Rating: 
Summary: Great undiscovered gothic novel!
Review: I'm a senior in high school and am taking an enriched novels course. My teacher somehow discovered this book and tried to get us excited to read it by lauding all the sex and incest contained within. Well, there hasn't been much sex, and what little there is is described as "giving into passions" and other flowery phrases. My teacher would have made me more excited to read the book if she hadn't lauded the incest as much as simply telling me that it contains three main plots, all richly described and woven together, and that it doesn't feel nearly as old as it is (it was written in the 1700s). There's Ambrosio, the monk who falls in love with a cross-dressing novice monk, there's Agnes the nun who has fallen in love with a man (who in turn was almost killed at a bandit's cottage in the woods) and wants to escape the convent, and there's Lorenzo the cavalier who meets a young woman named Antonia. The author was ahead of his time, because the fairytale-like story is much more captivating than any other old, old novel I've ever read. It's an easy read, but swell nonetheless.
Rating:
Summary: supernatural gothic horror at its finest
Review: if you want to know how King and Rice learned their craft for horror and supernatural gothic lit u must read Lewis' gothic thriller. i am thoroughly obsessed with gothic lit from its birth through the nineteenth century and have read all the oxford world's classics editions of the gothic: they happen to be the ONLY publishing company with the widest range of early original gothic fiction. It is a long novel and gets dull for only a span of 20pages when one of the character's past is recalled in detail. otherwise, this being my favorite gothic novel because Lewis does not explain away the supernatural through mere natural occurrences like Radcliffe. The Devil, ghosts, a bleeding nun, evil clergy are all here for the ride until Ambrosio, "The Monk" meets his end. This is a brilliant novel, perfectly done.
Rating:
Summary: fall with the monk and seek the light.
Review: Lewis' The Monk is a winding Gothic tale of love, revenge, secrets, blood, the Inquisition, and pain. It discusses the fall of virgins, the wisdom of fools, and the death of good nuns, all centered around the evil of one man, Ambrosius or the Monk. Ambrosius is obsessed with his own supposed goodness and too proud of his reputation for virtue and glory in the eyes of Madrid. The clergyman has never before been tempted, and therfore never been tried, until he falls into a dark love for an unmolested virgin, Antonia. There are enough side plots and characters to complicate the story nicely without overburdening the plot.Preserving typical Gothic elements, such as ghosts, murder, bleeding nuns, corrupt churchmen, and illegitimate children, the plot stays interesting even when a bit predictable, and it is understandable why Matthew Lewis came to be called "Monk" Lewis when this book was published c.1800. Like Shakespeare's Lear, when you think it can't get any more depressing, it does, and then it does again. A reflection of the human soul in all its glory and debasement, The Monk also manages to be entertaining and fun.
Rating: 
Summary: True Gothic Literature
Review: Matthew Lewis is by most people's accounts one of the forefathers of Gothic Literature. "The Monk" written in the late 18th century is an interesting tale about an Abbot whose vocation to God goes awry. The language of the text can sometimes be hard to follow if you are not accustomed to reading literature from that time period, but the story is nearly flawless. Lewis also places other characters of ill repute in the novel. My favorite being the Head nun of St. Clare's, in my opinion she is more of the villain than the monk. Throughout the tale the characters relate past tale's which can be tedious and boring at times, but do help to fill in any missing gaps the reader may have. All in all Lewis wrote a dark tale which will continue to be read for centuries to come, and his contribution to the Gothic novel will never be forgotten.
Rating:
Summary: True Gothic Literature
Review: Matthew Lewis is by most people's accounts one of the forefathers of Gothic Literature. "The Monk" written in the late 18th century is an interesting tale about an Abbot whose vocation to God goes awry. The language of the text can sometimes be hard to follow if you are not accustomed to reading literature from that time period, but the story is nearly flawless. Lewis also places other characters of ill repute in the novel. My favorite being the Head nun of St. Clare's, in my opinion she is more of the villain than the monk. Throughout the tale the characters relate past tale's which can be tedious and boring at times, but do help to fill in any missing gaps the reader may have. All in all Lewis wrote a dark tale which will continue to be read for centuries to come, and his contribution to the Gothic novel will never be forgotten.
Rating:
Summary: The Ultimate Gothic Classic
Review: Matthew Lewis wrote "The Monk" in ten short weeks at the age of nineteen. Immediately the subject of controversy upon its publication in 1796, Lewis was prosecuted and subsequent editions of the book were heavily censored. Coleridge described it as blasphemous, "a romance, which if a parent saw it in the hands of a son or daughter, he might reasonably turn pale." Yet, "The Monk" was so popular that its author became a minor celebrity-coming to be known as "Monk" Lewis--and Sir Walter Scott prounounced that "it seemed to create an epoch in our literature." And whether "The Monk" truly created an epoch in English literature, or merely marked the early apogee of a genre, it stands as a stunning example of the Gothic novel. "The Monk" tells the story of Ambrosio, the ostensibly pious and deeply revered Abbot of the Capuchin monastery in Madrid, and his dark fall from grace. It is a novel which unravels, at times, like the "Arabian Nights", stories within stories, a series of digressions, the plot driven by love and lust, temptations and spectres, and, ultimately, rape, murder and incest. It is sharply anti-Catholic, if not anti-clerical, in tone, Ambrosio and most of its other religious characters being profane, murderous, self-centered hypocrites cloaked in displays of public piety. And while it sometimes seems critical of superstition, "The Monk" is replete with Mephistophelian bargains, supernatural events, appartions, and spectres, as well as entombment and dark forebodings of mystery and evil. It is, in short, a stunningly entertaining, albeit typically heavy-handed, Gothic novel, perhaps the ultimate classic of the genre.
Rating:
Summary: You'll have a devil of a time putting it down....
Review: Matthew Lewis's 'The Monk' deserves every scrap of reputation it has ever received; good, bad, or indifferent. Sadly it is the only novel by a brilliant, daring author. Ambrosio, bearer of the title moniker, has lived a life of seclusion and service among a monastic order, which he never ventures from. His 'uncorrupted' status makes him highly sought after for his counsel, wisdom, and spiritual guidance. He is loved by all. But one loves him in a very different way. Rosario, a novice of the order, reveals 'his' undying affection for Ambrosio, and begs him to love in return, by revealing himself as not Rosario, but Matilda, who disguises her sex as she has long disguised her heart, just to be near him. Ambrosio abandons his vows and embraces Matilda's affections, which marks his entrance into a life of corruption to come. In a nearby convent lies the sickly Agnes, who finds herself seeking solitude after being impregnated and 'abandoned' by her lover, Don Raymond. Agnes' brother, Lorenzo, seeks to liberate her from the convent, when it seems that her stay there is anything but voluntary. These two stories colide in the convent of the Capuchins. Toss in an evil Prioress, a ghostly 'Bleeding Nun', a 'Wandering Jew' and Lucifer, and you get one heck of a page turner. Matthew Lewis abandons eighteenth century convention and propriety, and takes readers down a dark passageway of evil spirits, daemonic bartering, betrayal, deception, and lust. But why stop there? The last 30 pages of this novel will keep you riveted. In lieu of unveiling the many, many revelations offered in these pages, I challenge those interested to discover them for themselves, and read them WITHOUT dropping their jaws in astonishment. Matthew Lewis was a truly imaginative author with a flair for the dramatic, who focused primarily on writing plays. He wrote The Monk at the age of 19, bored with his work at the time, in just 10 weeks. Astonishing, considering the manual process that an author labored through in those days. A WONDERFUL read, from start to finished, interspersed with lyrical and narrative poetry to propel an already compelling story along. The Monk is a triumph in gothic literature, and a highly satisfactory entry point into the genre. Bravo, Matthew Lewis, I only wish you had been bored more often.
Rating:
Summary: Gothic writing at its most scandalous!
Review: Often when one thinks of "old" books the ideas of sex, violent murder, evoking the powers of hell, incest, unbridled lust, rape, and transvestites are not what come to mind. However, all of these are in The Monk. This is a book that was viewed as incredibly scandalous, and even today this view still holds up.
There are two main plots in this book; first there is the story of the monk who is known for never having given in to temptation or sin. His protégé revels that he is a women and she is in love with him, the monk. The monk withstands her advances, but we see that in his thoughts she is present. Finally he gives in and they...repeatedly. She, Matilda, opens to him a world of passion, and lust, which he enters with great gusto. After a while the monk grows tired of this women and when he sees the young girl, Antonia, a girl of extreme innocence who is said to have been created by god in the image of an angel, he is completely overwhelmed with feelings and decides he must have her. He tries at first by simply seducing her, but her mother enters and teaches her daughter, hitherto ignorant of such acts, that this is wrong. Back to our monk who is now very put out, Matilda says she will help him, as she actually does love him to the point where she will do anything to help him. As it turns out Matilda has power over the evil spirits, and she has pledged her soul to the devil. She gets the devil to help the monk by giving him a spell that will open any door and make everyone sleep. This will allow him to enter Antonia's room, do what he wants, and the next morning she will know she was raped, but not by whom. This plan fails and then the monk must try other, more horrid ways of getting at this young woman.
The second story is that of Don Raymond and Agnes. These two are in love, but by a series of mishaps have been separated and Agnes is in a convent of St. Clair. One night these two `give into their passions' and the result is Agnes is pregnant. Our monk finds this out and tells the head of the convent, who severely punishes Agnes by locking her up with the intention of killing her. To make matters more complicated Agnes' brother, who is in love with Antonia, knows that Agnes is in the convent and has an order from the church to release her from her vows. The head of the convent tells him that his sister is dead, which he does not believe. Thus the brother and Don Raymond will have to save Agnes quickly.
If ever you wanted to know what happens when you throw a bleeding nun, a wandering Jew, the devil, a monk with a huge sex drive, a cross-dressing protégé, a girl of extreme innocents, an evil prioress, and a gipsy who see the future into one book this is defiantly the book for you.
Rating: 
Summary: liteature of taste...
Review: should both teach and delight. The Monk's delights are many, but it teaches not. therefore, two stars.
Rating:
Summary: My Favorite
Review: The Monk is by far my favorite piece of Gothic Lit. I used to be like most people and only knew the gothic through my experiences with Poe. Then I took a Gothic Literature course. My eyes were opened to a world I never knew existed as extensively as it does. The Monk was one of the assigned books to read, and I absolutely loved it. I knew it had to be a great book when I started getting wierd looks from my room mate when I gasped loudly or shouted "Oh my goodness!" at several places in the book.
One of the greatest aspects of The Monk is that it is a great book, but for those who have any knowlege of gothic liturature, it offers so much more.
This book deals with issues like pride, love, and sexual desire. Yet I loved that all of these issues are dealt in a psychological way, not a physical. You don't have to read through the details of sexual incounters that many 20th century gothic novels contain. But you don't need those details, and if fact the book would make less of an impact if it had them.
The undergroud passageways and dungeons offer more than setting to this horrific novel--they explore the deep recesses of the psyche.
If you haven't read The Monk, you should. In short, it is one of the greatest pieces of literature ever written.
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