Sunday 8 May 2016

The Monk By Mathew Gregory Lewis - 5 stars

Dear Readers,

I'm not one for the Classical works of literature however I managed to read one today that has a great effect on not just me but generations upon generations after it was released. Its a book that was surrounded in legend and mystery for me. I am delighted to have had the chance to read it. Please continue down the page to read my review.

The Monk By Mathew Gregory 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. 

ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

5 star Review: 

From the outset this book was surrounded in legend for me. It was one mentioned in the works of Jane Austin. I wasn't sure that I wanted to read the book to learn it wasn't what I imagined it to be but there was a sense that this was one of the greatest pieces of literature right away. I got swept up in the mans words and realized he must be dyslexic as I caught a couple of mistakes that he made. 

What Matthew Lewis created sent shivers down my spine and I found myself impressed that he was able to pull the carpet from his characters in such a simple method. He really did create a lot of the tools that we see being used in fiction today and he also set the bar for what is considered the most filthy of pieces of horror ever created. 

Each of his characters truly had their own voice and upon its ending arriving the book was tied up into a nice neat parcel. His poetry was wonderful and showed that he was truly a well rounded writer and that is a truly rare thing to find. For a man to whom wrote plays the book flowed perfectly and showed a great deal of attention. I suggested that this was a book that he couldn't stop writing from the moment he started. 

I highly recommend this book for those who love horror who want to experience some of the best writing that the fictional classic novels can offer you. Beware of its content before you buy the book but I think for serious readers that this is a must read to understand how we have come with story telling. 

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Thank you for stopping by to check out what I have been getting my teeth into and for checking out the blog site. 

Kristal McKerrington 

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