S1:E4 | Terror to Horror: Matthew "Monk" Lewis

Le Salon Literary Discussions

Matthew "Monk" Lewis created his Gothic horror novel, The Monk, that shocked London society before his 20thbirthday. In this episode, we look at how taking the Gothic down the road to horror opened the genre to so many best-selling authors today!

[3:09] “In his work the mind and the body are assaulted by human and supernatural forces… With a twist of sexual urges.”

[9:51] “The truth is: The Monk and The Italian were published the same year—1796. Given the plot similarities, it is likely that they both knew what Gothic tropes they wanted to use, but presented them in two very different ways.”

[18:16] “His swerve towards horror in his Gothic novel would be the precursor to and inspiration for H. P. Lovecraft, Richard Matheson, Octavia E. Butler, Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, to name a few.”

Books mentioned in this episode:

• The Monk by Matthew Lewis
• The Castle Spectre by Matthew Lewis
• The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
• The Italian by Ann Radcliffe
• The Mystery of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe
• The Invisible life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab

Connect with Marisa:

• See what books are on the virtual literary salon schedule.
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• Visit my website.