Category Archives: Gothic

The Monk by Matthew Lewis

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The Monk“Scarcely had the abbey-bell tolled for five minutes, and already was the church of the Capuchins thronged with auditors.”

Wow! What an appalling book!  I had expected something scary but I never expected something quite so perverted.  It’s melodramatic and sensational and, while the writing is good, the plot is not necessarily subtle or nuanced. At first, it reminded me of The Mysteries of Udolpho but I soon realized that it was much worse, much, much darker.

 

Set in Spain during the Inquisition, Lewis’ story follows three main storylines with a cast of intertwining characters.

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The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe

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The mysteries of udolphoThe Mysteries of Udolpho: “On the pleasant banks of the Garrone, in the province of Gascony, stood, in the year 1584, the chateau of Monsieur St. Aubert.”

Finally, I have finished The Mysteries of Udolpho, the turtle coming in over the finish line of her own read-along.  It was actually more like a last-minute buddy read but still everyone finished before me and I think a good number of you enjoyed the read.

I must say, Radcliffe surprised me.  I had expected a novel infused with the overly dramatic, filled with unbelievable occurrences, overdrawn characters, and sentimentality galore.  While there was a little of each within the novel, it was much less than I expected.  Emily, the heroine, while she did faint on occasion, was actually quite strong and steadfast given her age and circumstances.  I’m a little puzzled as to why she’s mocked so heavily in other reviews I’ve read.

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