Résumé
Résumé de The Monk: A Romance
À qui s’adresse-t-il ?
For readers who enjoy dark Gothic fiction, haunted castles and moral shocks, and for anyone curious about where the horror tradition began.
De quoi parle ce livre ?
The Monk is a Gothic novel by Matthew Gregory Lewis, published in 1796 when he was about twenty years old. Lewis wrote it in only a few weeks, fired up by the horror fiction of Ann Radcliffe and by German tales of ghosts and bargains with the devil. The book is set in Madrid, in a Catholic country that English readers of the time pictured as a land of convents, secrets and the Inquisition.
At its center stands Ambrosio, abbot of the Capuchin monastery. The whole city treats him as a living saint, and he believes it himself. Around him Lewis builds a crowded plot of young lovers, a cruel prioress, a ghost in a nun's habit, a tempting novice and a mother who watches over her daughter. The book shocked its first readers, drew attacks in print, and made its author known for life as Monk Lewis.
You get the full sweep of the story here, from the abbot's first sermon to the point where his fall begins. You will meet the people who matter, see how the interwoven plots fit together, and learn why the book still unsettles readers. Let us begin with the man everyone in Madrid admires.
Dans ce résumé
- 1Madrid worships a monk who thinks himself spotlessFree
- 2Young love begins in the shadow of the church
- 3Agnes, Raymond and the ghost of the Bleeding Nun
- 4A young novice reveals a startling secret
- 5One bite and the abbot's will begins to fail
- 6Magic, a mirror and a desire that grows
- 7Behind convent walls a prioress punishes a secret
- 8Pride, hypocrisy and desire are the real subjects
- 9A patchwork of tales, ghosts and shocks
Point clé 1 sur 9
Madrid worships a monk who thinks himself spotless
The story opens in a Madrid church, where a crowd gathers to hear Father Ambrosio preach. He is the abbot of the Capuchins, and he is thirty years old. He was left at the abbey as a baby and raised by the monks, so he has never known any life outside its walls. The people believe he is a saint, and his sermons draw nobles and common folk alike.
Lewis shows the pull of his voice early. Ambrosio speaks with learning and fire, and his listeners leave in tears. Among them are Leonella, a talkative aunt, and her young niece Antonia, who sees the famous monk for the first time. Their eyes are not the only ones that matter. Everyone in that church sees a man without fault.
But the narrator hints at what the crowd cannot see. Ambrosio has been praised since childhood, and he has never been tested. His virtue has never faced temptation, so he has never had to choose it. Because he cannot picture himself doing wrong, he looks down on those who do.
That pride is the crack in him. He is strict toward other people's weakness and certain of his own strength. He confesses sinners with stern contempt, and he feels a quiet glow at being so unlike them. Lewis lets the reader sense that a man so sure of himself is the easiest man to topple.
This opening sets up the whole book as a question. What does holiness mean when it has never been put to the proof? Lewis does not answer at once. He lets the abbot enjoy his fame a little longer, and he begins to bring other people into the story.
That’s 1 of 9 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Who’s who
- Ambrosio
- The admired abbot of Madrid's Capuchins, he prides himself on purity and welcomes the devoted novice Rosario.
- Matilda
- A woman disguised as the novice Rosario, she enters the monastery to approach Ambrosio, whom she loves.
- Antonia
- Elvira's sheltered daughter is a poor young woman whose innocence attracts Lorenzo when he sees her in church.
- Lorenzo de Medina
- A young nobleman and Agnes's brother, he falls in love with Antonia after seeing her at church.
- Agnes de Medina
- Lorenzo's sister loves Don Raymond but faces family pressure to enter religious life.
- Don Raymond
- The Marquis de las Cisternas loves Agnes, whose family's plans for her obstruct their happiness.
- Elvira
- Antonia's widowed mother protects her sheltered daughter and distrusts the celebrated abbot's appearance of holiness.
- The Prioress of St Clare
- The stern head of Agnes's convent exercises harsh authority over the women in her care.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 138,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 9 h 15 min
- Listening time15 h 25 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary; paperback, hardcover and large print at cost
- LanguagesEnglish and 11 other languages
Questions about The Monk: A Romance
What is The Monk by Matthew Lewis about?
It tells of Ambrosio, a Madrid abbot praised as a saint, whose pride and desire lead him into temptation. Alongside runs a web of love stories, a ghostly nun and a cruel convent.
Why was The Monk so controversial?
Readers in the 1790s found its mix of lust, violence, black magic and attacks on religious figures shocking. Critics called it indecent, and Lewis later softened some passages in new editions.
Who is Matilda in The Monk?
Matilda is a woman who disguises herself as a novice named Rosario to enter the monastery and be near Ambrosio. She is clever and persuasive, and she plays a key part in his temptation.
When was The Monk written and is it a true story?
It was published in 1796, when Lewis was about twenty, and it is fiction. It draws on the Gothic fashion of the day and on German tales of ghosts and bargains with the devil.
Is The Monk hard to read?
The plot moves quickly and has many shocks.