Agnes, who finds herself seeking solitude after being impregnated and 'abandoned' by her lover, Don Raymond. Agnes' brother, Lorenzo, seeks to liberate her from the convent, when it seems that her stay there is anything but voluntary.
These two stories colide in the convent of the Capuchins. Toss in an evil Prioress, a ghostly 'Bleeding Nun', a 'Wandering Jew' and Lucifer, and you get one heck of a page turner.
Matthew Lewis abandons eighteenth century convention and propriety, and takes readers down a dark passageway of evil spirits, daemonic bartering, betrayal, deception, and lust.
But why stop there?
The last 30 pages of this novel will keep you riveted. In lieu of unveiling the many, many revelations offered in these pages, I challenge those interested to discover them for themselves, and read them WITHOUT dropping their jaws in astonishment.
Matthew Lewis was a truly imaginative author with a flair for the dramatic, who focused primarily on writing plays. He wrote The Monk at the age of 19, bored with his work at the time, in just 10 weeks. Astonishing, considering the manual process that an author labored through in those days.
A WONDERFUL read, from start to finished, interspersed with lyrical and narrative poetry to propel an already compelling story along. The Monk is a triumph in gothic literature, and a highly satisfactory entry point into the genre.
Bravo, Matthew Lewis, I only wish you had been bored more often.

Matthew Lewis wrote "The Monk" in ten short weeks at the age of nineteen. Immediately the subject of controversy upon its publication in 1796, Lewis was prosecuted and subsequent editions of the book were heavily censored. Coleridge described it as blasphemous, "a romance, which if a parent saw it in the hands of a son or daughter, he might reasonably turn pale." Yet, "The Monk" was so popular that its author became a minor celebrity-coming to be known as "Monk" Lewis--and Sir Walter Scott prounounced that "it seemed to create an epoch in our literature." And whether "The Monk" truly created an epoch in English literature, or merely marked the early apogee of a genre, it stands as a stunning example of the Gothic novel.
"The Monk" tells the story of Ambrosio, the ostensibly pious and deeply revered Abbot of the Capuchin monastery in Madrid, and his dark fall from grace. It is a novel which unravels, at times, like the "Arabian Nights", stories within stories, a series of digressions, the plot driven by love and lust, temptations and spectres, and, ultimately, rape, murder and incest. It is sharply anti-Catholic, if not anti-clerical, in tone, Ambrosio and most of its other religious characters being profane, murderous, self-centered hypocrites cloaked in displays of public piety. And while it sometimes seems critical of superstition, "The Monk" is replete with Mephistophelian bargains, supernatural events, appartions, and spectres, as well as entombment and dark forebodings of mystery and evil. It is, in short, a stunningly entertaining, albeit typically heavy-handed, Gothic novel, perhaps the ultimate classic of the genre.

This book has everything: deception, murder, incest, rape, sorcery, ghosts, old castles, and the summoning of the devil. Although it is a lengthy book that bounces back and forth between past and present, this character and that character, current events and stories retold, it never gets so confusing that one can't remember what is going on.
Lewis apparently had a great deal of fun writing it. I say that because the events, caracters, and even the dialogue is way over the top, and one can sense that Lewis didn't take himself too seriously while writing it. By today's standards the plot would seem cliche, but in Lewis' time, a time when novels where still somewhat frowned upon as being nothing but a bunch of lies (and therefore the work of the devil), his approach was probably somewhat innovative.
I find the dialogue to be similar to that found in Stoker's Dracula. Full of profuse declamationions expounding the joys of virtue, love, purity and good will towards men. Such grandiose speeches can be somewhat ridiculous, but also romantic and idealistic at the same time, and are often indicative of those who think and feel with a passion-such as, well, basically all of the characters in The Monk.
I especially liked the ending! (Though I can't say why without giving it away!) A must read-and great mental escape-for anyone who likes dark, atmospheric, morbid, romantic gothic novels. A devilshly good time.

Even after two centuries, "The Monk" can still entertain readers while encouraging them to think about such weighty subjects as the coercisive power of religious hypocrisy.
Set in Madrid during the time of the Spanish Inquisition, the book's main story arc is the rise and fall of Ambrosio, a Capuchin friar who is initially regarded by everyone as a living saint. Lauded for his brilliant oratory skills and personal beauty, Ambrosio is courted by the richest women in the city to be their personal Confessor. As Ambrosio's fame increases, so does his vanity, and it is through this Deadly Sin that he enters into later acts of violence and depravity.
Lewis does a fine job of creating archetypal characters that are still used in genre fiction today. There is the Fallen Hero who becomes the Villian (Ambrosio), the Temptress (Rosario/Matilda), the Good Knights (Lorenzo and Don Raymond), and two Damsels in Distress (Agnes and Antonia). The author also provides a subordinate Villian (the Prioress of the Convent of St. Clare), who is in some ways more evil than Ambrosio.
For leavening in this very dark narrative, Lewis gives readers a trio of humorous characters: Leonella, Antonia's lusty aunt and chaperone; Flora, the very chatty chambermaid in Antonia's service; and Jacintha, the superstitious neighbor who swears that she sees ghosts everywhere.
The characterizations of Ambrosio and the Prioress are great examples of how power (whether it's spiritual or temporal) can corrupt. Neither character feels answerable to anyone. Even God isn't really present (although his Other Half puts in an appearance!) Lewis poses questions on personal accountability that are certainly relevant today, while deftly mixing in good character interaction and biting social commentary.
Highly recommended.

Lewis' "The Monk" will satisfy any reader who is longing for a story to chill and horrify, the classic way. The tale of a monk whose lust proves destructive and his tragic downfall is filled with visions, superstition, bandits, uncontrollable passions, and gruesome details of death and base mortality.

The monk Ambrosio is esteemed by the whole of his community in Madrid as the most upright, unblemished and holy man as well as a moving and inspirational speaker. His exterior proves to be only a superficial skin for inward vanity, selfishness and sexual obsession. As the novel progresses, we horrifyingly witness Ambrosio's seduction and first sexual experience with Matilda, a sorceress who later becomes the key encouragement and accomplice in his sexual ambition for the young, innocent and beautiful Antonia.

The novel is in parts heartwrenching as we feel deeply for Antonia, whose goodness and naivete is countered by Ambrosio's ever-increasing desires and corruption. To say that it was written in the 1700s, the novel is shockingly risque in its depictions of full-on sexual lust, so not surprisingly it was received at the time with much critical negativity. The subplots, whose characters are woven into the monk's tale seem to mirror his own, involving a young nun, Agnes, who is punished inhumanely by her superiors for the consequences of a moment of passion with her lover, Raymond.

In a tale so filled with corruption, violence and lust, there is still room for Lewis to dabble in more haunting sides of the gothic genre, such as several main apparitions which visit the main characters throughout, and even lighten the mood at times with some satire and humor. Nevertheless, this is a heavy read and, while it hits all the right spots for the lover of gothic and horror, it perhaps leaves little to be desired for the general reader and the faint-hearted should certainly steer clear.

There is a certain fascination in the horrific, and Lewis allows us to indulge in this with a truly thrilling novel - I have even more respect when I find that he accomplished it in ten weeks at the age of 19.

It's no coincidence that the opening epigraph of Lewis' one and only novel is from Shakespeare's Measure for Measure (Modern Library Classics). Both works have pillars of public moral rectitude collapsing after encountering their first major temptation of carnality. Monk Ambrosio figures in for a penny, in for a pound, and starts the slide from mere sex to murder, incest, despair, and damnation.

Lewis' streamlined prose abandons the detailed descriptions of Gothic architecture and Alpine vistas favored by his model Ann Radcliffe. And, in a plot of not two but four frustrated lovers, he crams many a gruesome incident and image. No Radcliffean rationalism for Lewis. Despite frequent criticms of the superstition of Spain during the Inquistion, this plot revels in the supernatural with curses, ghosts, Bleeding Nuns, Wandering Jews, and the Prince of Demons himself.

Yet, despite the melodrama, there is an air of psychological realism in how Monk Ambrosio rationalizes his escalation of evil. Perhaps more disturbing is the mind of Matilda, his first lover, and her willingness to advise and aid his evil even after he has sexually spurned her.

Stephen King's introduction is, like many such introductions to classic works, an unfortunate spoiler of much of the plot. However, most of his observations are valid and interesting though I'm dubious that all English novels before Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto had moral purposes. (Lewis novel seems to have no serious moral statement except, perhaps, that the chaste life of the convent and monastery is unnatural.)

Oxford University Press seems to have taken the typesetting of this edition from an earlier one. A lot of asterisks show up in the text without accompanying footnotes. A minor annoyance to a novel that holds up well after more than 200 years.

Often when one thinks of "old" books the ideas of sex, violent murder, evoking the powers of hell, incest, unbridled lust, rape, and transvestites are not what come to mind. However, all of these are in The Monk. This is a book that was viewed as incredibly scandalous, and even today this view still holds up.
There are two main plots in this book; first there is the story of the monk who is known for never having given in to temptation or sin. His protégé revels that he is a women and she is in love with him, the monk. The monk withstands her advances, but we see that in his thoughts she is present. Finally he gives in and they...repeatedly. She, Matilda, opens to him a world of passion, and lust, which he enters with great gusto. After a while the monk grows tired of this women and when he sees the young girl, Antonia, a girl of extreme innocence who is said to have been created by god in the image of an angel, he is completely overwhelmed with feelings and decides he must have her. He tries at first by simply seducing her, but her mother enters and teaches her daughter, hitherto ignorant of such acts, that this is wrong. Back to our monk who is now very put out, Matilda says she will help him, as she actually does love him to the point where she will do anything to help him. As it turns out Matilda has power over the evil spirits, and she has pledged her soul to the devil. She gets the devil to help the monk by giving him a spell that will open any door and make everyone sleep. This will allow him to enter Antonia's room, do what he wants, and the next morning she will know she was raped, but not by whom. This plan fails and then the monk must try other, more horrid ways of getting at this young woman.
The second story is that of Don Raymond and Agnes. These two are in love, but by a series of mishaps have been separated and Agnes is in a convent of St. Clair. One night these two `give into their passions' and the result is Agnes is pregnant. Our monk finds this out and tells the head of the convent, who severely punishes Agnes by locking her up with the intention of killing her. To make matters more complicated Agnes' brother, who is in love with Antonia, knows that Agnes is in the convent and has an order from the church to release her from her vows. The head of the convent tells him that his sister is dead, which he does not believe. Thus the brother and Don Raymond will have to save Agnes quickly.
If ever you wanted to know what happens when you throw a bleeding nun, a wandering Jew, the devil, a monk with a huge sex drive, a cross-dressing protégé, a girl of extreme innocents, an evil prioress, and a gipsy who see the future into one book this is defiantly the book for you.

At risk of being impertinent, I can summarize my review of this 200-plus year old classic in literature as follows:
Wow!
Talk about your plot-driven narratives, The Monk sets the standard. There's a surprising twist of the tale every two or three pages and, truly, it is difficult to put down. That the author, 19-year-old Matthew Lewis, accumulated so much intuitive knowledge about human nature is another wonder of this wonderful yarn.
In The Monk, you will find most everything to entertain and titillate your imagination: chanting monks, deceit, love, romance, tragedy, torch-lit processions in underground passages, monstrously evil humans and no-so-human beings and heroism on a grand scale.
Oh, the joy of it! A worthy monument in the history of literature.
-o0o-

The introduction written by Emma McEvoy observes with a clinical eye the failures and triumphs of The Monk within the Gothic genre. Many spoilers are revealed, but her analysis is so concrete that it lacks the shock usually accompanied by most spoilers. Instead you are told about the strengths of the author, the genre, and the reception of this book during the life of the author.

It is interesting to note that many of the same critics today that find certain books to be ungodly such as the critics of Harry Potter and The Golden Compass were just as rampant during Matthew Lewis' life. The reception of the book was well received though overtime people feigned interest in the novel. A censored version was published and having read the original I can say that the censored version would lack the horror produced by the original.

Ambrosio, his accomplice Rosario, and the Prioress nun exemplify the worst in Catholicism. The Prioress commits crimes all in the name of saving the reputation of her convent and entering the good graces of Ambrosio as he is well respected in Madrid. Once Rosario's secret is revealed we learn the depths of Rosario's dissent from God. Rosario does not simply bend rules, there is a marked effort to break them with glee and ease. Each one of these characters care little for their victims.

The victims of these players have misfortune, naivete, and timing stacked against them. One of the central character's Antonia is placed as the tragic damsel in distress. Her victimization appears to be more of a story arc ploy, then serving the character any true growth. Her purpose is simply to be the young virginal victim.

The novel also suffers greatly for its ill pacing. Their are segments of the novel where it seems to drag on possibly causing readers to want to set the book aside. Once the reader passes the stagnant prose, the story picks up and becomes interesting once again.

Speaking of the pacing the ending was also a bit awkward. The conclusion itself is satisfactory and a bit shocking, but the way Lewis placed the two alternate endings seemed a bit odd. One would get the sense that the story could have ended with either ending and this was the product of bad editing.

There are strengths about this book that I do enjoy. I do think that within the Gothic tradition the novel exemplifies the best and worst of Gothicism. I especially enjoyed this novel when reading it for a Gothic literature class. The book parodies the genre at times and at other instances falls prey to the very same criticism it parodies. However, when reading it a second time, without an academic eye the book lacked its original luster.

The story is haunting and riveting, but it's downfall is the pacing. I think this is a wonderful book for anyone interested in Gothic literature. A lot of the imagery of the villains' fall into dissension is overly dramatic, but it can be forgiven on the basis that this is one of the earlier Gothic novels published and Lewis' theme, that true good is not simply ascribed to people of faith. True goodness is based upon one's daily actions and inner intentions.

I don't recommend this as a casual read, because without an interest in Gothicism the novel can be seen as an utter failure. Not knowing its background the reader will lose interest. The concept behind the book though unique, is not sustained and thus the novel fails in that respect.

I give this book 2.5 stars out of 5.

Matthew Lewis is by most people's accounts one of the forefathers of Gothic Literature. "The Monk" written in the late 18th century is an interesting tale about an Abbot whose vocation to God goes awry. The language of the text can sometimes be hard to follow if you are not accustomed to reading literature from that time period, but the story is nearly flawless. Lewis also places other characters of ill repute in the novel. My favorite being the Head nun of St. Clare's, in my opinion she is more of the villain than the monk. Throughout the tale the characters relate past tale's which can be tedious and boring at times, but do help to fill in any missing gaps the reader may have. All in all Lewis wrote a dark tale which will continue to be read for centuries to come, and his contribution to the Gothic novel will never be forgotten.

Lewis' The Monk is a winding Gothic tale of love, revenge, secrets, blood, the Inquisition, and pain. It discusses the fall of virgins, the wisdom of fools, and the death of good nuns, all centered around the evil of one man, Ambrosius or the Monk. Ambrosius is obsessed with his own supposed goodness and too proud of his reputation for virtue and glory in the eyes of Madrid. The clergyman has never before been tempted, and therfore never been tried, until he falls into a dark love for an unmolested virgin, Antonia. There are enough side plots and characters to complicate the story nicely without overburdening the plot.
Preserving typical Gothic elements, such as ghosts, murder, bleeding nuns, corrupt churchmen, and illegitimate children, the plot stays interesting even when a bit predictable, and it is understandable why Matthew Lewis came to be called "Monk" Lewis when this book was published c.1800. Like Shakespeare's Lear, when you think it can't get any more depressing, it does, and then it does again. A reflection of the human soul in all its glory and debasement, The Monk also manages to be entertaining and fun.

This is dated stuff, with its flowery descriptions, its melodramatic dialogue and situations and its hackneyed plot, with its reliance on coincidences and mistaken identities. Still, I haven't read a book recently that has breathed a more potent air of menace and evil. The suggestion of atmosphere is strong and the latent eroticism and perversion contribute a great deal to the tension.

This is dated stuff, with its flowery descriptions, its melodramatic dialogue and situations and its hackneyed plot, with its reliance on coincidences and mistaken identities. Still, I haven't read a book recently that has breathed a more potent air of menace and evil. The suggestion of atmosphere is strong and the latent eroticism and the perversion contribute a great deal to the tension.

I read this editions a few years back. The formatting is great. The book it'self, amazing.

On a side note, the book to many might have some challenges simply because it's a longer book and uses older language ( words, and some of the meaning for said words ).

Would definitely recommend this book to people interested in older Gothic books.