The Monk

When Matthew Lewis'sThe Monkwas published in 1796, readers were shocked by this gripping and horrific novel. Lewis's story, which drove the House of Commonsof which he was a memberto deem him licentious and perverse, follows the abbot Ambrosio as he is tempted into a world of incest, murder, and torture by a young girl who has concealed herself in his monastery disguised as a boy. As Ambrosio spirals into hell, the reader encounters an array of haunting characters: the innocent virgin, the Bleeding Nun, the Wandering Jew, an evil prioress, and Lucifer himself. This Modern Library Paperback Classic, set from the unexpurgated first edition of 1796, brings to a new generation of readers a timeless classic of gothic fiction that has influenced writers from Byron and Emily Bronte to Poe and Hawthorne.

<b>Hugh Thomas</b> (Lord Thomas of Swynnerton) is widely known for his work on the history of Spain, including his epic masterpiece <i>The Spanish Civil War</i>, available as a Modern Library Paperback.