Literary novel review: The Monk (1796) by Matthew Gregory Lewis.

No! No! No! There are some gothic novels which strike terror and cause absolute shock in readers alike. Then there is the subject of today's review post - Matthew Gregory Lewis' petrifying 1796 novel The Monk.

Where do I begin with a novel as evil and as twisted as this one? The extremes of gothic are present here in this affrightening tale and to the maximum I might add. As the title suggests, the novel centres around a monk who gives in to commit lustful sins. What gets me is how sexually detailed it is. There is rape, incest, murder and everyone tricking everyone. This leads to someone becoming victim to an angry mob and someone else becoming the victim of a ghost.

Every however many chapters, this novel had yet another big moment that had me in gasp in shock, fear or disgust; though sometimes this was all at once and in equal measure. I have to say that this novel is not for the faint-hearted. During the time when this was released, it became marred in controversy and Matthew Gregory Lewis never revealed his name at first.

He did however slightly change the title to The Monk: A Romance, though both get used nowadays. On front cover of the book I possess, it just read The Monk as the the title. Yes there is romance. Nevertheless, the acts of cardinal sin that the monk, Ambrosio commits and the lie he is living, shove everything else aside. This is because Ambrosio's actions set of a chain of events that have devastating consequences for all.

If you are after a gothic novel and you love horror then this novel is the novel to read on a cold autumnal night. I can only give Lewis' The Monk a solid 9.5/10.


Until next time,


Thomas.

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