Frankenstein

By Mary Shelley, Bernie Wrightson and Stephen King

Mary Shelley’s timeless gothic classic accompanied by the art of legendary illustrator Bernie Wrightson live on in this gorgeous illustrated adaptation of Frankenstein—featuring an introduction by Stephen King.

Few works by comic book artists have earned the universal acclaim and reverence that Bernie Wrightson’s illustrated version of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s Frankenstein was met with upon its original release in 1983, which vividly presented the timeless, terrifying tale of one man’s obsession to create life—and the monster that became his legacy. A generation later, this magnificent pairing of art and literature is still considered to be one of the greatest achievements made by any artist in the field. This book includes the complete text of the original groundbreaking novel and approximately fifty original full-page illustrations by Bernie Wrightson—created over a period of seven years—that continue to stun the world with their monumental beauty and uniqueness. This edition also contains introductions by #1 New York Times bestselling author Stephen King and author Mary Shelley, as well as supplemental material including a history of the novel, a chronology of Mary Shelley’s life and work, and the historical context of Frankenstein for readers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Release date: Aug 11, 2020
• ISBN: 9781982146177

Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley (1797-1851) was an English novelist. Born the daughter of William Godwin, a novelist and anarchist philosopher, and Mary Wollstonecraft, a political philosopher and pioneering feminist, Shelley was raised and educated by Godwin following the death of Wollstonecraft shortly after her birth. In 1814, she began her relationship with Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, whom she would later marry following the death of his first wife, Harriet. In 1816, the Shelleys, joined by Mary’s stepsister Claire Clairmont, physician and writer John William Polidori, and poet Lord Byron, vacationed at the Villa Diodati near Geneva, Switzerland. They spent the unusually rainy summer writing and sharing stories and poems, and the event is now seen as a landmark moment in Romanticism. During their stay, Shelley composed her novel Frankenstein (1818), Byron continued his work on Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage (1812-1818), and Polidori wrote “The Vampyre” (1819), now recognized as the first modern vampire story to be published in English. In 1818, the Shelleys traveled to Italy, where their two young children died and Mary gave birth to Percy Florence Shelley, the only one of her children to survive into adulthood. Following Percy Bysshe Shelley’s drowning death in 1822, Mary returned to England to raise her son and establish herself as a professional writer. Over the next several decades, she wrote the historical novel Valperga (1923), the dystopian novel The Last Man (1826), and numerous other works of fiction and nonfiction. Recognized as one of the core figures of English Romanticism, Shelley is remembered as a woman whose tragic life and determined individualism enabled her to produce essential works of literature which continue to inform, shape, and inspire the horror and science fiction genres to this day.

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Preface

The event on which this fiction is founded has been supposed, by Dr. Darwin, and some of the physiological writers of Germany, as not of impossible occurrence. I shall not be supposed as according the remotest degree of serious faith to such an imagination; yet, in assuming it as the basis of a work of fancy, I have not considered myself as merely weaving a series of supernatural terrors. The event on which the interest of the story depends is exempt from the disadvantages of a mere tale of spectres or enchantment. It was recommended by the novelty of the situations which it developes; and, however impossible as a physical fact, affords a point of view to the imagination for the delineating of human passions more comprehensive and commanding than any which the ordinary relations of existing events can yield.

I have thus endeavoured to preserve the truth of the elementary principles of human nature, while I have not scrupled to innovate upon their combinations. The Iliad, the tragic poetry of Greece,—Shakespeare, in the Tempest and Midsummer Night’s Dream,—and most especially Milton, in Paradise Lost, conform to this rule; and the most humble novelist, who seeks to confer or receive amusement from his labours, may, without presumption, apply to prose fiction a licence, or rather a rule, from the adoption of which so many exquisite combinations of human feeling have resulted in the highest specimens of poetry.

The circumstance on which my story rests was suggested in casual conversation. It was commenced, partly as a source of amusement, and partly as an expedient for exercising any untried resources of mind. Other motives were mingled with these, as the work proceeded. I am by no means indifferent to the manner in which whatever moral tendencies exist in the sentiments or characters it contains shall affect the reader; yet my chief concern in this respect has been limited to the avoiding the enervating effects of the novels of the present day, and to the exhibition of the amiableness of domestic affection, and the excellence of universal virtue. The opinions which naturally spring from the character and situation of the hero are by no means to be conceived as existing always in my own conviction; nor is any inference justly to be drawn from the following pages as prejudicing any philosophical doctrine of whatever kind.

It is a subject also of additional interest to the author, that this story was begun in the majestic region where the scene is principally laid, and in society which cannot cease to be regretted. I passed the summer of 1816 in the environs of Geneva. The season was cold and rainy, and in the evenings we crowded around a blazing wood fire, and occasionally amused ourselves with some German stories of ghosts, which happened to fall into our hands. These tales excited in us a playful desire of imitation. Two other friends (a tale from the pen of one of whom would be far more acceptable to the public than any thing I can ever hope to produce) and myself agreed to write each a story, founded on some supernatural occurrence.

The weather, however, suddenly became serene; and my two friends left me on a journey among the Alps, and lost, in the magnificent scenes which they present, all memory of their ghostly visions. The following tale is the only one which has been completed.

Letter 1

To Mrs. Saville, England.

St. Petersburgh, Dec. 11th, 17—

You will rejoice to hear that no disaster has accompanied the commencement of an enterprise which you have regarded with such evil forebodings. I arrived here yesterday, and my first task is to assure my dear sister of my welfare and increasing confidence in the success of my undertaking.

I am already far north of London, and as I walk in the streets of Petersburgh, I feel a cold northern breeze play upon my cheeks, which braces my nerves and fills me with delight. Do you understand this feeling? This breeze, which has travelled from the regions towards which I am advancing, gives me a foretaste of those icy climes. Inspirited by this wind of promise, my daydreams become more fervent and vivid. I try in vain to be persuaded that the pole is the seat of frost and desolation; it ever presents itself to my imagination as the region of beauty and delight. There, Margaret, the sun is forever visible, its broad disk just skirting the horizon and diffusing a perpetual splendour. There—for with your leave, my sister, I will put some trust in preceding navigators—there snow and frost are banished; and, sailing over a calm sea, we may be wafted to a land surpassing in wonders and in beauty every region hitherto discovered on the habitable globe. Its productions and features may be without example, as the phenomena of the heavenly bodies undoubtedly are in those undiscovered solitudes. What may not be expected in a country of eternal light? I may there discover the wondrous power which attracts the needle and may regulate a thousand celestial observations that require only this voyage to render their seeming eccentricities consistent forever. I shall satiate my ardent curiosity with the sight of a part of the world never before visited, and may tread a land never before imprinted by the foot of man. These are my enticements, and they are sufficient to conquer all fear of danger or death and to induce me to commence this laborious voyage with the joy a child feels when he embarks in a little boat, with his holiday mates, on an expedition of discovery up his native river. But supposing all these conjectures to be false, you cannot contest the inestimable benefit which I shall confer on all mankind, to the last generation, by discovering a passage near the pole to those countries, to reach which at present so many months are requisite; or by ascertaining the secret of the magnet, which, if at all possible, can only be effected by an undertaking such as mine.

These reflections have dispelled the agitation with which I began my letter, and I feel my heart glow with an enthusiasm which elevates me to heaven, for nothing contributes so much to tranquilize the mind as a steady purpose—a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye. This expedition has been the favourite dream of my early years. I have read with ardour the accounts of the various voyages which have been made in the prospect of arriving at the North Pacific Ocean through the seas which surround the pole. You may remember that a history of all the voyages made for purposes of discovery composed the whole of our good Uncle Thomas’s library. My education was neglected, yet I was passionately fond of reading. These volumes were my study day and night, and my familiarity with them increased that regret which I had felt, as a child, on learning that my father’s dying injunction had forbidden my uncle to allow me to embark in a seafaring life.

These visions faded when I perused, for the first time, those poets whose effusions entranced my soul and lifted it to heaven. I also became a poet and for one year lived in a paradise of my own creation; I imagined that I also might obtain a niche in the temple where the names of Homer and Shakespeare are consecrated. You are well acquainted with my failure and how heavily I bore the disappointment. But just at that time I inherited the fortune of my cousin, and my thoughts were turned into the channel of their earlier

Reviews for Frankenstein

[benkaboo-51322 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Summary: Driven guy takes things a bit too far and ends up creating something that destroys everything:

Things I liked.

Introducing the main protaganist through the eyes of a secondary category. This reminded me a bit of Gatsby and Nick.

Good questions/ideas: The 'Other', obsession, what is human etc. Good fodder for thinking/rethinking about what you believe.

Things I thought could be improved:

Main character is pretty whiney, and doesn't really take a lot of responsbility for his actions. It makes him hard to relate to a bit unlikeable. Given most of the story is told through his eyes that's a problem. I'd probably recommend giving him a bit more self-awareness at the end, preserving his stupidity in the main story, to increase the sense of empathy and connection with his tale.

Some of the plotting is a bit far fetched and obviously contrived to drive the story. In particular I remember when he decides to reveal his secret to Elizabeth but only 'after' their fateful wedding day. If he was going to be truthful with her wouldn't he/she do it immediately. .

Highlight:

Probably when the 'other' spoke for the first time. Hollywood had taught me to expect one thing. I was pretty taken aback and appreciated the variation.

Lessons Learned:

Chill out in life or you might find the object of your obsession ends up wrecking all the good things you have in your life.

[nodosaurus · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The story is well-known, but differs from the movies. The story is mostly about Dr. Frankenstein’s reaction to his creation, it is verbose but well-written.The first parts of the book seemed long and slow, it gets bogged down in long Victorian dialogs. I almost gave up on it. But once the monster is created, the story improved dramatically.It is all about the relationship between the monster and Dr. Frankenstein. It is a love-hate relationship on part of the monster, and repulsion from Dr. Frankenstein. This gave me some problems as Frankenstein started as a scientist with a purely rational approach to the work. Once the monster is created he became immediately repulsed without getting to know or understand the monster, he is completely driven and consumed by his emotions. It felt out of character given the first part of the book.Unlike the movies, the monster is very intelligent and capable. He learns to survive on his own, then teaches himself language. Driven by the cruelty of man, his one goal is to find love. I found the monster much more interesting than Frankenstein. He eloquently tells his tale and wins he heart of the reader, but not of Frankenstein who continues his revulsion to the monster.It is an interesting read. Like many books of the day, in my opinion, it would do well with an update to the characters and dialog. But it is worth the read.

[breic-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved the over-the-top writing style and plotting. Parts of the story are just skeletons—the creation of the monster, especially—but on the other hand it never gets bogged down. The stakes are large ("I shuddered to think that future ages might curse me as their pest, whose selfishness had not hesitated to buy its own peace at the price, perhaps, of the existence of the whole human race"), the themes and the tragedy enormous. There could have been more depth, but there are still multiple levels of complication, and it is also just a fun story. > I had a contempt for the uses of modern natural philosophy. It was very different, when the masters of the science sought immortality and power; such views, although futile, were grand: but now the scene was changed. The ambition of the enquirer seemed to limit itself to the annihilation of those visions on which my interest in science was chiefly founded. I was required to exchange chimeras of boundless grandeur for realities of little worth> Such were the professor's words—rather let me say such the words of fate, enounced to destroy me. As he went on, I felt as if my soul were grappling with a palpable enemy; one by one the various keys were touched which formed the mechanism of my being: chord after chord was sounded, and soon my mind was filled with one thought, one conception, one purpose. So much has been done, exclaimed the soul of Frankenstein—more, far more, will I achieve: treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation.> None but those who have experienced them can conceive of the enticements of science. In other studies you go as far as others have gone before you, and there is nothing more to know; but in a scientific pursuit there is continual food for discovery and wonder.> After days and nights of incredible labour and fatigue, I succeeded in discovering the cause of generation and life; nay, more, I became myself capable of bestowing animation upon lifeless matter.> Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow.> "Hateful day when I received life!" I exclaimed in agony. "Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust? God, in pity, made man beautiful and alluring, after his own image; but my form is a filthy type of yours, more horrid even from the very resemblance. Satan had his companions, fellow-devils, to admire and encourage him; but I am solitary and abhorred."> We may not part until you have promised to comply with my requisition. I am alone, and miserable; man will not associate with me; but one as deformed and horrible as myself would not deny herself to me. My companion must be of the same species, and have the same defects. This being you must create.> You would not call it murder, if you could precipitate me into one of those ice-rifts, and destroy my frame, the work of your own hands. Shall I respect man, when he contemns me?> Sometimes, indeed, I felt a wish for happiness; and thought, with melancholy delight, of my beloved cousin; or longed, with a devouring maladie du pays, to see once more the blue lake and rapid Rhône, that had been so dear to me in early childhood: but my general state of feeling was a torpor, in which a prison was as welcome a residence as the divinest scene in nature; and these fits were seldom interrupted but by paroxysms of anguish and despair. At these moments I often endeavoured to put an end to the existence I loathed; and it required unceasing attendance and vigilance to restrain me from committing some dreadful act of violence.> Yet when she died!—nay, then I was not miserable. I had cast off all feeling, subdued all anguish, to riot in the excess of my despair. Evil thenceforth became my good. Urged thus far, I had no choice but to adapt my nature to an element which I had willingly chosen. The completion of my demoniacal design became an insatiable passion. And now it is ended; there is my last victim! … Yet I seek not a fellow-feeling in my misery. No sympathy may I ever find. When I first sought it, it was the love of virtue, the feelings of happiness and affection with which my whole being overflowed, that I wished to be participated. But now, that virtue has become to me a shadow, and that happiness and affection are turned into bitter and loathing despair, in what should I seek for sympathy? I am content to suffer alone, while my sufferings shall endure: when I die, I am well satisfied that abhorrence and opprobrium should load my memory … For while I destroyed his hopes, I did not satisfy my own desires. They were forever ardent and craving; still I desired love and fellowship, and I was still spurned. Was there no injustice in this? Am I to be thought the only criminal, when all human kind sinned against me? … I shall quit your vessel on the ice-raft which brought me thither, and shall seek the most northern extremity of the globe; I shall collect my funeral pile, and consume to ashes this miserable frame, that its remains may afford no light to any curious and unhallowed wretch, who would create such another as I have been … Some years ago, when the images which this world affords first opened upon me, when I felt the cheering warmth of summer, and heard the rustling of the leaves and the warbling of the birds, and these were all to me, I should have wept to die; now it is my only consolation. Polluted by crimes, and torn by the bitterest remorse, where can I find rest but in death? … Blasted as thou wert, my agony was still superior to thine; for the bitter sting of remorse will not cease to rankle in my wounds until death shall close them forever.

[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.

[benmartin79 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A highly overrated gothic horror story which has all too often been interpreted as a deep philosophical work. Despite that belief, and the catchy subtitle, it isn't. The characters are not developed and their motivations, especially Victor Frankenstein's, rarely make sense - other than to advance the plot. This book is all about plot, even though the ingredients necessary to move the plot are so often lacking. Which doesn't make for bad gothic horror. It's actually somewhat entertaining if you don't try to think too hard about it, and probably better than a lot of the contemporary horror fiction, though E. A. Poe it is not. But it isn't good philosophy. Read it for the thrills, but don't expect too much else.

[kronos999_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Overall an enjoyable book with interesting themes and a certain amount of cultural value, but suffers from the common horror flaw of the reader wanting to smack the protagonist over the head with some common sense. By the end, the monster is by far the less annoying character.

[morgandax · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I hate to say it, but I didn't enjoy the writing style. I wasn't expecting the 'letter' format (where the story is told via a series of letters sent between various characters) so that threw me off from the beginning, and while eventually I was able to get into it and get past that annoyance, I found the story lagged a bit because of it. It's a product of its time.

This is a classic that anyone remotely into horror should probably try to read, the story is excellent, but unfortunately, at least for me, the writing hasn't aged well.

[lydia1879 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

So this book is brilliant, but I loathe one of the characters.

It's a gothic story with beautiful prose and wonderful metaphors and these short, sharp lines that take my breath away.

Sometimes, it's a little wordy, a little too fancy, a little too lengthy. I feel as if that's Percy Shelley's influence creeping in through her prose - would that I could read her work unedited.

The premise for the story is fantastic.

... and then we get to one of the characters. Victor Frankenstein.

Victor, Victor, Victor.

If anything prevented me from reading this book in one sitting, it was him. As a literary device - he's perfect. His flaws illustrate the creature's compassion and ask us what it means to be human.

But I don't like him. He's a hypocritical coward and his passages are basically just 18th century man-splaining. If anything will prevent me from returning to or recommending this book, it's Victor Frankenstein.

Am I supposed to be this abhorred by him, and react this way? Probably.

... but I wish I read more from the creature's perspective. I think I would've loved this story a whole lot more if I had.

[kamgeb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read it because my son was reading it for high school English. It was much better than I remembered it. It really isn't a horror story as much as a story about how people judge things and make assumptions about things.

[jcgirl-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Brilliant and timeless for generations.

[ltmanning · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Two stars for the fact that this author was a product of her time. Long, long, long book. Interesting use of first person...with three different narrators.Actually like the old movie version better.But that's just me.I actually feel sorry for the kids who have to read this as a school assignment. I would have died. Or read the SparkNotes instead.

[thetruebookaddict · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I can't believe I waited so long to read this book. I've read Dracula three times. I recently watched the film, Mary Shelley. I immediately picked this up to read. While somewhat more wordy than Dracula, in my opinion (I enjoy Dracula's epistolary format), I liked its insight and observations on mankind. How we so often have difficulty looking beyond the physical appearance to what the person is like inside. How we judge and underestimate on appearances alone. I would even go so far to say that Shelley's "monster" was symbolic of women and how they were treated in her time. Judged by gender/outward appearance; believed not capable of anything beyond typical womanly tasks. Certainly not capable of writing a novel such as Frankenstein!

I will definitely reread at some point. I bet there is a great audio version available.

[djaquay_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Very interesting, to separate the original story from the green-faced, bolts-in-neck Halloween farce you think of when you say Frankenstein. By itself, though, I wasn't as impressed; very dark, and I found myself siding with the monster (which I suppose is what you're supposed to do, really).

[hlselz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Forget every movie you've ever seen about Frankenstein. Read the book, its fabulous. About the advantages/disadvantages of technology, and the ways in which we deal with them. Also about human mortality, and about the responsibilities of creating life.

[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.

[dsdragon · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I had to read this in less than a day, because no one had told me that there was homework due the first day of AP English during my senior year of high school. I enjoyed it a lot, even though I was rushed.

[dcarchitect_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The ispiration for many bad horror movies is actually far better than anything it inspired. As DNA research ushers us into an age of innovation on par with the time of the writing of 'Frankenstein,' Ms. Shelley's investigation into the human psyche and our ability manipulate life are as timely as ever.

[narellej_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A true classic. It is nothing like the movies. It is better! Not a scary as I had believed but a psychological thriller.

[wang01142 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a chilling tale that may sometimes elicit sympathy for the "monster" in the story. Many people have the misconception that Frankenstein is the monster but it is actually the last name of Dr. Victor Frankenstein, the creator of the monster. Frankenstein's mistake to "play God" costs him his loved ones. At first, readers see Frankenstein's point of view and the shock and regret he feels from creating this monster. However, readers also later discover the monster's point of view: he is just a creature who is alone and looking for the love and company that most humans desire. The monster even becomes attached to a family he lives next to and learns how to speak from them. He realized that he needed a mate and when Frankenstein destroys the almost complete female version of the monster, he realizes that he will never find the love he deserves. This drives him to revenge and ultimately, a vicious cycle of cruel acts by both the him and Frankenstein. This novel examines not only the revenge and cruelty of the monster, but also the harshness of humanity.

[maryanntherese · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I found this book very interesting, considering the cultural clout attained by "Frankenstein" the monster. It was surprisingly not scary. There was very little descriptive gore. Some parts of it were actually bland and a little boring. The climax was obvious to the reader. I'm not sure if Mrs. Shelley meant for the reader to see what was going to happen to Dr. Frankenstein, or if she thought we'd be taken in as he was. I wasn't.The moral of the story has implications for the current push by some scientists to control the creation and termination of human life. I am glad that I had the chance to read this book. If it wasn't for the library book club doing a season on "Spooky Tales," I would have never picked it up on my own.

[joles_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There is a reason this book is a classic! There really isn't much that can be said for the book that hasn't been already. The book is far superior to any movie version I've seen. (The closest would be the Kenneth Branagh film.) It is insightful and really gets one thinking philosophically.

[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.

[afderrick · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An incredible book that I only wish I had read earlier in my life. Once I started the book I had difficulty putting it back down except to do the things that I was obliged to do. I loved the book completely, but I am still after finishing it unsure what my thoughts and feelings are towards Victor Frakenstein or his monster. I want to feel compassion for the monster in his only desire for love and to not be alone but at the same time I fear that if I had met him in the city that I would scream in fear and desire to kill him myself. As far as Victor, he is someone who at times I felt sorry for and other times I wanted to hate him more so than the monster for his crazy ambitions to do such a thing and then to abhor and desire the death of his creation. A great book that I would recommend to anyone

[shamille_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

OMG THIS IS A GREAT BOOK AND YOU HAVE TO READ IT RIGHT NOW. I mean it. go to your library. RIGHT NOW. Well. After you finish reading this >:3This is about Victor Frankenstein, who is so interested in science etc, that he creates a monster. and once he creates this monster, it ruins his life. The hideous being of his creation kills people, who don't accept him, and threatens Victor, leading him and following him everywhere.That's basically all this story is about. It's great though. it's suspenseful and v. deep: like the monster striving for acceptance and humanity and... like he's intelligent and he feels things but in the end he is still a horrible, ugly monster, inside and out. And Victor is battling within himself to: protect his family by being a coward and catering to the monster? or be brave and kill him, to protect everyone... it's... JUST READ IT. GO NOW.Also there's lots of nice vocab words.

[misirlou_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

What happens to a society's outsiders? Do those on the fringes of civility revel in their differences or are they forced to wonder why they were made mentally or physically deficient in one way. No matter how superior they can make themselves do they ever feel that they were created equal? Frankstein isn't a horror story, it's a conversation with God from the lips of anyone who's been made to feel like an abomination.The monster tells his story with eloquence and ultimately explains his actions in a way that seem more lonely than vicious. It's also no coincidence that the book begins and ends on the ship the Milton. As the author of Paradise Lost, the struggle between an angel created for the purpose of being a demon and his creator, between man deciding whether to take advantage of the tool of free will granted to him or live in subservience, the struggle between action and cosequence are as apt to Milton's work as they are in the struggles between the characters of this novel. Each symbol in this book are deftly placed to support a somewhat sacriligous inquiry of whether a creator has much control over his creation. Those looking for the stout green-faced monster and angry mobs of the movies will be surprised that neither are present in this novel. Loneliness, purpose, and atonement are the harrowing aspects of Frankenstein. This is a novel of ice and emptiness; a severe cold which is responsible for chilling readers to the bone.

[direweevil · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is one of the better horror novels written, although I would not really classifiy it as a horror novel. The storyline is more tragic and romantic than it is horrific. The Frankenstein Monster is not the unholy drone that the movies make him out to be, instead Shelly presents a far more philosophic and sympathetic creature than Hollywood ever created. This is a great read and one every student who if forced to do so should not shudder, but embrace this epic tale.

[lassiter_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Take the challenge and read Frankenstein and look for contemporary issues, i.e., cloning. As you discover the real monster in the book could that also correlate to the world of today?

[misslizzy_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another book that I read my senior year. As I recall, I pretty much bombed the essay I had to write, but it didn't matter. I am in love with this book...and the myth that Shelley had a dream that operated as the catalyst for it just makes it that much better. And all the ethics and morals that Dr. Frankenstein and the author must struggle with help increase the sharp tension that characterizes the novel: Will he follow the creature's demands, or will he attempt to take control of the creation that he most likely should not have attempted to bring to life? A disquieting read, one that futurists should take heed of.

[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.

[murraymint11 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Maybe 19th century gothic horror is not for me, but I found this tedious to the extreme. One more "horror", "anguish", "despair" or "agony" word and I would have gone mad! The storyline had too many unbelievable coincidences and inconsistencies for this 21st century reader.