Who is the author of the Gothic novel 'The Monk'?

The author of the Gothic novel The Monk is Matthew Lewis, more fully known as Matthew Gregory Lewis. The novel was first published anonymously in 1796, when Lewis was only 20 years old.

The Monk: A Romance follows Ambrosio, a respected Catholic monk whose pride, desire and moral collapse lead him into increasingly violent and supernatural events. Set largely in Spain, the novel combines forbidden sexuality, religious anxiety, sorcery, imprisonment and demonic intervention—features that made it one of the most sensational works of late-eighteenth-century Gothic fiction.

The book’s explicit treatment of rape, incest and religious corruption caused scandal, but that controversy also helped make it popular. Lewis later regarded parts of the novel as excessive and revised some passages for subsequent editions. He became known as “Monk” Lewis because of the novel’s success. The other options were major Gothic writers, but none wrote The Monk.