Book Review: ‘The Monk’ by Matthew Lewis
I am a lover of Gothic classics, but I’ve somehow never read Matthew Lewis’s ‘The Monk’. It was a novel of the early Gothic, published in 1796 to a scandalous reception, and it had never come up for wither Sarah or I when studying multiple modules on the Gothic across multiple degrees. When Sarah pitched it for the dark academia adjacent tile for this season fo the podcast, it was an easy decision to include it. Gothic literature is the foundation of dark academia after all, and ‘The Monk’ is a foundational Gothic text.
We both had so much fun with it.
Savaged by critics for its blasphemy and obscenity, particularly since the author was a Member of Parliament, The Monk soon attracted thousands of readers keen to see if this Gothic novel lived up to its lurid reputation. With acute psychological insight, Lewis shows the diabolical decline of Ambrosio, a worthy superior of the Capuchins of Madrid who is tempted by Matilda, a young girl who has entered his monastery disguised as a boy. Descending into a hell of his own creation, Ambrosio is driven to magic and murder in an attempt to conceal his crimes from the Inquisition. The Monk was greatly admired by the Marquis de Sade, who saw it as a response to the upheavals of the French Revolution, yet it also reveals something more universal: the way violent and erotic impulses lurking within us all can break through every barrier of social restraint.
‘The Monk’ is a fascinating look at power, obsession, lust, and the fall from on high. Ambrosio is a senior Capuchin monk who is revered for his passionate sermons, his religious fervour, and his reputation as a perfect example of the Catholic faith, but it doesn’t take long to realise that Ambrosio is the embodiment of six of the seven deadly sins, except for one: lust.
And then he succumbs to that too. I find it fascinating that, even in a religious setting, and even now, all sins are acceptable except for lust and acting on it. Especially when women are involved.
He’s a despicable person, and watching him spiral was horrifying even with a modern perspective, so I can completely understand the reaction from its contemporary readers. It’s incredibly sacrilegious for one, not to mention to depiction and discussion of lust, desire and female desire specifically. It’s inflammatory and very indicative of eighteenth century scandal fiction; ‘The Monk’ is a perfect example of scandal fiction sliding into the Gothic.
The novel continues to snowball, even though the action slows a bit in the middle as we move away from Ambrosio, and the ending is truly bonkers. It’s very much in the style of the absurd origins of the Gothic and it brilliantly fun and it still feels so relevant.
We both really enjoyed ‘The Monk’ and it was so fun to discuss on on this podcast this week.
