Frankenstein (Enriched Classics)

When Robert Walton's ship becomes stuck in the Arctic ice, he and his crew spy a dark-clad figure, hunched on a sled and flying away from them over the ice. A short time later, they encounter another such sleigh, only this time, the lone driver is brought aboard the ship, exhausted and close on the heels of death. The crew tends to the mysterious man, and once he's able, he begins to tell Robert of the strange circumstances of his history and what brought him to be trapped on the ice.

The strange man begins with his origins as a young Victor Frankenstein, finding himself entranced by a book by Cornelius Agrippa discoursing his early views and ideas concerning science and natural philosophy -- especially those concerning the elixir of show more life. He carries this fascination with him to university in Ingolstadt where his studies finally allow him to reach his goal: creating life.

Instead of finding wonder in his new creation, he only sees the hideous face, the overly tall stature, and at once abandons the creature, hoping to leave it and all things concerning it behind. The months pass, and when Frankenstein readies himself to return home to Geneva, he learns of the murder of his younger brother. He intuitively knows who did it. From that moment on, he determines to find some way to rid himself and the world of his creation, even if it takes him to the ends of the Earth.

"Frankenstein" is one of those literary classics that you should have read in high school, but never got around to it. And as an avid reader of horror, I still don't know why I waited all this time to finally read it.

The one thing that struck me about the book is how vastly different it is from James Whale's 1931 film interpretation. In the movie, the creature's tall and green, with bolts protruding from his neck, eyes, half shut, can barely utter anything beyond a grunt or moan. In Mary Shelley's novel, the creature is also tall, but suffers emotionally from how others treat him. He has the ability to learn and teaches himself to read and to speak. He also becomes a very consummate student of humanity and turns what he learns into revenge against his maker.

"Frankenstein" is a novel about a monster, but who exactly is this monster? Is it Frankenstein's creation who is shunned because of his disfigured face and giant stature, who begins to hate only because that is what he has been shown? Or is it Frankenstein himself, who created and abandoned the creature because he found it monstrous? Or is it society itself, and how "civilization" fears that which it doesn't understand? show less

This book, it was not fun to read, but after reading was very good to think about. There is depth, archetype, social critique, scientific critique, feminist critique, pedagogy, and so much more.
But oh god the language made me want to throw up oh lord.
I don't blame Mary though. I read in a biography that Percy (her husband) edited the book, and basically turned every short anglo saxon word into a long latinized word. So "hot" became "inflamed", "small" into "minute" and so forth.
There was one sentence which had eighty two words. SO MANY COMMAS.

It gets lonely when you're a monster. Shelley makes us look at the inhuman aspects of ourselves. When what we create gets out of hand isn't it still our fault?

Victor Frankenstein was a precocious child, inspired by and obsessed with the scientists of the past. In university, he continues his obsession, which culminates in the creation of a man made of corpses. As the creature awakens, Victor is horrified and disgusted and runs away. He becomes stricken with illness shortly afterwards and his childhood friend, Henry Clerval, helps nurse him back to health. After four months, Victor finally recovers, only to find that his little brother, William, has been murdered. Sure that the fiend he created is responsible, Victor returns to his home. The tormented creature eventually reveals himself to his furious creator and relays the events leading to William’s murder. After his heart-rending story, show more he begs his creator to make a woman for him who will accept him and become his mate. Victor agrees, but has second thoughts. Should he create another monster like the one already in existence? If he decides against this second blasphemy, what repercussions will he and his family have to endure?

Mary Shelley’s classic novel Frankenstein is an iconic work that has spawned countless spin-offs, sequels, remakes, copies, and re-imaginings. It’s hardly surprising considering the eloquence and skill that she exhibits. With all the allusions and references to literature and works of science, she shows her vast education, which is even surprising today for an eighteen year old. I absolutely love this book, but I used to hate it. I remember reading it as a child and finding it boring and hard to understand. As an adult, I see the different philosophies being illustrated and the significance of its place in the romantic era. It explores themes such as the nature of man, the effect of isolation verses society on man, and the ethics of science. These are themes that science fiction authors are still writing about today, as seen in the film Splice, Scott Sigler’s novel Ancestor, and countless others. This is really the epitome of the gothic novel, which conveys its messages with a dose of horror and suspense.

The characters and their development is really what makes Frankenstein special. I can see the suffering and anger on both Victor’s and the creature’s side. Victor is a good person who got swept up in his fervor for science without thinking about the consequences. After making the creature, he tries to move forward with his life, but his past follows him. The creature, on the other hand, is actually a sympathetic character. Far from the shuffling, silent monster seen in film, he exhibits great intelligence and is shown to be inherently good. After being consistently rejected and abused by man, he turns to violence and really only to mimic how people have always treated him. He only ever desired to be loved and accepted. I tend to side more with the monster because he was created and then immediately abandoned with no instruction on how to act or survive in the human world. I find the fact that Victor finds this acceptable and proceeds to further antagonize his creation reprehensible.

I could probably go on and on about how Frankenstein is one of the best books ever written, so I’ll stop here. This work is still relevant today and can both horrify and interest modern audiences. I think everyone should read this book at least once. show less

This book has little in common with the movies based on it. Unlike the movies, it is a complex story. Dr. Frankenstein’s monster speaks in a very clear, Oxford-educated style English. The monster is highly intelligent; he is also very pathetic. He represents the deep despair that extreme loneliness can bring. Dr. Frankenstein created a mate (as in the film “The Bride of Frankenstein”) to help offset the monster’s loneliness, but this creation had its own unforeseen set of complications.

While the monster commits horrible acts, you can’t help but feel some sympathy for him. He is angry with Dr. Frankenstein for creating him because, while he is similar to humans, he is not human. His isolation is palpable. Having been created show more in a laboratory, he has no sense of morality, and while he is not inherently evil, he behaves as if he were the ultimate evil.

The book is only 212 pages but there is much more going on than in many books twice as long. The writing is spare and concise; words are not wasted.

The story came about because of a contest among Mary Shelley, her husband Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Lord Byron. One dreary, rainy night, out of boredom, they challenged each other to write a ghost story, and hers was so good that Percy told Mary she should expand her short story into a novel. Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein when she was only 19, in 1816.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in something serious that is meatier than typical modern fiction. It was very hard to put down. Ms. Shelley knew how to write a mesmerizing tale. show less

In his quest for knowledge about nature and how to reanimate the non-living, Viktor Frankenstein creates an abomination that will haunt him until his death. What horrors can come from such knowledge and experimentation? Is it the daemon created or the creator who is the real monster?

I knew the story, of course, but had not read it until yesterday. It wasn't as scary as I had hoped but it kept me interested and in suspense many times. The chapters describing the travel was tedious to read, however, and I kept wanting to skim through it to get to the action. Beautifully written, but long stretches lacking in action pertaining to the story made it a difficult read at times.

I am glad I finally read this but not a favorite.

A classic "ghost" story. Victor Frankenstein pursues science to its logical extreme to create life, and he is immediately horrified at his own success. The monster, however, is intelligent and resourceful and comes to understand his own loneliness and therefore seeks revenge on his creator. There are many unexplained occurences (How'd the monster find the ship? or get Henry Clerval's body onto the very shore that Frankenstein would wind up on?) especially for today's more savvy reader, but it's still a masterpiece.

UPDATE October 5, 2012
Simon Vance does a superb job narrating the audio (for Tantor Unabridged Classics). My heart breaks for the monster as he relates his loneliness and despair. Of course, I do not condone his way of trying show more to fix his condition! show less