The
Age of Gothic Literature - The
Monk, by Matthew Gregory Lewis
A
tremendous fan of
the Gothic mode,
particularly of
Ann Radcliffe's
Mysteries of Udolpho,
young Matthew Gregory
Lewis set out to
compose his own
volume of terror
that would match
hers. To that end
he may have surpassed
her.
The Monk plunged
headlong into carnal
perturbations and
supernatural forces,
invoking the wrath
of proper society
in its day, and
earning his book,
from the ensuing
controversy, enormous
popularity and notoriety.
The title character
is named Ambrosio,
a monk who has a
reputation for holiness.
Ambrosio succumbs
to his carnal desires
with a number of
women, ultimately
killing one of them,
before falling into
the hands of the
Spanish Inquisition.
A pact with Satan
temporarily saves
Ambrosio before
his final, shocking
end.
The Monk was praised
by the likes of
Lord Byron and the
Marquis De Sade.
The Monk remains
a thrilling read,
passionate and dark,
at times alternating
between the brutal
and the comical.
Matthew
Gregory Lewis wrote
The Monk at the age
of 19, and the work
was first published
in 1796.
After its first scandalous
edition was released,
Lewis was required
to edit several objectionable
passages to satisfy
a court injunction
against its further
sale.
Lewis later wrote
several popular tragic
operas before inheriting
a large fortune. He
died at the age of
43.
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