{"product_id":"the-monk-oxford-worlds-classics-hardcovers","title":"The Monk (Oxford World's Classics Hardcovers)","description":"\u003cp\u003eOne of the most extravagantly dark works of Gothic fiction ever written in English  admired by the likes of Lord Byron and the Marquis de Sade  The Monk drew a firestorm of criticism when it was published in 1796. Contemporaries condemned it as \"lewd \" \"libidinous and impious.\" \"Lust  murder  incest  and every atrocity that can disgrace human nature \" one critic cried  \"brought together  without the apology of probability  or even possibility.\" Of course  it was an immediate best seller. Written by Matthew Lewis at the tender age of nineteen  The Monk tells of the violent downfall of the monk Ambrosio. Idolized by all Madrid for his spotless character  the proud Ambrosio is privately tormented with lust for Matilda and  once sated  with overpowering desire for the pure and innocent Antonia  whom he rapes and murders in the crypt of Saint Clare. Sentenced to death by the Inquisition  he sells his soul to the devil  with unusually bad results. But the plot is only part of the books appeal. The Monk is a bubbling cauldron of Horror characters and motifs. Ghosts  murderous banditti  the Wandering Jew  a gypsy fortune teller  the Bleeding Nun  the Grand Inquisitor  and Satan himself all have roles in the drama. Characters are buried alive  tortured  tempted by demons  and torn apart by riotous mobs  in settings that include castles  monasteries  and dungeons. Stephen King  in his introduction to this edition  calls The Monk \"a black engine of sex and the supernatural that changed the genre--and the novel itself--forever.\" Everyone who loves the novels of King will find this book irresistible.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44966825328693,"sku":"ByrdShop_0195151364","price":225.79,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780195151367.jpg?v=1770582098","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-monk-oxford-worlds-classics-hardcovers","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}