M. G. Lewis
1775–1818
Biography
Matthew Gregory Lewis was born in London in 1775 and died in 1818, at the age of forty-two, on the way home from his estates in Jamaica. As a young man he entered the diplomatic service, and he later held a seat in Parliament, so writing was one of several careers rather than the only one. The nickname “Monk” Lewis, which he was given after the success of his 1796 novel, clung to him for the rest of his life.
His lasting reputation rests on The Monk, a Gothic novel about a respected abbot in Madrid whose fall into cruelty and crime drives the plot. Its shocking scenes and corrupt religious characters made it a bestseller, and they also made it a target for critics who thought it indecent. Lewis wrote for the stage too: his play The Castle Spectre (1797) was a hit at Drury Lane. Later he gathered ballads and supernatural tales in Tales of Wonder (1801). His work helped make monasteries, ruined abbeys and supernatural terror familiar to readers of English fiction.
The catalogue holds The Monk: A Romance. Readers who come to Lewis through his nickname can check the book itself and see how far the reputation fits the text.
This biography was written by a language model. The sources below are where to check it; treat details with care.
Books
The Monk: A Romance
by M. G. Lewis
The Monk: A Romance is a Gothic novel by Matthew Gregory Lewis, published in 1796 across three volumes. Written early in Lewis's career, it was published anonymously when he was 20. It tells the story of a virtuous Catholic monk who gives in to his violent and lustful urges…
Summary from Wikipedia: The Monk (CC BY-SA 4.0)