Matthew Lewis – ‘The Monk’ Book

The Monk is regarded as one of the darker and more “transgressive” Gothic books. Additionally, it is the first book to portray a priest as the antagonist. The plot revolves around the terrible fall of Ambrosio, a devout and well-respected monk in Spain.

This Gothic fiction masterwork is a potent examination of how violent and sensual emotions can overcome boundaries of social and moral constraint by fusing sensationalism with keen psychological understanding.