The Monk: A Romance
By M. G. Lewis
Cover: The Nightmare (1781), oil on canvas by Henry Fuseli (1741-1825) · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain (artist died 1825)
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, setting off a chain of events that leave him damned. It is a prime example of the type of Gothic that specializes in horror.
Summary source: Wikipedia: The Monk · CC BY-SA 4.0