Cover of The Monk: A Romance. In Three Volumes. By M. G. Lewis
Gothic FictionHorror

The Monk: A Romance. In Three Volumes. By M. G. Lewis

by

  • 1794 first published
  • 445 pages
  • ★ 3.8 (5 ratings)
  • 58 editions
  • 🎧 16 h 17 min free audiobook
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Matthew Gregory Lewis's The Monk: A Romance. In Three Volumes. By M. G. Lewis (1794) is a gothic fiction and horror novel. Much of the action takes place in Madrid, Spain and Spain. It deals with monks, Incest, Rape and monasteries.

Open Library readers give it an average of 3.8 out of 5 from 5 ratings, and 97 more have it on their want-to-read list. It has been published in 58 editions. On Project Gutenberg it was downloaded 22,918 times in the last 30 days.

At about 445 pages, most readers finish it in 8–9 hours. It is in the public domain, so you can read it free on Project Gutenberg or listen to the 16 h 17 min LibriVox audiobook.

About The Monk: A Romance. In Three Volumes. By M. G. Lewis

`The Monk was so highly popular that it seemed to create an epoch in our literature', wrote Sir Walter Scott. Set in the sinister monastery of the Capuchins in Madrid, The Monk is a violent tale of ambition, murder, and incest. The great struggle between maintaining monastic vows and fulfilling personal ambitions leads its main character, the monk Ambrosio, to temptation and the breaking of his vows, then to sexual obsession and rape, and finally to murder in order to conceal his guilt. Inspired by German horror romanticism and the work of Ann Radcliffe, Lewis produced his masterpiece at the age of nineteen. It contains many typical Gothic elements - seduction in a monastery, lustful monks, evil Abbesses, bandits and beautiful heroines. But, as the Introduction to this new edition shows, Lewis also played with convention, ranging from gruesome realism to social comedy, and even parodied the genre in which he was writing. This book is intended for students of Gothic Literature and eighteenth-century literature.
Description from Open Library

Free audiobook

The Monk: A Romance. In Three Volumes. By M. G. Lewis — LibriVox recording, 16 h 17 min in 23 sections.

Public-domain recording by volunteer readers. Listen online, download MP3s or stream from the Internet Archive.

Opening line

“Scarcely had the Abbey Bell tolled for five minutes,and already was the Church of the Capuchins thronged with Auditors.”

Themes, setting & tropes

Genres

Setting

Subjects

  • Monks
  • Monks in fiction
  • Incest
  • Rape in fiction
  • Incest in fiction
  • Rape
  • Monasteries in fiction
  • Monasteries
  • British and irish fiction, Fictional works by one author
  • Horror
  • Spain
  • Madrid, Spain
  • Thrillers
  • Berlin, Germany
  • Psychological
  • Gothic

Quick answers

Who wrote The Monk: A Romance. In Three Volumes. By M. G. Lewis?

The Monk: A Romance. In Three Volumes. By M. G. Lewis was written by Matthew Gregory Lewis and first published in 1794.

What genre is The Monk: A Romance. In Three Volumes. By M. G. Lewis?

It is usually shelved as Gothic Fiction and Horror.

How long is The Monk: A Romance. In Three Volumes. By M. G. Lewis?

The median edition has 445 pages, about 8–9 hours of reading at 250 words per minute.

Is The Monk: A Romance. In Three Volumes. By M. G. Lewis free to read?

Yes. It is in the public domain in the United States and can be read free on Project Gutenberg in EPUB, Kindle and HTML formats.

Is there a free audiobook of The Monk: A Romance. In Three Volumes. By M. G. Lewis?

Yes — LibriVox volunteers recorded it; the recording runs 16 h 17 min.

What books are similar to The Monk: A Romance. In Three Volumes. By M. G. Lewis?

Readers who like it often enjoy Manuscrit trouvé à Saragosse, The Vampyre and The Mayor of Casterbridge.

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