Shows the diabolical decline of Ambrosio, a worthy superior of the Capuchins of Madrid who is tempted by Matilda, a young girl who has entered his monastery disguised as a boy. Descending into a hell of his own creation, Ambrosio is driven to magic and murder in an attempt to conceal his crimes from the Inquisition.
Savaged by critics for its blasphemy and obscenity, The Monk shows the diabolical decline of Ambrosio, a worthy Capuchin superior who is tempted by Matilda -- a young girl who has entered his monastery disguised as a boy -- and eventually succumbs to magic, murder, incest, and torture. A brilliant examination of violent and erotic impulses, The Monk was greatly admired by the Marquis de Sade, as well as Byron, Poe, Flaubert, Hawthorne, and Emily Bronte.
“The whole work is distinguished by the variety and impressiveness of its incidents; and the author every-where discovers an imagination rich, powerful, and fervid.” —
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
