‘The Monk’ by Matthew Lewis

Genre: Romantic Gothic Fiction

Considering I have written my fair share of gothic fiction book reviews, I can’t believe it has taken me this long to write on ‘The Monk’ by Matthew Lewis. During my time at uni, I took part in two gothic fiction modules, looking specifically at the Romantic and Victorian eras. ‘The Monk’ is from the Romantic era of gothic fiction and was one of my favourites in the module.

One of the main reasons I loved this novel was because it reminded me of one of my favourite plays, ‘Dr. Faustus’ by Christopher Marlowe. This is because the main character, Ambrosio, goes through similar religious, moral, and personal struggles, much like Dr. Faustus. In turn, this leads to questions of 'has the character simply succumbed to temptation', or 'were they always a bad person?'

Despite the comparable links between ‘Dr. Faustus’, I would argue that ‘The Monk’ is a lot darker, as whereas ‘Dr. Faustus’ has some comedic relief, ‘The Monk’, being gothic fiction, is definitely more twisted and very uncomfortable at times. A definite trigger warning must come with this book review, so if scenes of rape and themes of incest and damnation are upsetting then this is not the book for you. It is this shock factor, however, and the mystery that is built up and only revealed at the end that makes it so gothic and disturbing. The climax makes this book difficult to put down, as new layers of the narrative and the mystery of Ambrosio, the woman he loves, the ghosts of the past, and the torment of the devil's advocate makes for an uncomfortable yet intriguing read.

Rating: * * * *