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). This novel sets forth all the characteristic features of the gothic that we can recognise today. A ruined castle, an endangered lady, an evil ... more

Many potential readers will be put off The Monk because it is over two hundred years old and is not considered by most to be an essential classic, but that's their loss. When I read this book I was going through one of those phases of not being able to get past page 50 of anything - but with The Monk I sailed straight through from start to finish. It 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 Madrid. Peasants and noblemen alike gather in huge crowds to hear his weekly sermons and ... more

A real masterpiece of gothic fiction; it is 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. It is also all the more intriguing and satisfying at the conclusion as the writer; Mathew Lewis uses ... more

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 the forests and, battle between good and evil and the fate of those caught up in it. ... more