The Monk

Locations
Call Number: Fiction / Lewis, Matthew, Adult Book / Fiction / Classic / Lewis, Matthew
On Shelf At: Downtown Library

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction / Lewis, Matthew	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Classic / Lewis, Matthew	4-week checkout	Due 05-11-2024

Set in the sinister monastery of the Capuchins in Madrid, this is a violent tale of ambition, murder, and incest. The struggle between maintaining monastic vows and fulfilling personal ambitions tempts its main character into breaking his vows.

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

A Shocking Tale of Religion and Human Desire submitted by noelleb on September 8, 2021, 2:01am Written in 1796, The Monk is a classic of Gothic fiction. It’s a story about a monks descent into debauchery and murder, which ends with him selling his soul to the devil. The subtitle of this book calls it a ‘A Romance’, but don't expect Jane Austen; the romance in this tale is dull, with characters who are so bland and wholesome I rooted for their downfall. The horror parts are the real reason to read this book. These parts are excellent, and are still gruesome today. A bleeding ghostly nun, a devious demoness, a murderous gang of cut-throats, and Lucifer himself all appear and make this story a very fun read! The book was scandalous and hugely popular when it was first published. Its view that the Catholic Church, by not allowing monks and nuns sexual expression and romantic love, is partially to blame for the events in the novel surprised me.