Savaged by critics for its blasphemy and obscenity, The Monk shows the diabolical decline of Ambrosio, a worthy Capuchin superior who is tempted by Matilda -- a young girl who has entered his monastery disguised as a boy -- and eventually succumbs to magic, murder, incest, and torture. A brilliant examination of violent and erotic impulses, The Monk was greatly admired by the Marquis de Sade, as well as Byron, Poe, Flaubert, Hawthorne, and Emily Bronte.