Item: The Monk
Rating: 5.00
Author: briana

by Matthew Gregory Lewis

The Monk is the most sensational of Gothic novels. The main plot concerns Ambrosio, an abbot of irreproachable holiness, who is seduced by a woman (or perhaps a demon) disguised as a novice, and who goes on to sell his soul to the Devil. An extravagant blend of sex, death, politics, Satanism, and poetry, the work greatly appealed to the Marquis de Sade.

The Broadview edition includes a critical introduction and appendices of historical materials that address the novel's literary sources (in English, German, and Greek literature), historical contexts (the French Revolution, slavery and abolition debates, sexuality), critical reception, and influence.

Lewis’s classic Gothic novel may often be predictable, employing heavy foreshadowing and what are now considered Gothic tropes, but it is also captivating, scandalous, insane—I couldn’t look away. The plot mainly follows a young virgin, a nun, and an abbot and chronicles how their worlds collide. Along the way, the author flaunts ghosts, witchcraft, love affairs, rape, and chilling settings ranging from old castles to tombs. Readers will probably see the ending of the story a mile away, but the journey of The Monk is more important than the destination in terms of entertainment.

Read the rest of the review here, at Pages Unbound Book Reviews.

The Monk (Poetic Justice Books Classics, #4) (Dover Thrift Editions)

by Matthew Gregory Lewis

Reviewed by Briana @ Pages Unbound on Sep 23, 2013

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