Frankenstein (Dover Thrift Editions)

Most of us are familiar with the popular conception of Frankenstein's monster: a stiff, groaning, verdant creature with bolts, stitches, and Karloff-esque features. Fewer people are aware of Mary Shelley's original intent. The literary "monster" is vastly different to the irradicable Hollywood interpretation. He is lucid, well-spoken, limber, and (at first) ripe with loving and moral intentions.

Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" is a tragedy, first and foremost. Sophocles would have been proud of young Mary, only in her early 20's when she wrote this tragic tale of carelessness and consequences. Victor Frankenstein's tragic flaw is his wild thirst for knowledge, which develops into recklessness and disregard for life. He becomes consumed with exposing the secret of creation, a "forbidden" knowledge (thus the novel's subtitle, "The Modern Prometheus"). He discovers it and creates a living being, but is disgusted by the outcome and disowns his creation. Thus his original act of irresponsibility breeds another. He is ultimately condemned to pay for both.

The monster (he is never given a name, a stigma of his rejection by human society) is tragically flawed as well. Born a naive with a good heart he is nevertheless hideously disfigured and monstrous. Although he yearns for human companionship, his appearance dooms him to bitter isolation. The agony of rejection ignites a hatred inside of him and he declares war on humanity. He focuses his rage on Victor, his accursed creator. But the monster is painfully lonely and thus willing to leave Victor in peace in exchange for a companion, one created from human scrap, just like him. I won't divulge any more of the plot; suffice it to say it just keeps getting better.

"Frankenstein" is just as contemporary and significant now as it was back in the early 19th century when it was published. The grandiose themes that it addresses, such as morality in modern science, the meaning of humanity, racism, etc., are still ones that we struggle with today. But more importantly, this is a fascinating and entertaining novel! I raced through it like a Newfoundland towards water! I can't say that I was completely engrossed with every passage - there was an excedingly dull section when Victor retreats to the mountains, but it only lasts for 15 pages or so. And there is a pervasive (almost overwhelming) feeling of gloom and despair throughout the bulk of the novel, which may tend to irritate some readers. But these minor faults should not prevent interested parties from reading this novel. You're reading the review, you're interested, so buy it! You won't regret it.

Modern readers must jump through a number of hoops to enjoy this legendary novel. Written between 1816 and 1818, this is very much a novel of its era, and both language and ideas about plot are quite different from those of today. That aside, and unlike such contemporaries as Jane Austen, author Mary Shelly has never been greatly admired for her literary style, which is often awkward. But perhaps the biggest hurdle is that of our own expectations: while it certainly sent icy chills down the spines of 19th Century readers, FRANKENSTEIN is not a horror novel per se.

While Mary Shelly might have been stylistically weak, her story was not. Nothing like it had been written before, and the concept of a student endowing life upon a humanoid creature cobbled together from charnel house parts was unexpectedly shocking to the reading public. But even more shocking were the ideas that Shelly brought to the story. Having created this thing in his own image, what--if anything--does the creator owe it? And in posing this question, Shelly very deliberately raises her novel to an even more complex level: this is not merely the conflict of man and his creation, but also a questioning of God and his responsibility toward his creation.

In some respects, the book is written like the famous philosophical "dialogues" of the ancient world: a counterpoint of questions and arguments that do battle for the reader's acceptance. More than anything else, FRANKENSTEIN is a novel of ethics and of ideas about ideas, with Mary Shelly's themes arrayed in multiple layers throughout: God, self, society, science; responsibility to self, to society, to the things we bring to society, to the truth; life, integrity, and death--these are the ideas and issues that predominate the book, and any one expecting a horror novel pure and simple is out of luck.

Mary Shelly is a rare example of a writer whose ideas clearly outstrip her literary skill--but whose ideas are so powerful that they transcend her literary limitations and continue to resonate today. And indeed, as science continues to advance, it could not be otherwise so. Mary Shelly could not see into the future of DNA research, laboratory-grown tissues, test-tube babies and the like--but between 1816 and 1818 she wrote a book about the ethical dilemmas that swirl around them. And for all its flaws, FRANKENSTEIN is perhaps even more relevant today than it was over a hundred and fifty years ago.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" is one of the original Gothic horror classics, along with Bram Stoker's "Dracula."
If you only know "Frankenstein" from the movie versions, this book will come as a surprise. There is less detail on the creation, no criminal brain vs. normal brain, no Igor, no fabulous lightning storm, no bolts in the neck and no slow-moving gait.
In fact, Shelley's narrative begins with letters from an Arctic explorer, R. Walton, written to his sister. Walton's passion for exploration is explained and his quest for companionship detailed. Then, while his ship is trapped in the northern ice, he spots a creature crossing the ice. Following the creature is a weakened man in a broken sledge. Upon rescuing the man, Walton meets Victor Frankenstein, and so begins his tale.

We learn of Frankenstein's family background, upbringing in Geneva, early education and fascination with the nature of the world. Upon entering university, he expands his knowledge of physical science and chemistry. It is there that he begins construction of a being that he plans to bring to life. Through Frankenstein's narrative, we begin to see his descent into an obsessive madness, more manic than maniacal, a bi-polar disorder of the nth degree.

The assembly and bringing to life are kept vague, probably because Shelley herself lacked the scientific knowledge, but cleverly veiled by Frankenstein's own admission, lest another try to duplicate his work.

Dr. Frankenstein succeeds, and when the creature awakens, Frankenstein is so repulsed that he abandons the creature and flees his laboratory. He has a breakdown, and only the arrival of his best friend, Henry Clerval, brings him back to health.

What follows is Victor Frankenstein's demise through the machinations of the being he created.

I love Mary Shelley's language, so evocative of the time, full of color, passion and darkness. The voices are very distinct, and we get to hear the creature's story of what happened when he was thrust into the world, cast away by the hand that created him. The creature is far from the dull movie versions, in fact he is quite intelligent, mastering language by observing a family as he hides in a hovel next to their home, discovering the joys of music, and reading the work of John Milton.

But, he is alone and an outcast, and implores Dr. F to create a mate for him. The Dr. denies him this request, taking a moral high road lest he should unleash a family of demons upon the world.

There is so much to enjoy here, from the lush detail of the travels of both the Dr. and the creature. The range of emotions displayed by both make each sympathetic and pathetic at various stages. There is also the strong message about violating the natural order and trying to play God. One must be ready to face the consequences. This is a powerful story.

Those who know Frankenstein only from movies and television may well be surprised to read the original book by Mary Shelley. Indeed, one may well look back to the cover to see if the book is in fact Frankenstein because the first pages consist of messages from an R. Walton to his sister concerning his expedition to the northern polar regions. Victor Frankenstein appears as a wretched creature stranded on an ice floe beside the ship. After he is rescued and recovers somewhat, he tells his incredible story to Walton, who in turn preserves the story in writing. Frankenstein reminisces about his happy childhood, particularly the close relationship between himself and his "cousin" Elizabeth, and then explains how his interest in discredited natural philosophy led him to create a living man of his own design. The creature is a hideous, misshapen, giant of a man who so disgusted Frankenstein upon his awakening that he fled his laboratory and residence. The creation process, it should be noted, in no way involved an elaborate machine powered by lightning such as is portrayed in the movies; in fact, beyond the fact that chemicals are involved, we are told nothing of the process. For two years, Frankenstein goes about life with a clinging sense of guilt and nervousness, hoping the creature has perished. When his little brother is murdered, though, he returns home and soon discovers that it was the monster who committed the deed. In an isolated mountainous area, the monster appears before him and explains his actions. Although the creature does nothing more than grunt in the movies, the original Frankenstein was possessed of great eloquence and intelligence, and he tells a moving story about his attempts to make a connection with a society that is revolted at the sight of him. He describes living in a small hovel at the back of a small house for many months, watching the interaction of the family inside, learning how to speak their language and eventually even learning how to read. When he eventually tries to interact with the family, he is assaulted and runs away, and it is at this point that his virtuous and peaceful nature begins to become inflamed into a torrent of hatred for mankind. When he rescues a girl from drowning, he is rewarded with a bullet in his shoulder. Each time he performs a good deed, mankind runs from him in disgust or attempts to harm him. Living in total isolation and loneliness, his one purpose in life eventually becomes tormenting his creator, and many terrible misfortunes ensue for Frankenstein, who himself eventually becomes dedicated to the sole purpose of destroying his tormentor.

Both Frankenstein and his monster are tragic figures. The complete alienation of the creature makes him a very sympathetic character in many respects, and he does perform many kind deeds for humans early on. Frankenstein is an utterly pitiable character utterly destroyed by his mad decision to create the monster; he burdens his soul with responsibility for every crime the monster commits, and his inability to tell anyone his secret for so long destroys him in body, mind, and soul; everyone and everything he cares for is taken from him by his horrible creation. His tendency to bemoan his fate at every turn of the narrative can get rather tiresome, but one cannot question the depth of his turmoil. Both creator and created seem to be mirror images of each other in important ways, their fates clearly tied to one another, each soul deserving both blame and pity. There is much about human nature, both good and bad, revealed in the monster's life as well as Frankenstein's; the novel is a far cry from horror for the sake of horror. This is actually a very complex, compelling story full of human pathos; it is unfortunate that modern media have turned Frankenstein's creature into a simple, heartless, mentally deficient monster for the sake of scares and laughs.

Forget the Frankenstein from the movies and come read the real story of a man, Dr. Victor Frankenstein, who is a brilliant scientist with an obsession: play to be God, creating a living human being all by himself. God punishes him: when the creature wakes up to life, he turns out to be a horrible monster. Frankenstein is terrified and rejects his creation.

And here's where the Gothic tale becomes a true literary work of art. What follows is the tragedy of a creature created by the arrogance and ambition of one man, an ugly yet fully human being. The monster is not good nor bad: he's just plain human. What he needs is affection, love and understanding. But his ugliness and clumsiness provoke that no one is willing to approach him: he scares the hell out of everybody. First, he is sad; then, he is enraged. Here's where the real monster is created: by the hatred and frivolity of other humans.

A true Gothic masterpiece, this novel is unforgettable for its message, its depth, and especially for its environment and mood. It is all dark, all cold, all terrifying and all moving. The true monsters are the others, not Frankenstein's creature. But his wanderings around the world are wonderful horror literature. Don't miss this great book written in one night by Mary Wollstonecraft, the young wife of poet Percy Shelley. It is the fortunate result of a bet made by several attendants to a vacation by a lake in Switzerland, Lord Byron included.