The Monk by Matthew Lewis
With an Introduction by Kathryn White. Prepare to be shocked. This novel, written in 1796, is a Gothic festival of sex, magic and ghastly, ghostly violence rarely seen in literature. The Monk is remarkably modern in style and tells a breathless tale of temptation, imprisonment and betrayal. Matthew Lewis recounts the downfall of Ambrosio, the holier-than-thou monk seduced within the walls of a Madrid abbey until he heads for the utter corruption of the soul. Meanwhile, two sets of young lovers are thwarted and the reader thrills to pursuits through the woods by bandits and is chilled by the spectre of nuns imprisoned in vermin-ridden and skeleton-crowded vaults. Late Eighteenth Century audiences were polarised in opinion as to the novel's merits. Lord Byron and the Marquis de Sade were impressed by Lewis's daring, while Coleridge warned parents against The Monk's suitability for their sons or daughters, describing the novel as 'poison for youth. If you want a novel that still terrifies, over two hundred years after it was written, there is none finer than The Monk.Matthew Gregory Lewis (1775-1818) was an English novelist and dramatist who became known as Monk Lewis after the success of his Gothic novel The Monk, published in 1796. Lewis, along with Charles Robert Maturin and Mary Shelley, is usually categorized as a Gothic horror author. The Secrets of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe and Caleb Williams by William Godwin were undoubtedly influential on Lewis. In fact, Lewis wrote a letter to his mother a few months before starting to write The Monk in which he remarked that the villain Montoni from The Mysteries of Udolpho and himself had a striking likeness. Lewis' literary approach contrasted from Radcliffe's fascination with the supernatural and Godwin's narrative drive and emphasis in crime and punishment.
Unlike Radcliffe, who used the terror-Gothic genre to hint to imagined horrors, Lewis distinguished himself by revealing the details of the terrible events, garnering him the moniker of Gothic horror novelist. Lewis creates a more novelistic experience for the reader by providing actual details rather than the scared sensations prevalent in Radcliffe.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781840221855 |
| ISBN 10 | 1840221852 |
| Title | The Monk |
| Author | Matthew Lewis |
| Series | Tales Of Mystery And The Supernatural |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Wordsworth Editions Ltd |
| Year published | 2009-08-05 |
| Number of pages | 336 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |