The Monk (Tales of Mystery & The Supernatural)

Firstly I will start off by saying that this particular edition of The Monk by Wordsworth Classics, whilst it has a hideous and slightly pixelated cover, is a steal at under £3! Although it has no explanatory notes like the Penguin or Oxford Classics editions, the price alone is worth the buy if you're short on cash.The book itself is superb, and the clearest example of the Gothic tradition after Walpole's classic. It was with Matthew Lewis that the "Hammer Horror" cliches of shadowy crypts, ghosts, thwarted lovers and gruesome devilry were truly propelled into an accepted genre; this is a world away from the slow, methodically-paced work of Ann Radcliffe that lavishes in the sublime. The prose is fast-paced and seems extremely modern in style for a book written in 1795, and although it is overtly melodramatic in places (making great use of the exclamation mark) it is still perfectly legible to modern readers.The plot (as is often proclaimed) runs along the lines of Faust, with the titular monk Ambrosio being driven to temptation by the mysterious and possibly Satanic Matilda, before heading for his wild obsession to deflower the innocent Antonia. It is clear to see how Victor Hugo could have been inspired by the character of Ambrosio for his portrayal of Claude Frollo in Notre-Dame de Paris, the devout clergyman driven to break his vows with lust. However, Lewis soon shifts the focus away from Ambrosio; the centre of the novel is taken up by a very lengthy account given by a marquis, an account that could be a novel in itself and which involves the famous Bleeding Nun episode, cases of mistaken identities and tragic love. However, whilst in most cases this "story-within-a-story" technique ought to distract from the overall work, Lewis is able to weave all the separate narratives together in a way that leaves the reader satisfied (three stories for the price of one).And, of course, a review of The Monk could not be written without comparing it to its fellow Gothic novels. I mentioned Ann Radcliffe earlier: coincidentally, The Mysteries of Udolpho and The Monk were published just two years apart, the former being in 1794. Whilst Lewis's work draws obvious parallels with Radcliffe's, there is something more gripping and enticing about The Monk; any lengthy descriptions go not to the sublime, but to the supernatural and the horrific. Walpole's Castle of Otranto, "the first Gothic novel", is much more dreamlike and murky due to the fact that the Gothic genre wasn't yet formed, and is more of a challenge to modern readers due to the lack of speech marks and paragraph breaks. But The Monk, despite its date, belongs aesthetically in the later, 19th century tradition of the Gothic such as Frankenstein and the stories of Poe, where the focus is more on the psychological horror of events rather than the disquietude of the character's surroundings. However, this is all just the opinion I gained from reading The Monk and comparing it to the rest of the Gothic.Even if you find the Gothic too operatic and over-the-top I highly recommend this book, purely on the basis of how rewarding it is. It's fascinating to see where most of the modern "horror" cliches originated, and it's a fine addition to English literary history.Also, I might seem in this review as if I'm knocking Miss Radcliffe and her style of writing - I like her really!

I found "The Monk" an impressive work overall. It has had a mixed response from its first publication in 1796. Byron and the Marquis de Sade enthused over it, but Coleridge gave a more cautious response. In the twentieth century M.R.James described aspects of the book as 'odious' but H.P.Lovecraft found it a potent if imperfect novel.Its structure is a little loose as is the tendency in many eighteenth century novels. The gore is sometimes piled on rather excessively, especially in the latter portions of the book. Nevertheless considering that the author was only a teenager at the time, it is a remarkable achievement. Its characters are vivid and memorable and its narrative maintains tension well.The novel is an essential landmark in the history of Gothic literature.

I would like to come at this book in a different way from the other reviewers. This is not because I disagree with most of those reviews: the book is a great read, an astonishing creation from a extremely precocious 19 year old! The language is beautiful...even if the subject matter is sensational in the extreme. Doubtless it is one of the greatest of all gothic novels; but if I can't add a different insight, I might as well let the other reviews speak for me.No, the thing that I found most remarkable about 'The Monk' was the way this work tells us so much about the time of its writing. Some works of art (not always the greatest) are psychologically revealing about their own age...and this one is in spades.Lewis wrote his novel in a few weeks in late 1794, in the Netherlands. He seems to have been attached, in a diplomatic capacity, to The Duke of York's ill-fated expedition against the French Revolutionary army. This, remember, was the year of the culmination of 'The Terror', and the collapse of the enlightenment project with the fall of Robespierre. We are on the cusp of two eras, the optimistic rationalism of the French 'Philosophes' is giving way to an inward-looking, apolitical romanticism; a development Goya noted, and satirised in his 1799 'Caprichos' print 'The Sleep of Reason Brings Forth Monsters'.The novel is deeply divided in this way, both 'Sense and Sensibility' in the same author (as opposed to its division between two sisters a la Jane Austen). In the jargon of our age we could call this cognitive dissonance, I suppose. I should add that this is not a criticism...I found it fascinating, and very revealing about the uncertainties of this explosive era. This is yet another good reason to read this book, especially if you have an interest in the history of ideas.What do I mean by cognitive dissonance? Well, a major theme in 'The Monk' is the protestant/enlightenment attack on the 'superstition', of the Spanish Catholic Church which essentially clouds the fates of the lovers Raymond and Agnes. Lorenzo and Raymond never fail to repeatedly hammer this point home. Lewis is a firm disciple of Voltaire here, and the Spaniard Goya. On the other hand, Lewis then proceeds to bring forth a bevy of monsters. He, and his characters, revel in the older superstitions of witchcraft, devil-worship and ghost stories...which turn out not to be superstitions at all...but palpable truth! Here we are back in the early seventeenth century mindscape of James the First and Shakespeare's Macbeth...and of course, in the Spanish context, Tirso de Molina's Don Juan. So prayers for the intercession of the saints are futile...but ghosts, and demons (even Lucifer himself!) can be conjured up and there is thus little protection from them!The impact of current events (and contemporary theatrical works) is a persistent undertone. I doubt that the scene of the attack on the convent could have been quite so convincing without the recent anti-clerical excesses of the revolutionaries still fresh in Lewis' consciousness, and defy anyone to read these disturbing pages without suffering the occasional frisson! The incident with the banditi in the Alsatian woods clearly references Schiller's sensational proto-romantic play of 1781, 'Die Rauber'. Agnes' escape from chains is a borrowing from the fashionable French Revolutionary 'rescue' opera genre...doubtless influenced by the fall of the Bastille, and culminating a few years later in Beethoven's 'Fidelio'. Added to this intoxicating mix is the clear influence of De Sade's sexual politics (no wonder he appreciated this novel!) A witches' brew indeed...a work of genius, arguably, but made more potent by those heady and turbulent times.

This book was recommended to me by my English Literature teacher whilst studying my A-Levels. I bought it for background reading of the gothic genre for my coursework and it was a brilliant read. The language can be difficult to grasp, but the story itself is great. The story switches between plotlines which all intertwine and I found it so enjoyable. The book itself is a good copy, the front cover image seems slightly pixelated, but that doesn't bother me because the text inside is perfectly readable. If you like the gothic genre then this is a brilliant pick.

WOW! This book is full of unexpected twists and turns on every page! Whilst it takes a little while to get into at the beginning (expect long paragraphs and sentences) the plot is absolutely fantastic. It had me on the edge of my seat for the whole read. I simply couldn’t put it down, and even read it in the bath! Well written and full of drama. It is a work of utter literary genius.