The Monk is the most sensational of Gothic novels. The main plot concerns Ambrosio, an abbot of irreproachable holiness, who is seduced by a woman (or perhaps a demon) disguised as a novice, and who goes on to sell his soul to the Devil. An extravagant blend of sex, death, politics, Satanism, and poetry, the work greatly appealed to the Marquis de Sade.

The Broadview edition includes a critical introduction and appendices of historical materials that address the novel’s literary sources (in English, German, and Greek literature), historical contexts (the French Revolution, slavery and abolition debates, sexuality), critical reception, and influence.

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D.L. MACDONALD is assistant professor in the Department of English, University of Calgary, author of Poor Polidari: A Critical Biography of the Author of the Vampyre, and co-editor of The Writer and Human Rights and Flaws in the Pattern: Human Rights in Literature.

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Kathleen Scherf is professor of Communication at Thompson Rivers University. She is the editor of Creative Tourism in Smaller Communities: Place, Culture, and Local Representation and a contributor to Creative Tourism: Cultural Resources and Engaging Creative Travellers.

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“This is an essential edition. Its ample coverage of critical reception, cultural responses and historical context does full justice to the profound intertextuality of The Monk.” — Angela Wright, University of Sheffield

“This is a superb edition of a still stunning novel. It’s hard to imagine how the informative, witty introduction could be bettered, and the very helpful appendices will send readers in all the right directions.” — Ian Balfour, York University, Toronto