Which Gothic novel features a mysterious monk named Schedoni?

The Gothic novel featuring the mysterious monk Schedoni is Ann Radcliffe’s The Italian.

Published in 1797, The Italian is also known as The Italian, or the Confessional of the Black Penitents. Schedoni is a striking and intimidating monk whose hidden past, severe appearance, and apparent involvement in sinister schemes make him one of the novel’s most memorable Gothic figures.

The story follows Vincentio di Vivaldi, a young Neapolitan nobleman, and Ellena Rosalba, the woman he loves. Their relationship is opposed by Vivaldi’s mother, the Marchesa, who seeks to prevent the match. Religious institutions, imprisonment, the Inquisition, hidden identities, and threatening landscapes drive the suspense.

Schedoni’s character embodies the Gothic fascination with corrupt or secretive religious authority. The title can cause confusion because Matthew Lewis’s The Monk also features a central monk, Ambrosio, but Schedoni belongs to Radcliffe’s The Italian. Radcliffe’s novel is notable for balancing supernatural-looking events with explanations grounded in human action and psychology.