Emotional unmasking of power relations. Instability of gender and power roles in M.G. Lewis's The Monk

Abstract

Matthew G. Lewis's gothic novel, The Monk, depicts the clerical society's moral position in the secular world. The characters live by norms which are set by society. The roles they perform function as masks which cover their true nature. As the gothic elements of the story affect the characters with emotions which overpower their reason, their social masks are ripped off. The seemingly powerful characters are revealed as weak and immoral, and thus the power relations between the characters and the two societies are altered.