Matthew Lewis’ ‘The Monk’ is the epitome of the gothic novel, set in crypts, graveyards and monasteries it has everything from ghosts of nuns, cross-dressing monks, seduction and temptation, religious corruption and a general vibey feel throughout. It was an aesthetic I very much enjoyed. It follows in one storyline the cavaliers Raymond and Lorenzo seeking to free their lovers from the convent, and on the other the temptation of the monk Ambrosio and his conflict between religious virtue and temptation, the two coming together nicely in a wild conclusion. Alike to ‘The Castle of Otranto’ in I could see elements of Shakespearian tragedy blending in also. 

I don’t believe it was written incredibly however. Walpole hated speech marks and now Lewis capitalises random words which really break up the flow when reading, as you assume that is the close of a sentence when a capital appears and then you realise what you just read makes no sense and have to reread it ignoring the capital. It was very frustrating. 

I feel there was a lot unexplained or that didn’t get closure but to an extent with the tone of the book and genre it has to be accepted, it was very amusing how wacky a book that on surface appears to take itself so seriously appears. Raymond and Lorenzo reminded me much of Albert and Edmund in ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ during the sequence of their adventures in Rome, which is always a pro for me, and I especially enjoyed the story of The Bleeding Nun and Lewis’ depiction of the supernatural.