{"product_id":"monk-3","title":"Monk","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":"MediaPlace","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57307683062142,"sku":"NW9780140436037","price":10.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1379\/1261\/files\/9780140436037.jpg?v=1778234998","url":"https:\/\/mediaplace.com\/products\/monk-3","provider":"MediaPlace","version":"1.0","type":"link"}