Transgendering in the Monk

If not at first going into The Monk by Matthew Lewis with the knowledge of its themes (i.e. hypocrisy, self-control, and transgendering) it may be hard to determine the undertones of the latter, transgendering. You could read through the book twice over even and still not be able to pull out what is hinting at such a heavy topic. Transgendering, though, is clear to see if told about it prior to reading the novel. Such clues leading to the theme are stated boldly in the essay Transgendering in The Monk. William D. Brewer does an excellent job of pointing out the most obscure along with surprisingly obvious moments aiming at the theme. The essay, while not always smoothly pulling you in, is still written with the multiple facts that could make someone want to go back, read the novel again, and find their own interpretations of events in the story that ultimately lead to the theme of transgendering, seeing as Brewer had been able to find numerous key points highlighting it. Before he really pulls into the theme of transgendering itself, though, Brewer first analyzes Lewis' own view point on the female his "contradictory tendency to make sexist generalizations," (194).

Lewis has, along with transgendering, brought up another controversial issue for its time and that is that of the female and her superiority played out in the novel. Two main characters especially, have played a large part in that specific theme. The characters of Agnes and Marguerite, though given at first an outlook very sexist but arguably appropriate for the time the novel was released, eventually come out with a positive outcome at some point, being reunited with the ones they love and finding happiness. Brewer extends from this the major theme of his essay, quoting from chapter one, Ambrosio's lack of knowledge on the difference between a man and woman, being sheltered as he was his entire life. The reader could go back, reading that and think to themselves that this was a clear foreshadow.

He continues with the story of Ambrosio, our main character, and Matilda, a woman who disguised herself as a man to be given access to the monastery. Brewer states that as much as "Matilda's masculinity disturbs Ambrosio, he misses Rosario." He shows us the irony in this in that Matilda is better at being a masculine woman than a masculine man, and Ambrosio is attracted to the more feminine Rosario. Brewer then takes us back to the theme branching from transgendering, being the superiority of the female over the male. With this comes the story of Don Raymond and the bleeding nun.

Don Raymond, finding love in a woman, Agnes, who he has been forbidden to love by her brother Lorenzo, is shown to come out as another man being the weaker of a party of two. For Agnes to be able to elope with Don Raymond, the two decide that the best thing to do is to disguise Agnes as the Bleeding Nun, an entity feared and avoided by the people around them. Although the plan goes awry when the Bleeding Nun is actually the one found in Don Raymond's arms. Now with the Bleeding Nun "[proving] herself even more powerful," (203) Don Raymond has lost a position noted as common in the relationship between a man and woman of that era.

Brewer doesn't stop there of course and as said before has shown readers of the novel The Monk just how much they may have easily missed in such a heavy theme.