Matthew Lewis
Il Monaco

Initially titled "Ambrosio" and then simply "The Monk", this gothic novel first appeared to the general public in 1796. The author Matthew Gregory Lewis wrote it between 1794 and 1795 during his stay in Holland, as he was both a writer and an English diplomat.

The Spanish monk Ambrosio is clearly the protagonist, a sort of new incorruptible prophet who, tempted by a hooded and mysterious confrere, embraces the path of evil, transforming into a sort of sex-starved satyr, willing even to kill for his pleasure. Besides the story of Ambrosio's fall with Donna Antonia, the novel also intertwines the desperate love between Don Raymond and Agnes, struggling against the nuns of the convent where she is imprisoned. The novel also features classic figures of forbidden Christianity, such as the Wandering Jew and the Bleeding Nun.

As in the best gothic tradition, the main theme is the critique of Catholicism: the evil nuns are true harpies and are therefore punished; the same goes for Ambrosio who, having definitively turned to evil, eventually meets his wretched fate. The message the author wants to convey is essentially that priests, monks, priests, or nuns, no matter how cloaked in an aura of sanctity or objects of pious devotion, are in the end ordinary mortals like us, with their temptations and vices, with their wickedness and virtues. In some ways, this is very relatable, especially today.

What is most striking about this work is the narrative style, not so much for the plot, but for the fact that the descriptions do not spare the grittiest details. The most scandalous aspect of the gothic novel is all contained in this book (for example, the macabre scene narrating the decay of an infant in the arms of the imprisoned mother comes to mind). A transgressiveness to say the least violent, therefore, representing a model far removed from the placid narration of Walpole, the balanced mystery of Radcliffe, or the reasoned terror of Shelley.

The fortunes of the novel were variable: the literary criticism of the time branded it as "ethically incorrect," so Lewis was forced to withdraw it in 1797 and reissue it in 1798 with less scandalous details, although some illustrious names were literally captivated by it, such as Coleridge, for example. The English public, and subsequently the European audience, went into a frenzy over this novel, if only for the scandalous and sensationalist uproar it caused. The novel was gradually almost forgotten during the 19th century, only to be rediscovered in the 1930s and today it is rightly considered one of the main works of the gothic genre, along with "The Mysteries of Udolpho", "The Castle of Otranto", and "Frankenstein".

Undoubtedly, this work completes the quartet of masterpieces of the gothic novel, which shortly thereafter will see its decline, and perhaps represents the most daring and ahead-of-its-time episode compared to all the others.