Synopsis
The Monk is a Gothic novel by Matthew Gregory Lewis. The Monk is one of the more lurid and "transgressive" of Gothic novels. It is also the first book to feature a priest as the villain. Featuring demonic pacts, rape, incest, and such props as the Wandering Jew, ruined castles, and the Spanish Inquisition, The Monk serves more or less as a compendium of Gothic taste. Ambrosio, the hypocrite foiled by his own lust, and his sexual misconduct inside the walls of convents and monasteries, is a vividly portrayed villain, as well as an embodiment of much of the traditional English mistrust of Roman Catholicism, with its intrusive confessional, its political and religious authoritarianism, and its cloistered lifestyles.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
Matthew Gregory Lewis (1775 - 1818) was an English novelist and dramatist, often referred to as "Monk" Lewis, because of the success of his 1796 Gothic novel, The Monk. As a writer, Lewis is typically classified as writing in the horror-gothic genre along with authors Charles Robert Maturin and Mary Shelley. Though he was most assuredly influenced by Ann Radcliffe's The Mysteries of Udolpho and William Godwin's Caleb Williams, taking Radcliffe's obsession with the supernatural and Godwin's narrative drive and interest in crime and punishment, Lewis differed with his literary approach. Whereas Radcliffe would allude to the imagined horrors under the genre of terror-gothic, Lewis defined himself by disclosing the details of the gruesome scenes, earning him the title of horror-gothic novelist. By giving the reader actual details rather than the terrified feelings rampant in Radcliffe, Lewis provides a more novelistic experience.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Other Popular Editions of the Same Title
Search results for The Monk
Stock Image
The Monk
Print on DemandSeller: Revaluation Books, Exeter, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Brand New. 232 pages. 10.00x7.00x0.57 inches. This item is printed on demand. Seller Inventory # zk1440422621
Buy New
US$ 13.95
US$ 16.71 shipping
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Quantity: 1 available