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The Monk (Penguin Classics)

3.76 of 5 stars 3.76 · rating details · 6,906 ratings · 570 reviews

Supernatural events, women in distress, and a corrupt clergy were popular themes in the Gothic novels of the nineteenth century. All of those elements, along with murder, incest, and the excesses of the Spanish Inquisition, are present in The Monk (1796) ,one of the era's best-selling and most influential novels.

Set in a sinister Capuchin monastery in Madrid, the ever-more...more

Paperback, 386 pages

Published 1998 by Penguin Classics (first published 1796)

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May 14, 2013 Jeffrey Keeten rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

”Lucifer stood before him a second time. He borrowed the Seraph’s form to deceive Ambrosio. He appeared in all that ugliness, which since his fall from heaven had been his portion: His blasted limbs still bore marks of the Almighty’s thunder: A swarthy darkness spread itself over his gigantic form: His hands and feet were armed with long Talons: Fury glared in his eyes, which might have struck the bravest heart with terror: Over his huge shoulders waved two enormous sable wings; and his hair was...more

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Aug 20, 2010 The Chaotic Reader rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, supernatural, classics

I think Wilkie Collins has spoiled me when it comes to this type of Victorian/Gothic/Thriller because it's so hard to match his writing and storytelling skills. That being said, I'll add that The Monk was a fun read. While it's clearly an attack on organized religion - the Catholic church in particular - a close reading makes it also clear that Lewis found a significant difference between organized religion and a personal relationship with a Supreme Being. While he provides several interesting t...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Paul rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: novels

Calling all Gothic Novel fans : you have to read The Monk - this is the Texas Chainsaw Massacre of Gothic novels which will unjade the most jaded. Here you will find much fun to be had with nuns, priests with uncontrollable underwear, more nuns, pregnant nuns, nuns with minimal clothing, nuns giving birth in frankly unsanitory conditions attended only by untrained inappropriate monks, heaving bosoms, unspeakable acts, souls in the process of being damned for all eternity, mostly ghostly ectoplas...more

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Sep 06, 2011 Terence rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Terence by: Steve Semon

Antonin Artaud’s The Monk is to the original like the fossilized skeleton of Tyrannosaurus Rex is to the living, breathing, hunting animal that lived 65+ million years ago. If it’s the only source of information you have you can learn a great deal but you’ll still not understand the ecosystem the creature lived in – its fellow predators, its prey, the flora, the microbes and insects that worked together to create the environment. In the same way, this book is the original novel’s skeleton – the...more Antonin Artaud’s The Monk is to the original like the fossilized skeleton of Tyrannosaurus Rex is to the living, breathing, hunting animal that lived 65+ million years ago. If it’s the only source of information you have you can learn a great deal but you’ll still not understand the ecosystem the creature lived in – its fellow predators, its prey, the flora, the microbes and insects that worked together to create the environment. In the same way, this book is the original novel’s skeleton – the supporting framework without the organs that made it a living being.

Despite the blurbs in my edition, I don’t see where Artaud made this work “his own.” He edited it down, added chapter headers and ended it by tacking on a quotation from the New Testament (John 8:7) – but he did not make it his own.

Unless…Artaud’s interests were primarily in theater and cinema and he was interested in making a filmed version. If you read this like a first draft in that project – distilling what he thought most important to convey to theoretical movie-goers then I have greater sympathy for the project. Artaud may have made something interesting and truly “his” if he had had the opportunity and inspiration to rework this in another medium. As it stands, Artaud’s The Monk doesn’t add anything to Lewis’s vision, and you’re better off sticking with that one.

It’s more fun to read the overheated rhetoric of the two introductory essays. E.g.:

“The impact of Artaud’s language on the reader’s perception mirrors its own acceleration into unknown sensory ground – the textures of the sexual pleasure or elation experience by the reader are abruptly overturned into horror and infinite chaos. The reader of Artaud’s The Monk is simultaneously ensnared, gratified and sexually abused.” (p. 5)

Or,

“Artaud exacted a wholesale transformation – in effect, a radical anatomization – of Lewis’s original book…. In all, Artaud’s The Monk forms a vast ‘X’ of livid negation imprinted over the entire face and history of literature. It marks the invention of a language capable of scanning a unique sensory ground of burning sexual furore – a prescient language which now brings Artaud’s book directly into the contemporary moment.” (pp. 6, 7-8)

I also thought that the contempt the introductions’ authors have for Lewis was inappropriate. I do not defend Lewis as a “great author” but to dismiss him as a “homosexual dwarf who spent the remainder of his short life failing to live up to the brilliance of his first work” (p. 5) seems a bit harsh.(less)

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Feb 19, 2011 Cindy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1001-books, book-club, horror, fiction, ebook, own, fantasy, gothic, 2011-best-reads

O Father Ambrosio, stop Monking around!

This book was quite a surprise. Yes, there are all sorts of hypocritical Monk-y debauchery and lustful, euphemism-filled scenes. But there are also two romantic subplots that filled with action, swashbuckling heroes, damsels in distress and deceit. All three stories end up intertwining in unexpected ways.

Did more people in olden times have prosopagnosia, or what? Why was it so damn easy to disguise yourself?

I had all sorts of naughty fun reading even more f...more

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Aug 01, 2007 Rebecca rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Now that I've finished this fabulous piece, I remember I read it several years ago. However, this time around I enjoyed it so much more. Be it because of age, wisdom, life knocking me around a bit more, don't know the reason why only that I absolutely couldn't shut up talking about it with my husband all night last night.

For being only 19 when he wrote it and during the particular time period, he was very astute at the cultural swing that was occuring at the time. There is even a note of awarene...more

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Jul 10, 2011 Marvin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, kindle

In the middle of The Monk: A Romance is hidden this interesting comment...

"An author, whether good or bad, or between both, is an animal whom everybody is privileged to attack; For though all are not able to write books, all conceive themselves able to judge them."

Ouch!

Matthew Lewis, even at the age of 19 when he wrote this classic Gothic romance in 1796, was able to accurately predict the reaction to his first novel. It was both praised and reviled by the critics. It was certainly controversial...more

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Oct 31, 2011 William rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 18-ce, fiction, uk

This novel is all about Christian, specifically Catholic, sexual hysteria. Sex seems to determine everyone's motivation in the first volume. This makes sense when you consider that it was written by a nineteen year old for whom these obsessions were no doubt a daily occurence. Fortunately for us, he has managed to sublimate them into the form of a novel. (Which puts me in mind of E.M. Forster, who, when touched on the ass by an admirer at a tender age, promptly went home and wrote Maurice.)

A du...more This novel is all about Christian, specifically Catholic, sexual hysteria. Sex seems to determine everyone's motivation in the first volume. This makes sense when you consider that it was written by a nineteen year old for whom these obsessions were no doubt a daily occurence. Fortunately for us, he has managed to sublimate them into the form of a novel. (Which puts me in mind of E.M. Forster, who, when touched on the ass by an admirer at a tender age, promptly went home and wrote Maurice.)

A duenna and her charge arrive in Madrid from provincial Mucia some time in the very late eighteenth century. For some reason no doubt to be made clear later, they arrive at a church where the much talked about Father Ambrosio is to speak. The father is a paragon of virtue. He has spent his thirty years entirely immersed in studies and prayer at the local Capuchin monastery. While waiting for the good father to arrive the duenna, Leonella, who is fifty-one, and her charge, Antonia, who is fifteen, are questioned by two young men and their tale of woe is gradually revealed. This is essentially a tale of Antonia's mother, seduced by a libertine, who runs away with her to the West Indies where thirteen years later he dies leaving her penniless so she must return to Spain with baby Antonia in tow to throw herself on the mercy of her outraged father.

The wholly pure Ambrosio then spends the next sixty pages undergoing two events: the first is his heartless condemnation of a nun who has allowed herself to be seduced. She is with child but Ambrosio gives her into the hands of the prioress of her order for purposes of punishment; the second event is Ambrosio's seduction by a woman disguised as a young man, one Rosario, who has shamelessly broken the sanctity of the monastery. That at least is how Ambrosio sees it before he eventually gives way to godless and all too enjoyable rutting with the woman. These pages are tumescent with hot-blooded satanic sex. It is hard to believe they first saw the light of day in 1796. What an earth-shattering fireball this novel must have been then.

One of the gentlemen entertaining the two new arrivals at the church is a nobleman, Lorenzo. It is his sister, Agnes, who has just been sacrificed by Father Ambrosio to the prioress. Now we enter into a long divagation narrated by the sister's nobleman lover, the Marquis de las Cisternas. First there is the interlude in the forest outside Strasborg in which the Marquis walks into a nest of banditti who wish him only ill. This is a vividly described section with lots of action and blood. At extraordinary length, the Marquis survives, as he must if we are to get the story of how Agnes becomes trapped into entering a convent by a guardian jealous of her relationship with the Marquis. This section involves some decisions on the part of the Marquis that no adult man with any romantic experience would make. In other words, the crudeness here really smacks of a nineteen year old writing his first novel. Yet the vivacity of the writing somehow continues to hold the reader despite these howlers.

Later, we move on to Ambrosio's repeated sexcapades with Matilda (Rosario). The prioress's lie to brother Lorenzo that his sister Agnes has died in childbirth. Father Ambrosio as he overhears the prioress's evil plans for punishing Agnes on his way to an assignation with Matilda. Father Ambrosio's attempted seduction of a the young Antonia, innocent of carnal knowledge, and his deal with the devil to gain access to her lily-white body. The satisfying denouement I will not describe. Suffice it to say that Lewis's writing becomes more assured as he proceeds. By chapter 7, more than half way through, his writing becomes, as John Berryman discusses in his introduction, "passionate and astonishing."(less)

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Apr 21, 2010 Suvi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: novels, 1700s, _1001-before-you-die, religion, _great-britain, _book-shelf, gothic

Evil nuns, pacts with the Devil, murder... I loved the critical look on religion and how thought provoking it is even today; back then it must have been hidden in the depths of bookshelves and read in secret during the night. The ending took me a bit by surprise, I did not expect that. Overall this can definitely be enjoyed by fans of over the top Gothic melodrama.

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Jan 11, 2012 Linda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classic, gothic-fiction, historical-fiction, psychological-suspense, underlying-message, british-literature

This must be one of the most difficult novels to grade, so far. I have no idea how many stars to give it, four or five. It's so strange and unique that I'm incapable of comparing it to any other literature. I know it inspired Ann Radcliffe's The Italian, but I can't see many significant similarities between the two. The story is so dark, I can't think of another novel in the same way. Most gothic fiction fade in comparison.

The main story is about a man's fall from the highest of grace and rank t...more This must be one of the most difficult novels to grade, so far. I have no idea how many stars to give it, four or five. It's so strange and unique that I'm incapable of comparing it to any other literature. I know it inspired Ann Radcliffe's The Italian, but I can't see many significant similarities between the two. The story is so dark, I can't think of another novel in the same way. Most gothic fiction fade in comparison.

The main story is about a man's fall from the highest of grace and rank to the lowest darkness of deception. Ambrosio is not just any man. He is the highest, most graceful person - a monk, and the most virtuous, religious monk there could be. That kind of adds to the magnitude of the crimes, in some way. These contrasts are everywhere to be seen throughout the book.

Lewis gives a very interesting perspective on what could happen when someone, who has been shielded from the world his whole life, is suddenly exposed to temptation of human nature. The novel has gained a lot of attention because of its emotional, sexual and passionate content. It must have been controversial at the time.

Temptation has always been perceived as a threat, an unpredictable danger. That part in the book reminded me of another one with similar events. The Bible. When Ambrosio has tasted the forbidden fruit, he forgets who he is and gets totally consumed by everything opposite to his previous life. Then he gets bitten by a snake. It's impossible to predict the events that are in stock for him. Manipulation, deceit, kidnapping, rape, murder, even witchcraft follow his new passion for women. There's no turning back.

Spoilers

Naturally, there comes a time when ordinary people, normally busy with living their lives, catch up and take a stand. I'm not sure what the complete ruin of the monastery really meant, if there were some allegories hidden behind it. I read somewhere that Lewis thought of the mob and the destruction as events similar to the french revolution. I see a parallel between the demolition of the building and Ambrosio's destiny. A destiny deserved by hypocrites. But unfortunately not all people inside were guilty. Is the collateral damage the price to pay for the angry mob, when justice takes its revenge? People innocent of the crime fall prey to the devastation, because justice is blind.

I guess the religious conventions are to blame for a lot of the crimes. Where it not for the church, Ambrosio wouldn't have gone to such great lengths to cover everything up and Agnes would have been able to get married to her beloved right away, give birth in safety and ensure her child's survival. But if there is one ground theme, it is the characteristic of hypocrisy. It's being portrayed as the biggest of sins, because it overshadows everything else. Thanks to hypocrisy, fatal crimes is being committed and it deserves to be punished severely, beyond reasonable relevance I might add. The bloodbath on the street was really horrible and the inquisition was frightening in its ruthless striving after confessions. Actually, the violence surprised and disturbed me. It's very fierce up to the last page. Ambrosio's final decision to sell his soul to the devil to avoid hell after death suited his character perfectly. Unfortunately for him, his decision might have been worse.

End of spoilers

The fact that Lewis was only nineteen when he wrote the book, and managed to complete it in ten weeks, is very impressive. Unfortunately, his other novels didn't get the same response. The only thing that disappointed me was that the modest characters, such as Agnes and Antonia, got little room. They would have contributed more to the story and made the story even more subtle, if they had been considered as important as the other characters.

(less)

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May 14, 2008 Erik Simon rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A couple of years back, when, for a year and a half, I became a stay-at-home father with my adopted infant son, I went through a 19th century Gothic phase. They were easy to read without being complete cotton candy for the brain, and the Oxford Classics versions were very easy to hold in one hand while I held my infant in the other. Of all the ones I read, this was by far the juiciest and most lurid. And it was a wonderfully fun story to boot.

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Aug 31, 2012 Julka rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 52-books-2012, general-fiction

Pan Lewis napisał ponoć Mnicha w 10 tygodni. Jego krytycy twierdzą, że tak naprawdę niczego nie wymyślił, a czerpał tylko z gotowych wzorów, trochę je tylko przerabiając. Zrobił to jednak bardzo zręcznie, bowiem to jego powieść potem kopiowano i przerabiano niezliczoną ilość razy.

Mnich, to nie tylko historia Ambrozja i podstępnej Matyldy. Tak naprawdę to mamy tam historię aż trzech par: Lorenza i Antoni, Raymonda i Agnes, oraz Ambrozja i Matyldy (choć to już nie takie oczywiste). W przebieg akc...more

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Jan 08, 2011 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Lisa by: Goodreads 1001 Books group

Shelves: 18th-century, britain, kindle, 1001-books-read

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 30, 2007 Sara rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was my beach vacation read - its Victorian Era creepy, with a 'shocking' surprise ending. I put the 'shocking' in quotes because if you like this type of novel, you won't find it shocking at all and will probably figure out where its going pretty early on. My husband, who doesn't usually read the gothic novel, really was surprised and liked it a lot. According to the forward by Stephen King, this was apparently one of the first authors to tie together several divergent plots into a big surp...more

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Apr 03, 2008 Stanka rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If you are curious to find out in what circumstances a young novice at the convent cries out: "Father, I am a woman!" and then puts a sharp knife to her "beauteous orb," which -- by the way -- is gleaming in the moonlight, and threatens to kill herself, then read this novel (it's like Don Quixote, composed of many stories). The strangest book: if you think your 21st century has taught you all there is to know about sensual sexual unfulfilled yet on the brink, think again! Here is a story of abso...more

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Nov 22, 2008 Lady of the Lake rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, gothic, mythic-fiction

While this book was nor the HORROR it may have been in 1796 when it was first published it was a fantastic Gothic book. I had to keep reminding myself that not only was this actually written in 1796 but by a young man the age of 19! He obviously had some issues with the catholic church and the convents..does not portray a flattering view of these here! I will leave you to read the other reviews here as they are all very good and much better than I am at expressing what it is I need to say.
I h...more

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Jan 23, 2008 Jesse Williams rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was one of the best Gothic literature books that I have read. It's a wonderful tale of ghosts, witchcraft, demons, adventure, love, social classes, and banditti. It shows the dangers of those that are hiding behind masks, especially the mask of virtue. It a tale of the downfall of a monk into the deepest realms of "sin", and the consequences of lust, pride, and hypocrisy. It's a definite MUST READ.

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Aug 28, 2007 Eileen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Such a fun read! It's totally over-the-top Gothic novel: salacious, scandalous, and sexy. Not to mention that it was written about 200 years ago, which makes it all the more fun. It so scandalized the English upon publication that Lewis was forced by law to omit the most offensive passages, but it still made fans out of Lord Byron and the Marquis de Sade. That pretty much says everything.

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Aug 08, 2007 Steve rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If you thought epic trash was a 20th century trend, one man in this steaming pile of surprisingly tasty BritGoth dung will argue otherwise when he says, "But father, I'm a woman!"

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Mar 05, 2013 Stela rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: gothic-and-urban-gothic, romanticism, reviews

Written at the end of the 18th century, in full Romantic period, by an author who wasn’t yet 20, The Monk is a surprisingly modern novel, that synthetizes some Gothic characteristics while introducing some new and disturbing (for his contemporaries) ideas.
And, as usual, it’s through these so criticized new ideas that the novel gained its celebrity and its place of reference among Gothic works, considering that even its most famous critic, Coleridge, couldn’t go past the prejudices of his time w...more Written at the end of the 18th century, in full Romantic period, by an author who wasn’t yet 20, The Monk is a surprisingly modern novel, that synthetizes some Gothic characteristics while introducing some new and disturbing (for his contemporaries) ideas.
And, as usual, it’s through these so criticized new ideas that the novel gained its celebrity and its place of reference among Gothic works, considering that even its most famous critic, Coleridge, couldn’t go past the prejudices of his time when he praised the composition, the bleeding nun image and Matilda’s character, deploring at the same time the lack of morality, the lack of credibility of the main character, the vulgarity of the horror scenes and the irreverence of mixing religion with superstition and witchcraft.
Well, I agree with all Coleridge’s observations but reversing his value scale: what he considered errors and defects proved to be interesting innovations that create a complex image of Evil, the real theme of the novel. Nobody is truly innocent in The Monk, except maybe Antonia, a character so dull that you cannot help suspecting the message sent by her character is that innocence is punishable or at least extremely irritating. Antonia is so gullible you feel she deserves all she gets and more ☺.
All the other characters are more or less warped or weak or simply wicked and never rewarded or punished in a moral way (as Coleridge rightly observed), because there is no balance between good and evil either in human or supernatural world. And this is intriguing, since not a single concept of what humanity values as superior or redeeming escapes the shadows of evil: the religion is false or unjust or cruel as revealed by Ambrosio “the monk” and the Prioress and the Inquisition, love is weak or sinful or lustful as proved by the three couples Antonia – Don Lorenzo, Agnes – Don Raymond and Matilda – Ambrosio, parenthood is tyrannical and blind as emphasized by Agnes’ parents and Elvira.
Furthermore, the Bible is seen (and this caused many an outraged reaction at the time) as an improper reading for the innocent eyes and it was already observed that women are portrayed in a misogynistic way. Add to these the androgynous figure of Matilda/Rosario and it’s no wonder the novel was accused of immorality, blasphemy and extravagance.
I’d say The Monk shatters some Gothic clichés, especially the morality tale, that forever leads to the salvation of the innocents and the punishment of the sinners. Here, the innocents are persecuted and killed by the sinners whose punishment comes too late or never.
Is Coleridge right when he affirms that “the Monk is a romance, which if a parent saw in the hands of a son or daughter, he might reasonably turn pale.”? Absolutely. How could it have aroused the interest of so many readers for so long otherwise?
(less)

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Jan 20, 2011 Kristi (Books N Beans) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone

Recommended to Kristi by: 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die Group

Shelves: classic, paranormal, romance, suspense

So, I waited a whole day to post this review, partly because I was busy, but also because I hoped that in giving myself more time, I'd be able to do this book more justice. Unfortunately, I'm not an author and no matter who I struggle to come up with the words, none of them seem adequate enough to explain just how...phenomenal, fantastic, gripping, and entertaining I found this book, how blown away I was by it! It has romance, suspense, paranormal activities, religion, well, just about everythin...more So, I waited a whole day to post this review, partly because I was busy, but also because I hoped that in giving myself more time, I'd be able to do this book more justice. Unfortunately, I'm not an author and no matter who I struggle to come up with the words, none of them seem adequate enough to explain just how...phenomenal, fantastic, gripping, and entertaining I found this book, how blown away I was by it! It has romance, suspense, paranormal activities, religion, well, just about everything.

I can't even imagine what shock this book must have caused at the time it was written. I mean, it could very well be a contemporary fiction novel with its content, though its dialogue definitely distinguishing it as not being written in current times.

It didn't matter though, I devoured this book as fast as I possibly could. I was irritated that I had to work, that I had children who needed me, a husband who wished for my time, and a house that desired my attention. I didn't want to set it down, and I was irritably frustrated when I had to.

This book was so excellent, that I didn't want to pick up another book after I had finished. No, not as in never pick up another books (Please!), but I knew it was so good that it'd overshadow any others if I picked them up right away. Instead, because I was so impressed with my very first Kindle read, I decided to play with my Kindle and find more books to download.

I will say there were very minor areas that annoyed, but more because they took me longer to read the story. The dialogue was true to writers of Lewis' time era, as in it could be long-winded and round-about at times. But it was fairly easy to get through these parts quickly. The other minor annoyance was the verses/songs/poems (whatever they were). I am not a poem type of person, so I found these areas to be a touch annoying. However, again, they were easy to skip over so it was minor.

Overall, in case you haven't guessed it, I loved, loved, loved this book! If I haven't made it apparent in my review it is my fault and should not reflect on the book. It's just my lack of writing skills that have made it seem less than it is. I have no doubt this book will remain as one of my top 10 reads for the year. (less)

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Nov 18, 2008 Ann rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: i-own-it

As seems typical of the late 18th/early 19th century novel, The Monk includes rather a lot of complicated plot points and relationships between characters- I considered devising a chart to keep them all straight (but instead resorted to flipping back and forth in the book and remaining slightly confused). The narrative moves back and forth between the present (the monk, Ambrosio, being seduced by Matilda, and Don Lorenzo and Don Raymond pursuing their respective love interests, Antonia and Agnes...more As seems typical of the late 18th/early 19th century novel, The Monk includes rather a lot of complicated plot points and relationships between characters- I considered devising a chart to keep them all straight (but instead resorted to flipping back and forth in the book and remaining slightly confused). The narrative moves back and forth between the present (the monk, Ambrosio, being seduced by Matilda, and Don Lorenzo and Don Raymond pursuing their respective love interests, Antonia and Agnes) and the stories of various characters told to catch the reader and other characters up on the previous action that brought us to the point at which we find ourselves. However, I must say that despite the long-winded, complicated plot, the book was actually very engaging. It seems that the author, Matthew Lewis, had a few bones to pick with the Catholic Church, or at least with the air of superiority affected by at least some monks and nuns of the time. His treatment of the monk Ambrosio and of the Mother Superior of the neighboring convent show that he was less than impressed by the reasoning behind their supreme dedication to the service of God. Which was mostly pride. Of course. Like Dante, though, he does not outright condemn Christianity or the Catholic Church- he has many characters in the novel who are truly pious and good according to the precepts of the Catholic Church. And I must say that the novel did not include quite as much salacious activity as seemed indicated on the back cover. Or rather, perhaps it did, but was greatly spread out among the interminable descriptions of various "adventures." It did, on the other hand, include a deal with the Devil, which always makes for a good story. In any case, I would actually recommend this book as I actually read through it without ever setting it aside for the purposes of re-fortifying my intentions to finish it. See my review of Nirmala Nataraj's stage adaptation of the story: http://www.sfstation.com/the-monk-a11891 (less)

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Sep 05, 2008 Rashid rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone

Recommended to Rashid by: Zoe

What an amazingly enjoyable piece of literature, centuries old and yet a modern feel, wordy, scholarly and beautifully descriptive prose painting pictures in ones mind with deft skill. Allegedly based on the story of pious hermit who falls from grace published in the guardian in the early 1700's.
The notes preceding and following the novel were equally enthralling and educational.
The story itself is darkly gothic and comically absurd however so well written that I was unable to put this book down...more

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Aug 03, 2007 Liam rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book will tell you very little about Spanish monasticism, but much about the subconscious of the late 18th-century English. It is terrifically lurid and over-the-top and has everything ("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." -- Thank you, Wikipedia). One need scratch very little with a Freudian scalpel to find the projection of proto-Victorian sex...more

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Oct 08, 2010 Lacey rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Matthew Lewis is a genius. I couldn't believe that he wrote "The Monk" in a matter of weeks. Such a complete novel would take me probably years to finish, and it still may not be as complete as Lewis's! As an English Gothic text, Lewis carefully employs ideas of the sublime throughout his novel, incorporating much horror to a very structured society (it was written in the 1700-1800's). I found Lewis's employment of the sublime to be very intrigueing and mezmorising, very different from modern my...more

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Sep 27, 2008 Christy B (Readin' and Dreamin') rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, fiction, favorites, horror

It's hard to believe that this book was published in 1796. I can't even imagine how shocking this book was back then, because it certainly shocked me here in 2008. I bought the book because I was interested in reading The Italian by Ann Radcliffe and figured I should read The Monk first. I never expected to like it, but I loved it. I loved all the supernatural aspects of this book; it was something I wasn't expecting. This book can make you feel so many emotions as you read it: anger, sadness, h...more

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Jun 05, 2012 Fil Correia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: classics, gothic

Agnes, Ambrosio, Antonia, Don Lorenzo, Don Raymond, Matilda: they are the main cast. One is in love, thinks it won't happen, after thinking that it will, but then it really does. Another is also in love and thinks it's a go but then it isn't. The renouncer of vows, lover of one and sister of another, gives it up and is dishonoured although that honour is regained. The innocent one has it taken from her. The other renouncer of vows, thinking himself a paragon of probity (as others do) is dead wro...more

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May 18, 2011 Debra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror-supernatural, sai-king-recommends, boxall-1001-must-reads

Stephen King wrote introduction for Oxford World's Classics edition, ISBN 0195151364. He calls The Monk "a black engine of sex and the supernatural that changed the genre--and the novel itself--forever."

May 2011: The author was way ahead of his time when he wrote the controversial book. For us horror fans, it has everything: ghosts, dungeons, torture, depravity, demons, you name it (and don't forget a bit of a surprise ending)! A must-read! Don't let the 18th century age of this one put you off...more

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Sep 30, 2011 Sean rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011, 19th-century, gothic

I would give this book five stars for its brilliant wordcrafting. However, there were many parts of this book that were difficult to swollow and were, in fact, pretty shocking. The two parallel plots were a bit confusing and switch abruptly at some spots. The Monk is a well written piece of literature but this is not for the faint of heart.

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Mar 05, 2008 Colleen Cunningham rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone who likes to read mind numbing fiction

Recommended to Colleen by: Dr. Mark Falk

I read this the first time as an undergraduate, and I wrote a paper on it, which landed me a speaking role in the undergraduate symposium. That is how much I love this book. It has everything: romance, mysticism, ghosts, murder, mystery... It's the first ever English Gothic novel written (around the late 1700's). It is a very well-written, very intense story of the shadows of Catholicism. If anyone wishes to borrow my copy, you will have to read around my notes, my brother's notes, and a friend'...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Gothic Literature: July: The Monk	12	34	Nov 12, 2012 11:41pm
Books Stephen Kin...: * 14 The Monk Overall Impression (SPOILER ALERT)	2	10	Jun 05, 2012 04:18pm
Books Stephen Kin...: * 1 Preface - Imitation of Horace, Epodes	22	10	May 18, 2012 07:31am
Books Stephen Kin...: * 2 Vol.I Chapter I -The Gipsy's Song - (SPOILER ALERT)	12	12	May 17, 2012 04:27pm
Books Stephen Kin...: * The Monk by Matthew Gregory Lewis General Discussion	30	28	May 17, 2012 04:13pm
Books Stephen Kin...: * 4 Vol.I Chapter III - Begins "The marquis and Lorenzo proceeded to the hotel..." (SPOILER ALERT)	2	7	May 08, 2012 01:58pm
Books Stephen Kin...: * 3 Vol.I, Chapter II - Begins "The monks having attended their abbot to the door...	6	7	May 06, 2012 02:27pm

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About Matthew Gregory Lewis

Matthew Gregory Lewis was an English novelist and dramatist, often referred to as "Monk" Lewis, because of the success of his classic Gothic novel, The Monk.

Matthew Gregory Lewis was the firstborn child of Matthew and Frances Maria Sewell Lewis. His father, Matthew Lewis was the son of William Lewis and Jane Gregory. He was born in Jamaica in 1750. He attended Westminster School before proceeding...more Matthew Gregory Lewis was an English novelist and dramatist, often referred to as "Monk" Lewis, because of the success of his classic Gothic novel, The Monk.

Matthew Gregory Lewis was the firstborn child of Matthew and Frances Maria Sewell Lewis. His father, Matthew Lewis was the son of William Lewis and Jane Gregory. He was born in Jamaica in 1750. He attended Westminster School before proceeding to Christ Church, Oxford where he received his bachelor’s degree in 1769 and his master’s in 1772. That same year, he was appointed as the Chief Clerk in the War Office. The following year, Lewis married Frances Maria Sewell, a young woman who was very popular at court. She was the third daughter born to Sir Thomas Sewell and was one of eight children born in his first marriage. Her family, like Lewis’, had connections with Jamaica. As a child, she spent her time in Ottershaw. In December 1775, in addition to his post as the Chief Clerk in the War Office, Lewis became the Deputy-Secretary at War. With one exception, he was the first to hold both positions at that same time (and earning both incomes). Lewis owned considerable property in Jamaica, within four miles of Savanna-la-Mer, or Savanna-la-Mar, which was hit by a devastating earthquake and hurricane in 1779. His son would later inherit this property.

In addition to Matthew Gregory Lewis, Matthew and Frances had three other children: Maria, Barrington, and Sophia Elizabeth. On 23 July 1781, when Matthew was six and his youngest sister was one and a half years old, Frances left her husband, taking the music master, Samuel Harrison, as her lover. During their estrangement, Frances lived under a different name, Langley, in order to hide her location from her husband. He still, however, knew her whereabouts. On 3 July 1782, Frances gave birth to a child. That same day, hearing of the birth, her estranged husband returned. Afterwards, he began to arrange a legal separation from his wife. After formally accusing his wife of adultery through the Consistory Court of the Bishop of London on 27 February 1783, he petitioned the House of Lords for permission to bring about a bill of divorce. However, as these bills were rarely granted, it was rejected when brought to voting. Consequently, Matthew and Frances remained married until his death in 1812. Frances, though withdrawing from society and temporarily moving to France, was always supported financially by her husband and then later, her son. She later returned to London and then finally finished her days at Leatherhead, rejoining society and even becoming a lady-in-waiting to the Princess of Wales. Frances and her son remained quite close, with her taking on the responsibility of helping him with his literary career. She even became a published author, much to her son’s dislike.

Matthew Gregory Lewis began his education at a preparatory school under Reverend Dr. John Fountain, Dean of York at Maryleborne Seminary, a friend of both the Lewis and Sewell families. Here, Lewis learned Latin, Greek, French, writing, arithmetic, drawing, dancing, and fencing. Throughout the school day, he and his classmates were only permitted to converse in French. Like many of his classmates, Lewis used the Maryleborne Seminary as a stepping stone, proceeding from there to the Westminster School, like his father, at age eight. Here, he acted in the Town Boys’ Play as Falconbridge in King John and then My Lord Duke in High Life Below Stairs. Later, again like his father, he began studying at Christ Church, Oxford on 27 April 1790 at the age of fifteen. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1794. He later earned a master's degree from the same school in 1797.(less)

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Books by Matthew Gregory Lewis

Journal of a West India Proprietor: Kept During a Residence in the Island of Jamaica

Mistrust; Or, Blanche and Osbright (Dodo Press)

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Trivia About The Monk

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Quotes from The Monk

“Man was born for society. However little He may be attached to the World, He never can wholly forget it, or bear to be wholly forgotten by it. Disgusted at the guilt or absurdity of Mankind, the Misanthrope flies from it: He resolves to become an Hermit, and buries himself in the Cavern of some gloomy Rock. While Hate inflames his bosom, possibly He may feel contented with his situation: But when his passions begin to cool; when Time has mellowed his sorrows, and healed those wounds which He bore with him to his solitude, think you that Content becomes his Companion? Ah! no, Rosario. No longer sustained by the violence of his passions, He feels all the monotony of his way of living, and his heart becomes the prey of Ennui and weariness. He looks round, and finds himself alone in the Universe: The love of society revives in his bosom, and He pants to return to that world which He has abandoned. Nature loses all her charms in his eyes: No one is near him to point out her beauties, or share in his admiration of her excellence and variety. Propped upon the fragment of some Rock, He gazes upon the tumbling waterfall with a vacant eye, He views without emotion the glory of the setting Sun. Slowly He returns to his Cell at Evening, for no one there is anxious for his arrival; He has no comfort in his solitary unsavoury meal: He throws himself upon his couch of Moss despondent and dissatisfied, and wakes only to pass a day as joyless, as monotonous as the former.” — 30 people liked it

“An author, whether good or bad, or between both, is an animal whom every body is privileged to attack: for though all are not able to write books, all conceive themselves able to judge them.” — 25 people liked it

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