Matthew Lewis's The Monk is hardly what you would call a literary landmark, or even a well written book. So why, then, is it considered a masterpiece of Gothic fiction? When The Monk was first published in 1799, critics pronounced it blasphemous and obscene, compelling readers to discover whether it lived up to its unwholesome reputation. Indeed it did! Greatly admired by the Marquis de Sade, Lewis's novel is a powerful portrayal of the diabolical decline of the Capuchin superior Ambrosio into a world of magic, incest, torture and murder. The author's uncanny insight offers an intriguing psychological study of how the violent and erotic impulses lurking below the surface of our societal constructs might drive us to break all social taboos. A fluke? I'll leave it for you to decide. A "must read" for dedicated students and die-hard fans of the Gothic genre, an online copy of The Monk is available here.