The Monk (Annotated)

The Monk (1796) is one of the defining achievements of the Gothic novel, a sensational yet intricately structured tale of religious hypocrisy, erotic temptation, supernatural terror, and moral collapse. Centered on Ambrosio, a revered Madrid monk whose sanctity gives way to lust and violence, the novel combines melodramatic plotting, inset narratives, spectral apparitions, and lurid psychological ...