{"product_id":"the-monk-2","title":"Matthew Lewis: The Monk [1998] paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eMatthew Lewis's Gothic masterpiece, depicting a holy man slowly becoming entangled in a web of sin, \u003ci\u003eThe Monk \u003c\/i\u003eis edited with an introduction by Christopher MacLachlan in Penguin Classics.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSavaged by critics for its blasphemy and obscenity, particularly since the author was a Member of Parliament, \u003ci\u003eThe Monk\u003c\/i\u003e soon attracted thousands of readers keen to see if this Gothic novel lived up to its lurid reputation. With acute psychological insight, Lewis 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. \u003ci\u003eThe Monk \u003c\/i\u003ewas greatly admired by the Marquis de Sade, who saw it as a response to the upheavals of the French Revolution, yet it also reveals something more universal: the way violent and erotic impulses lurking within us all can break through every barrier of social restraint.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMatthew Gregory Lewis (1775-1818) was educated at Oxford after which he held a position in the British Embassy at The Hague. It was there in 1794, that he wrote the racy novel \u003ci\u003eThe Monk\u003c\/i\u003e, under the influence of the early German romantics. Its controversial publication in 1796, due to Lewis' new status as MP, earned him fame and the book a great deal of popularity.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf you enjoyed \u003ci\u003eThe Monk\u003c\/i\u003e, you might like Horace Walpole's \u003ci\u003eThe Castle of Otranto\u003c\/i\u003e, also available in Penguin Classics.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Lewis, Matthew \u0026 Maclachlan, Christopher","offers":[{"title":"New","offer_id":51342850490707,"sku":"9780140436037","price":14.3,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"Good","offer_id":49286546194771,"sku":"XG80140436037","price":5.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false},{"title":"Like New","offer_id":49807546384723,"sku":"XE80140436037","price":6.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false},{"title":"Very Good","offer_id":51342850457939,"sku":"XV80140436037","price":6.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0616\/4001\/6057\/files\/lewis-matthew-maclachlan-christopher-the-monk-xg80140436037-58530858959187.jpg?v=1751814097","url":"https:\/\/theirishbookshop.live\/products\/the-monk-2","provider":"Chapters Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}