THE MONK : ANALYSIS

1. INTRO
hist + soc context
author’s context
info about the genre
extra info - scandal

at first - published anonymously

then, given its success, the author was encouraged to revealed himself in the second edition
but also highly criticised - could corrupt readers, some fragments regarding rel = sacilegious
he modified the book for its fourth edition
it marked a turning point in the hist of gothic lit

differed from other gothic novels bcs not focused on romance

but on the horrible
also - not explain supernatural events present in the plot

2. SUMMARY / MAIN POINTS

3. THEMES

3.1. ANTI-CATHOLICISM
danger of catholic dictrines, instituons + practices
celibacy (no marriage + sex rel) - impossible, unnatural + gateway to greater sins
ambrosio justifies rape, MURDER + sorcery
sexual transgessions = excuse to torture girls psychologically + physically
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EVIDENCES IN THE TEXT

also, catholic people depicted as willing o believe anything

nuns believe fantastical stories
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EVIDENCE

this theme rel w hist context

in Protestant England of the late eighteenth century, Catholicism was marginalized to
support the burgeoning Church of England

3.2. SEXUAL DESIRE

fulfillment of sex desire
ambrosio = clearest example - driven to commit crimes in order to fulfil his desire
nearly every character in the novel copes w consew of sex desires
sexual desire as natural + unavoidable, but major source of conflict
erotic obsession
3.3. SURFACE + SUBSTANCE: 1ST IMPRESSIONS
appearance = unreliable indicator of inner character
false appearances
ambrosio - outside = virtuous monk famous for his piety / inside = murderous, lust-crazed
criminal
matilda - outside = man / later object of ambroio’s awakening sex desires

1st impressins vs true nature

1st impressions of charcaters - no accurate repres of his/her personality
Those characters who at first seem unlikeable often prove to be the most trustworthy -
Lorenzo
those who seems most deserving of respect (such as Ambrosio or the Prioress) are the
most despicable
This literary device also creates an atmosphere of foreboding and anxiety - the reader does
not know which characters to trust.

3.4. NATURE OF MEN + WOMEN

meditations on the nature of men + women
women - assoc w weakness, emotion + desirability
ex - ANTONIA = desirable bcs of her innocence + beauty

men - wider range of identity + action

courageous + intelligent - RAYMOND
deceptive (engañoso) + conniving (intrigante) - BAPTISE

but also subvertion of this rigid gender diff

ex - AMBROSIO = powerful masculine sex drive BUT described as timid (“female chara)

3.5. CORRUPTING INFLUENCE OF PWR - a lápiz

3.6. THE SUPERNATURAL

supernatural events = not explained

4. CHARACTERISTICS (OF THE GOTHIC NOVEL)

Gothic literature has a long history dating back to the 18th century. Credited as the first
Gothic novel and considered one of the founding texts of the genre is Horace Walpole's The
Castle of Otranto, published in 1764.
Other famous examples of Gothic literature include The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr.
Hyde and Dracula.
The term Gothic novel broadly refers to stories that combine elements from horror and
romanticism. The Gothic novel often deals with supernatural events, or events occurring in
nature that cannot be easily explained or over which man has no control, and it typically
follows a plot of suspense and mystery.

● Gloomy, decaying setting (haunted houses or castles with secret passages,

trapdoors, and other mysterious architecture)
● Supernatural beings or monsters (ghosts, vampires, zombies, giants)
● Curses or prophecies
● Damsels in distress
● Heroes
● Romance
● Intense emotions

> THE SUPERNATURAL

The Gothic novel arose in part out of the fact that for the English, the late 18th and 19th
centuries were a time of great discovery and exploration in the fields of science, religion, and
industry; people both revered and questioned the existence of God or a higher power.
Gothic novels allowed writers and readers to explore these ideas through the medium of
storytelling. Ghosts, death and decay, madness, curses, and so-called 'things that go bump
in the night' provided ways to explore fear of the unknown and what control we have as
humans over the unknown.
EX - frankenstein

> MADNESS
The Gothic can also refer to stories involving strange and troubling events that, while they
have logical, natural explanations, seem to originate from unexpected forces
ex - jane eyre (la mujer en el desvan)

5. SYMBOLISM
after reading

6. ANALYSIS
after reading