Frankenstein: Level 3

By Mary Shelly

In this tragic tale, Dr. Frankenstein creates a monster from theparts of dead bodies. But, this monster brings terror to hiscreator.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Compass Publishing
• Release date: Feb 24, 2009
• ISBN: 9781599662503

Book preview

Prologue

Letter 1

Mrs. Saville, England

St. Petersburg, Dec. 11th, 17—

My dear Margaret,

I arrived here yesterday, and everything is going to plan. All is well. You need not have worried. The weather is cold, but I am enjoying it. I am also greatly looking forward to the voyage. The dangers do not worry me. I have studied all the necessary subjects and worked on many different ships. Now that I have as much money as I need, I can make my dream come true and begin my voyage. In a fortnight’s time, I shall arrive in Archangel, where I shall hire a ship and employ as many sailors as necessary. If my voyage is successful, it may be many months, perhaps years, before you and I meet again. Thank you for all your love and kindness.

Your loving brother,

R. Walton

Letter 2

Mrs. Saville, England

Archangel, March 28th, 17—

It is very cold here. There is much ice and snow. I have hired a ship and am now completing my crew. My only sadness is that I do not have a friend to share this adventure with. However, I know my lieutenant to be a brave and good man; and the master of the ship is also a man of good character. He has a gentle manner, and I think I have been lucky to find him. I heard about him from a woman who owes her happiness to him. The story is that a few years ago he loved a young Russian woman. He asked her father if he may marry her, and the father agreed. He spent all his money on a farm where he planned to live with her. However, a few days before the wedding, the young woman told him that she loved another man but that he was poor, and that her father would not let her marry him. To her surprise, he gave his farm to the man she loved so that she could marry him. He then left the country.

The weather this winter has been very bad, but I am hoping that spring will come early so that we can soon begin our voyage. I am very excited, as we shall be going to places where no man has ever been before. There will be dangers, but you can be sure I shall not do anything foolish. Please write to me as often as you can. Your letters are important to me.

Your loving brother,

Robert Walton

Letter 3

Mrs. Saville, England

July 7th, 17—

My dear Sister,

I write to tell you that all is well. The weather is much warmer. We have had a few problems with the ship but nothing important. I shall be happy if nothing worse happens during the voyage. I am sure I shall be successful. Take care, my dearest sister.

Your loving brother

R.W.

Letter 4

Mrs. Saville, England

August 5th, 17—

Something very strange has happened. Last Monday there was ice all around the ship, and there was thick fog. To our surprise, because we were many miles from anywhere, we saw in the distance a sled pulled across the ice by dogs. There was a very large man sitting on the sled. He was soon out of sight. During the night, while I slept, the ice broke, and the next morning, we were able to continue our voyage. When I woke up, I heard the sailors shouting. I went to see what was happening. I looked over the side of the ship and saw a man on a sled like the one we had seen the night before. This sled had only one dog, however. The man looked up at me and shouted, Where are you going? I told him we were hoping to get to the North Pole. A sailor helped the man onto the ship. He was very thin and weak and had to be carried to a cabin. We gave him brandy and made him warm. He slept for two days. On the third day, I was able to ask

Reviews for Frankenstein

[soylentgreen23 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Good: The quality of this story, in terms of the ideas it contains and the philosophical musings it provokes, is far greater than that of the various movie versions.The Bad: The quality of the writing is not always equal to the quality of the story. This is very much a book written by a relatively young woman, trying to impress a literary scene with her abilities. The dialogue is very weak at times, and there are strange moments when Frankenstein collapses into a fever that last months and months, just to give his creation time to explore the world he finds himself in.The Ugly: Yes, the creature is ugly and terrible, but also very, very interesting. This thinking, moralising monster is much more worthy of our attention than the giant imbecile that haunts the cinema. Reading the story, one also wonders if the general public (or the press) has it right in describing genetically modified food as 'Frankenfoods'. The monster is only evil when he suffers the evil of society around him; he has an overwhelming capacity for love and for good.

[fyrefly98 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Summary: Victor Frankenstein, the son of a wealthy Geneva family, was encouraged in his pursuit of the study of the natural sciences, and from his reading gleans the idea of creating life from non-life. So he builds a creature from human body parts, and animates it, and is then struck by the horror of what he's done, during which time the monster escapes. It soon learns that it is monstrous, and by hiding in a shed near a house with a family, learns language. It vows vengeance on Frankenstein, for creating it and abandoning it, and proceeds to kill those that Frankenstein loves, and to destroy his every chance for happiness.Review: This was a really fascinating read, and made for a surprisingly intense discussion at book club. I'd grown up with the pop-culture monster image in my head, and I knew enough to know that Frankenstein was the scientist, not the monster (although does his behavior make him the one that's truly monstrous? Discuss.), but I'd never before read the actual book. I was surprised how much of it doesn't match the Hollywood version, and by how much of it's from the monster's point of view - he's very articulate, which surprised me.The prose was really pretty dense - no point in saying once what you can say three times with a bunch of adjectives, I guess - and there was a lot of wailing and (metaphorical) gnashing of teeth and rending of garments, which got a little bit (a lot, actually) tiring. But I liked that it could be read on a number of levels - as a horror story, as a story about scientific ethics, as a story about the human condition and what it really means to be human, so that was all great. I also entertained myself as I was listening by seeing how far I could carry my theory that Frankenstein himself actually was murdering all those people - several times throughout the novel he goes into fits and has a fever from which he doesn't recover for several weeks, and when he does, someone else close to him is dead. It doesn't quite hold up throughout the entire story, but I thought it made an interesting possibility. 3.5 out of 5 stars.Recommendation: I didn't love it, but it's absolutely worth reading, both to get the real scoop on the mad-scientist cliche, and to provide lots of really interesting possibilities for debate with others.

[jbarringer-2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I wanted to like this book more than I did. The story of Frankenstein is in pop-culture enough that I knew pretty well what the book was about. What I didn't expect was how pathetic Frankenstein is, whining about everything and taking almost no responsibility for his own thoughts and actions. He gets awfully dramatic about his early education, as if he could really blame one conversation in his youth for his entire adult obsession over making his monster. Similarly, the monster seems incapable of taking responsibility for his choices and actions, even after he has become the articulate, intelligent creature he is when he starts killing people. I suppose if Frankenstein is a restrained sociopath, and Frankenstein is an expression of his repressed fantasies, maybe it makes some sense, but since Frankenstein narrates most of the story (in his whining style) I found this book to be a slow and not-so enjoyable read.

[khrystibooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was excellently written and very philosophical, and way depressing. It's also very worth reading.

[engpunk77 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Quality!

At one time this was my favorite classic novel--I've read it 4 times for 4 different classes and it's amazing how many different interpretations are out there regarding the nature of the monster! One professor believed he didn't exist at all--a figment of Victor's imagination or a manifestation of his oedipus complex. The fact that the men at the end witness the existence of the monster is an example of group hysteria. That's my favorite thesis and I wish I could remember the name of my professor that suggested it to give her credit!
A chilling and complex tale that examines the relationship between man and his creator, feelings of isolation and rejection, and monstrosity. A psychological thriller as much as a horror story. Recommended to lit majors especially!
By the way, this isn't my copy but one from a library book sale. Mine is so full of notes you can barely read the text anymore...

[bohemima · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The book is different from the movie.How often have we heard and said that? In the case of Frankenstein the differences even more difficult than usual. The classic horror movie with Karloff is, oddly, more true to the essential message of the novel than one might expect—although the plot details are way off.We start with a framing device: Frankenstein has been rescued by a ship’s captain from the frozen waters of the far north. He (Frankenstein) tells his awful (in all senses of the word) tale. Frankenstein’s unhealthy curiosity and hubris lead him to create a “man.” This well-meaning, if bizarre, experiment doesn’t go well. Horror, murder, and mayhem ensue.But this isn’t just a Gothic romance designed to thrill the heart of the innocent reader. Instead it’s a study of what happens to a creature who is feared, hated, and rejected by everyone, including his creator. The reader soon realizes that if the Creature had been afforded even a modicum of compassion and understanding none of the evil would have ensued. This idea is well-realized in the movie from the 1930’s.Frankenstein is often read as a study in hubris and pride; the doctor is seen as impious at best and Saranic at worst. None of this is supported by the text.The book retains its suspense and compulsion to keep turning the pages even on a third or fourth reading. An excellent moral tale, couched in enough melodrama to please any lover of sensational fiction. There’s nothing prurient or gross to keep it from young or sensitive readers. Highly recommended.

[caterpillarqueenie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It was good:)

[elfortunawe · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is one of those classics that everyone knows about but that few ever actually read. The actual content of the book is so different from what people believe they know about it that I can't help but think someone (probably long dead by now, and safe from prosecution) has played an elaborate prank on the world, for reasons which will likely remain forever lost to the gentle perturbations of passing time.The story has a nested, tripartite, epistolary structure, being presented as a collection of letters by a young polar explorer named Robert Walton to his sister in England. Within this is nestled the story of the eponymous Dr. Frankenstein, who is found by the explorer and his crew on the pack ice. And comfortably holstered in Dr. Frankenstein's tale is the narrative of the life of Frankenstein's Monster, who relates his story to Frankenstein in the Alps, prior to Walton's discovery of Frankenstein near the North Pole.Mary Shelley was a Romantic, and, like most Romantics, was rather prolix and agitated. The novel maintains a fairly constant emotional tone, leaving the reader feeling a bit drained after only a few pages. All 3 of the narrative voices seem to be constantly on the edge of some unbearable sensation. Sometimes it's joy, but for the vast majority of the work it's despondency, so it's best taken in small doses.It might be easy to take this famous story for granted, but the reader should remember what a novel blend of ideas this was for the time. It's influence has been so thorough that it can be difficult to detect it's presence, but it can be readily perceived in the works of H.P. Lovecraft.

[sarahlou2709 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

total classic book, one of the best books i have ever read and one of my favourite. when i read this i got goosebumps and shivers down my spine it terrified me but i could not put it down. brilliant book. must read for any horror lover.

[seraphinac.b4 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In "Frankenstein", Victor Frankenstein, a student who attended a science university, discovers how to animate dead flesh. After many months of Victor's tedious work, his monster opens its hideous, yellow eyes. It sickens Victor, who then flees to his home town, Geneva. The creature, noticing he had been abandoned by his creator, seeks revenge by destroying everything that Frankenstein loves. The creature killed Victor's brother, William. A friend,Justine, is convicted for the murder and is executed. The creature being abhorred by everyone, needs a partner to love. He finds Victor and tells him to create another one. He agrees. After starting the gruesome work, he can no longer take it. The monster coming to this knowledge, confronts and tells him and that he will be with him on his wedding night. On the night of his marriage, in a villa by the lake, Victor hears a shill then a dreadful scream, rushing to Elizabeth, he finds her dead and a disfigured human form running on the shore. Victor followed this menace into the Arctic where it was spring and the ice was fragile. Both having a sled and dogs, tread onto the frozen ocean. The heavy monster fell through the ice which was cracked due to an earthquake, but he survived. Victor died on a boat going to England. The demon killed himself when Frankenstein died. This book was interesting and "terroriffic". I would call it historical fiction. I liked this book because I can connect to the places I've been to that were mentioned in this book. I have always wanted to read this book because people said the movie wasn't the same. I liked the way the author gave human emotions to the creature. On the other hand, it was a little bit too long and drawn out. I would recommend this to someone that likes to read suspenseful books.

[firecrackerscribe · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book and can't believe how differently this story has been portrayed by American culture. Aside from the sheer disbelief that everyone who has not read the book has gotten the story so WRONG, I often found myself getting wrapped up in the eloquence of Shelley's words. The way she described some of the most mundane things was simply beautiful.

I loved the story within a story within a story. I felt it allowed us to not only see the characters as they saw themselves, but also as the respective narrator saw them. Though there were portions that I felt weren't necessary (Chapter 19 read like the most boring travel brochure ever) I appreciated most of it. Frankenstein's overall struggle and loss as a result of his "playing god" was heartbreaking.

[jasonpettus · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.)The CCLaP 100: In which I read for the first time a hundred so-called "classics," then write reports on whether or not they deserve the labelEssay #36: Frankenstein (1818), by Mary ShelleyThe story in a nutshell:To truly understand why Mary Shelley's 1818 Frankenstein first had the impact that it did, it's of crucial importance to understand the times in which it was written -- namely, the transitional years between the end of the Enlightenment and the beginning of Romanticism (also known as the "Victorian Age," in that its span largely matches the long reign of England's Queen Victoria), a period in which for the first time, huge amounts of people were starting to question the validity of trying to live one's life through the long-held tenets of rationality, scientific distance and atheism, especially after the disaster known as the French Revolution that had just occurred two decades previous. Certainly this is the main idea driving Shelley's story, the tale of a young aspiring medical student in rural Switzerland, who for lack of knowing better grows up studying and believing in the ideas of the "natural philosophers" and "alchemists" of the 1600s, back when it was sincerely believed that man would eventually figure out a way to turn lead into gold and bring the dead back to life. Even after he gets into a decent university, then, young Victor Frankenstein still can't give up on his dreams of one day creating artificial life out of a collection of spare parts; and indeed, by his twenties he actually succeeds at such a thing, although having to build his particular human much larger than the norm so that he's able to grip all the tiny little pieces involved.But watching his creature move and speak for the first time, Frankenstein becomes horrified by the monstrous abomination against God he's made; and so in typical undergraduate fashion, he simply runs away and tries to pretend that the whole thing never happened, leaving the creature in the woods to fend for itself and just assuming that it'll soon be dead. But surprisingly, the creature ends up thriving as a survivalist, first learning how to speak by loitering on the edges of a rural village, then eavesdropping on the villagers' conversations to realize just how different he is than them. Despondent, the creature eventually tracks Frankenstein down and demands that he build a similarly oversized companion for him, which at first Frankenstein agrees to but then destroys halfway through, queasy at the thought of what kind of damage two such creatures could wreak; and it's at this point that the creature declares a lifelong program of vengeance against Frankenstein for so coldly abandoning him, eventually not only killing half a dozen of the student's acquaintances (including his brother, his father and his wife), but even framing Frankenstein for one of the murders. Incensed, Frankenstein decides to hunt down the creature for his own revenge; this then leads them on a globetrotting chase culminating in a final showdown near the north pole, witnessed by a crew of exploratory sailors which is why it is that we supposedly know of the tale today.The argument for it being a classic:Well, to begin with, there's the simple argument of what a huge influence this has had on popular culture at large, with there now existing thousands of projects that in one way or another riff on either Frankenstein's monster itself or Shelley's general concept of the "mad scientist." (Of course, let's not forget that the vast majority of these are actually riffs on James Whale's infamous 1931 film adaptation, which in reality has very little to do with the book itself -- for example, just look at the differing ways the book and movie deal with one of the story's most famous scenes... BOOK: "One day, when I was oppressed by cold, I found a fire which had been left by some wandering beggars, and was overcome with delight at the warmth I experienced from it. In my joy I thrust my hand into the live embers, but quickly drew it out again with a cry of pain. How strange, I thought, that the same cause should produce such opposite effects." MOVIE: "Fire bad! FIRE BAD!!!") Perhaps the more compelling argument, then, is that it's a perfect record of a very important time in history, a story that very cleverly references not only the events that led to the era before it but also the reasons why that era was eventually rejected; because for those who don't know, the Great Age of Reason initially started with these so-called natural philosophers of the 1600s, who did nothing but observe and replicate the way God worked out in nature, but by the 1800s had evolved into "scientists" who were actively attempting to manipulate and change this natural environment, which more and more people began to see as a mockery of God instead of an exaltation of Him. Although trashed by Enlightenment-trained critics when first coming out, Frankenstein was eagerly eaten up by the gothic-obsessed public at large, making it as powerful a reflection of its time as The DaVinci Code is of ours.The argument against:Not much these days, although for a long time it was argued that Frankenstein is nothing more than a simple piece of lurid entertainment designed for overly dramatic housewives, and not fit for being debated as a piece of literature to begin with. (In fact, I think it telling that when the book was first published anonymously, criticism tended to focus on its actual quality, while after the author's identity became known it was roundly dismissed altogether as "the work of a girl.") But of course, as with all literature, time has a way of profoundly changing our opinion of what constitutes artistic "worth," making this not much of a valid argument anymore.My verdict:As you can imagine, today I quite solidly fall on the side of Frankenstein's fans, although I should give fair warning that this book is very much a product of its early-1800s times, and has a tendency during huge sections to ramble on and on in a kind of flowery prose style that modern ears are not used to. In fact, for those trying to learn more these days about artistic history, I think it's no coincidence that this book was published just a year after the death of Jane Austen, who many consider the last great Enlightenment author; in this respect, then, you can see Shelley as the first of the great Romantic authors, and the 1810s and '20s as the grand changing of the guard among mainstream society between the former age and the latter. The fact is that Romanticism was always as much about one's attitude and lifestyle as it was about the finished works themselves, the age that first posited the idea of the artist as a passionate, tortured soul, traits which Shelley possessed in spades; because for those who don't know, she was not only married to scandalous poet Percy Shelley and kept company with such infamous libertines as Lord Byron (inspiration for the Victorian Age's "Byronic hero"), but even the story itself was apparently inspired by a nightmare after a raucous evening of drugs and medieval German fairytales*, about as Romantic as Romanticism gets. (And let's not even get started on the the autobiographical elements this book supposedly contains, including the argument that the whole thing is a scathing criticism of the way Percy dealt with the miscarriage of their first child.) Creepy, supernatural, concerned mostly with the pouty emotions of moody geniuses, Frankenstein is literally a textbook example of the finest early Romanticism has to offer, and its passionate embrace by the general public was a sign of the sea-change society was to start experiencing just twenty years later.Is it a classic? Yes*And by the way, for a creepily fantastic look at what that night of drugs and fairytales might've looked like, do make sure to check out Ken Russell's 1986 Gothic, one of my absolutely favorite movies when I was a teen.

[gypsysmom_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Who doesn't know the plot of Frankdenstein? A scientist constructs a huge man and imbues him with the life force. The construct becomes a monster and turns on his creator. At least that's what I knew of the plot. Having finally listened to this audiobook I found that there was more to the story. At times I thought the level of detail was too much but I do admit that for the time of its writing it would have been ground-breaking.One of the things that I didn't know about the story is that the tale of the monster is told aboard a ship immured in the ice of the Arctic Ocean. An Englishman has followed his dream to explore the north. His ship is hailed by a man on an ice floe and they take him aboard. The man is Frankenstein, a Swiss scientist. He tells his tale of how he came to be on the ice. Having created a man who had become a monster he was determined to do battle with his creation until death, either his or the monster's. We learn how the monster had killed Frankenstein's brother, best friend and wife in revenge for being created as a thinking but loathsome creature. According to the monster he did not start out as a violent person. Instead he wanted to love and have friends but everyone who saw him was so repulsed by his looks that he grew to hate his creator. It does make one feel sorry for the monster.Frankenstein does merit a place on the 1001 list since it was the forerunner of the horror genre. Read it in that frame of mind and you will probably appreciate it.

[ntenenbaum_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Frankenstein, Frankenstein, Frankenstein!!! Such a surprise for me! I thought I knew everything about it even before reading it. Likely because of this popular story of a monster created in a castle by night and during a heavy lightening storm. But no, I was totally wrong and the story isn’t about how to create a monster, it is about how this monster could evolve in human society. It really makes the story interesting, especially because we don’t what to think of the monster. Is he good, bad, both??? Sometimes, this monster reminds me some thoughts I had, like, “if I was born twenty years old and had to figure everything by myself”? Moreover, the monster has the bad luck to be also very repulsive. This book is a classic that everyone needs to read, not to stay on wrong ideas that many people have. Plus, the feelings I felt while reading were very unique and therefore, kind of new. I had never been torn that much about a character, and I liked it a lot. However, I don’t share this feeling about Victor (who is the actual Frankenstein, the creature don’t have a name), I totally dislike him. His first idea to play with life was irresponsible and then he didn’t even take care of what he did. Also, I think that everyone should search in which context this book has been written. It may add some suspense.

[jess_reads_books · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was my second time reading Frankenstein and each time I have struggled with the same issues. I find it very hard to get into the story and once I'm there the narrator is so unreliable I am constantly frustrated by him. I love that the actual story of Frankenstein is so different than what is known in pop culture. I only wish I loved the book more.

[amartino1208 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A scientist creates a creature who then terrorizes the nearby town. The monster learns about the town and the people in it to where he can understand and communicate. This teaches kids no matter ones appearance, we should learn to accept them for who they are and not judge them by what they look like.

[redpandabear · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book draws you in from the very beginning. It was the perfect Halloween read. I can see why it's one of the greats!

[wethewatched · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

They cry a lot in this book. Tears are gushed and shed. The characters weep, sometimes alone and sometimes together.

What is the source of all this misery? A lonely monster--and the miserable man who created him. The concept, which has been retold countless times in films, on TV and other media, still holds up. However, the style of writing will likely feel dated to the modern reader. Shelley can be a little over the top in conveying the misery of Frankenstein (that's the scientist, not the monster). As alluded to in my opening, there are so many sentences in this novel about crying, I began to chuckle with amusement--probably not the reaction that an author of horror seeks.

In addition, while Shelly writes gripping conflicts and arguments, the novel slows down considerably in lengthy passages where Frankenstein reflects on the loveliness of nature or dwells on the terrible situation of which the reader knows plenty already.

So is it scary? Well, I can see how it would be to readers at the time of its writing, but for those who enjoy scary movies and Stephen King stories, it might seem a bit tame.

Yes, it's a classic that will continue to be retold for many years to come. And for those interested in the history of the horror genre, it's certainly worth a read. However, if what you're really after is escapist chills and thrills, you might be better off watching The Walking Dead.

[john257hopper · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is primarily a novel that sets out to create an atmosphere of fear, horror and despair and succeeds admirably in so doing. Mary Shelley must have had an appalling dream but she brought it to life in wonderful, evocative language and at such a young age (only 19 when she wrote the book). The monster is so different from the monster of the films. Here he is no lumbering, stupid brute, but an agile, resourceful and calculating creature who can and does conduct a deep and thoughtful dialogue with his creator when explaining his background story. But at the same time the monster carries out horrible murders of Frankenstein's nearest and dearest and these deaths are shocking when they happen. The science is almost non-existent and we never find out how Frankenstein creates the monster nor indeed what the monster really looks like other than being repulsively hideous. But that is not the purpose of the book, which is to set a mood and raise philosophical questions about the purpose of scientific discovery. And Mary Shelley does this brilliantly.

[ucla148 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

“Frankenstein” is a book that is extremely hard to follow and is a boring read. Victor Frankenstein’s creation is supposed to be horrifying, but what is really horrifying is this book. Victor is an overdramatic man that seems to fall ill every time a problem comes along. This book constantly left me depressed and bored out of my mind. The plot is all over the place and makes the monster seem like a convicted killer rather than a classic villain. The only people I recommend this book to are unhappy, stiff people that do not enjoy fun. I gave the book a half of a star because Mary Shelly went through the effort to write it.

[mattries37315 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Nearly 200 years ago, Mary Shelley described how Victor Frankenstein achieved the seemingly impossible in creating life and how afterwards both he and his creation hurtled into a downward spiral. “Frankenstein” was the first piece of literature that would later become part of the science fiction genre through its protagonist’s use of science, but it is also the ethical and moral issues in the said use as well.The central moment story is well-known thanks to films and other popular adaptations, though the details are different. Victor Frankenstein, the supreme student of science, forms a creature over two years through obsessive work but only upon bringing it to life does he realize how monstrous he has formed it. The shock of his actions cause his health to fail him and he never truly recovers as his creation ever continues to plague both his mental and physical health until he dies of exhaustion. Yet, Frankenstein’s creature is equal shocked, first at his own existence and then with the realization that he is not human and monstrously so.The unnamed creature’s struggle towards humanity, achieving language and in-depth thought, is rendered in the end useless without the added element of social involvement with a humanity that shuns him including his own creator. Without the connection to humanity, the creature turns against it and begins taking his revenge the members of the human race most treasured by his creature. After Frankenstein’s rejection to give his creature a female counterpart to share his life, the creature deprives his creator of his new wife. Yet after the death of his creator, the creature seems to realize how human he had become with his utter disregard for life that many real people achieve on their own.While the book is from a different time and standard of literature that make it strange when compared to current books, “Frankenstein” has an element that keeps it as relevant today as it did back when Mary Shelley wrote it. The ethical and moral dilemmas that not only science but everyday life presents to us can take us down many different paths that include the flawed creator or a monster amongst them.

[amandrake_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Highly underrated by much of the population. Mary Shelly (at nineteen) wrote this complex novel full of historical and contemporary themes, including man's responsibility for his creations (weapons, Industrial Revolution), contemporary ideas of pregnancy (women giving birth to "monsters" because of bad thoughts), hubris (man taking the place of God by creating life), parental abandonment - all kinds of interesting questions.Good to read in a book group, as different people see very different things in it.

[pool_boy · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Another reviewer commented '...This is verrrrry nineteenth-century Romantic, dramatic and melancholy and doomed destiny, played out over beautiful scenery without and horrible scenery within....' And I agree.While I am glad to have finally read the book, and actually got over the Romantic/Gothic whatever style of the writing (so much so that I could probably read other books from this era), I found it a real chore to finish. I just did not care what happened to anybody -- I never felt hope for Frankenstein, the creature, or the friends and family. Perhaps I am jaded, but it was not a riveting or compelling story to me. The one thing I did enjoy about the book was that it was absolutely nothing like all of the silly movies, pulp fiction rip offs or comics of this original story. And the story, despite my not really liking the whole package that much, was quite original. I really liked the fact that the creature was intelligent and could speak (shockingly well).Ah well, on to new stories.

[soniaandree_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The critical edition includes the 1818 edition of Frankenstein, plus annotations and critical articles (primary sources and secondary sources). In general, it is aimed at undergraduate students of English and Literature. Also, it is highly useful for writing essais and for writing thematic index cards.

[russell7alynn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If you haven't read this book, you should! Movies about the Frankenstein monster don't do him justice. When you read this book you will definitely understand a lot of the monster's actions and sympathize with him.

[davidgraves_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My researches revealed Mary Shelley wrote this gothic masterpiece when still only 22 years old. Beautiful descriptive prose, inventive central ideas combining new scientfic ideas with Man's vaunting ambition. Often poignant. Mary's original narrative is far superior to the modern parodies available.

[grunin_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was Mary Shelly's first novel, published when she was 21, and talked about ever since. I recommend it, but note that it starts slowly: the first 40 pages are all setup. Reread them after you're done and you'll see lots of things you missed the first time. And try to forget the various movie versions you may have seen.[WARNING: spoilers]I'll just say that I was surprised -- there are a few moments here that can still shock, for example Victor's flight from the newly-awakened creature, and the death of Justine. But the 'horror' in this book comes from dwelling inside the mind of Victor Frankenstein -- he's presented very attractively, but slowly it dawns on you that he's literally insane.One wonders, probably foolishly, if Mary Shelly consciously compared Frankenstein's fleeing the monster's 'birth' to her own mother's death a few days after Mary was born.Plot SummaryFraming story (Walton's letters): The novel begins with letters from Walton to his sister in England. He is leading an expedition to discover a sea route over the North Pole. His ship picks up a man drifting on an iceberg. This is Victor Frankenstein, who then takes over the narration.(Frankenstein's tale:) [Ch 1-4] Frankenstein is a brilliant student of natural philosophy in Ingolstadt. [Ch 5] He creates a humanoid creature, but when it begins to awaken he is horrified by it and flees. When he returns, it has disappeared. His friend Clerval arrives from their hometown of Geneva. The monster reappears for a moment, and Frankenstein, terrified, falls into a fever which lasts several months. [Ch 6] After he recovers, they journey to Geneva. [Ch 7] Just before they arrive, Frankenstein's young brother William is murdered. Justine, a servant girl, is arrested, but Victor suspects the monster. [Ch 8] Justine is tried, convicted, and executed. [Ch 9-10] Victor, seeking solace in the mountains, encounters the monster, who is fully articulate and demands that Victor listen to his story. (The monster's tale:) [Ch 11-16] The monster tells of his coming to consciousness, learning to speak and read, and his persecutions at the hand of mankind on account of his hideous appearance. He admits to the murder of William. [Ch 17] The monster promises to leave human society if Victor creates a mate for him. Victor reluctantly agrees.(Frankenstein resumes:) [Ch 18] Victor must travel to England to resume this work. He departs, with Clerval as companion. [Ch 19] They travel through England and Scotland. Victor leaves Clerval in Perth, then continues to the Orkneys, where he begins to create the new creature. [Ch 20] The monster appears, and Victor, convinced that his actions may threaten the entire human race, destroys his work-in-progress. The monster vows to pursue him forever, and leaves. Victor's boat goes adrift and lands in Ireland, where he is arrested: last night a murdered body was discovered.[Ch 21] The body is Clerval, clearly a victim of the monster. Victor becomes delirious and again spends several weeks in a fever. His father arrives; Victor is acquitted of the murder, and they prepare to return to Geneva. [Ch 22] They arrive in Geneva, and ten days later Victor and Elizabeth, his intended, are married. [Ch 23] On their wedding night, Elizabeth is murdered by the monster; the shock of this causes Victor's father's death several days later. Victor vows to track down and destroy his creation. He pursues the monster for years, and the monster in turn goads him onward and steadily northward, which brings the story to the present, in the Arctic.(Walton resumes:) Victor weakens and dies. The monster appears and weeps over his dead creator. He tells Walton his revenge is complete, and now he will immolate himself; he departs on his ice-raft.

[rizeandshine · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The story is good and addresses some interesting moral and philosophical topics, although the writing style is a bit verbose. It's worth a read if for no other reason than to dispel the myths created by the movie versions of the story. I found it entertaining and, in some respects, had much more compassion for the monster than for Victor Frankenstein.

[tankexmortis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Horribly mistreated by critics and analysts who won't allow the work to stand on it's own and insist on dissecting it until it's beauty can no longer be seen. Beautifully written, certainly a classic, and among my favorite books. But I wish people would stop trying to chop it up.

[actonbell_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This really is the first time I've picked up the original Frankenstein, and it was not at all what I'd expected, not one bit. Years ago, I'd seen a couple movies based on this classic, but neither version had much resemblance to Mary Shelley's original story. One of the most vivid scenes I can remember seeing in the movies was of Frankenstein's monster being chased by a band of villagers with torches, out to destroy this deformed creature, but nothing of the sort ever happens in the book. Mary Shelley's story is the tragedy of a life brought into existence without any regard for that life; Frankenstein's monster does not even possess a name, much less the compassion of any other being on earth. This novel actually begins aboard a ship, with the lonely Captain Walton writing letters to his sister, lamenting his extreme lonliness and lack of friends aboard his vessel, when suddenly, he and his crew spy a stranded man adrift on an ice floe. After rescuing this man, Walton becomes enraptured with his tale. Walton's new companion is none other than Victor Frankenstein, and his tale of woe is told in flashback.Frankenstein's dissertation is full of remorse and uncertainty. The lonely, angry being which Frankenstein has created has already caused pain and despair to his loved ones, and now he is demanding a mate, and Frankenstein vacillates on the morality of such an action. The plot is still a meaningful one, though the style of Shelley's prose can get tedious and at times seems overly verbose--But then, it was written in 1818.