This book was originally published in 1795/6 (the exact year is unclear). The Monk is an elucidating peek into the worldview and gender thinking of the late 18th century. It was kind of interesting but also very, very annoying to read, especially when the sexism is in no way subtle but constant and glaring. It's also interesting and frustrating that some of the stereotypes present in this book still exist today, although less blatant.

I liked the introduction and the explanatory notes, although the introduction (and the back cover text) spoiled surprisingly much of the plot. The premise and the beginning of the story turned out to promise much more than the book eventually gave me. The book is called "The Monk", but most of the story seemed to be about the other characters and their plot lines (in a true Romantic style). Some of them were interesting – especially the story of Agnes – while others were not. The ending of Agnes' story line was the best part of the book.

The plot wasn't very good, the characters were detestable and the writing style, especially the dialogue, was unnecessarily long-winded. However, what saved this book from a one-star review was the bold critique of organised religion written in an era when it was scandalous.