The Monk - Matthew Lewis

The first steps towards gothic literature were taken in the mid to late 1700's. The gothic architecture and art had been developing for years, giving some criticisms and unfavourable portrayals of the church and authority in general. Through these art forms, people were learning to think more independently, away from the church and become more open in their expressions. The first gothic novel was Horace Walpole's novel The Caste of Otranto (1764). ...
...and treachery are woven through the book and continue in some form through to modern day horror. The Castle of Otranto is a landmark piece of literature, and was actually subtitled "A Gothic Tale". There were many gothic books during this time including Vatheck (1786) by William Beckford and Ann Radcliffe The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794). Ambrosio, abbot of the Capuchin monastery in Madrid, goes from a pinnacle of self satisfied saintliness to become ...

sa.fraser 14.04.2008 · Read full review
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Review of The Monk - Matthew Lewis

...readers will be put off The Monk because it is over two hundred years old but that is their loss. This is a great read which moves as quickly as any modern thriller and entrances with its lavishly poetic yet perfectly accessible style. Ambrosio is the most highly-regarded monk in all Madrid. Peasants and noblemen alike gather in huge crowds to hear his weekly sermons and his fellow monks revere him almost like a saint. In telling the story of Ambrosio's ...
...actions who do so for the accompanying feeling of superiority over their fellows, rather than for any love of a higher being. In fact, spending all ones days in strict adherence to a religious code says nothing of a man's true moral fibre. The monk of the title falls foul of sexual temptation early on in the story, but the road to ruin has already been determined by the pride he takes in being held in such high esteem. He does not love God (although ...

MCFruitbat 13.02.2008 (27.11.2009) · Read full review
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Review of The Monk - Matthew Lewis

...my all time favourite read. The Monk offers a dark and intriguing insight into human nature through the lustful desires of a popular and much admired Capuchin monk. There are many stories that tie into one and it is very pleasing when you reach the end of the book to see them and the characters come together. It is my favourtie method of excitement in story telling to leave you wondering as you move onto a different story or character perspective. ...
...the conclusion as the writer; Mathew Lewis uses parrallels in the different stories as a way of foretelling things to come. I don't want to give too much of the plot away as I enjoyed the mystery of its direction. I am looking forward to rereading it as I believe I will enjoy it all the more now that I know what to expect. The book originally had to be rewritten in part to escape charges of blasphemy and so it might be worth checking to see if you ...

MrFraggles 11.09.2009 · Read full review
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Review of The Monk - Matthew Lewis

The Monk is set in the sinister surroundings of an abbey and convent in Madrid. It tells of the once proud and noble Abbot, his temptation, his fall into depravity and his vile corruption of all the purity that surrounds him. It is a story of murder, torture, rape, intervention from beyond the grave, and a desperate struggle to save a woman condemned to die by a religious order. It's a tale of daemonic pacts, magic, bands of murderous villans in ...

Chaotic1 08.08.2000 · Read full review
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Review of The Monk - Matthew Lewis