Status
Available
Call number
Description
James Whale's Frankenstein (1931) spawned a phenomenon that has been rooted in world culture for decades. This cinematic Prometheus has generated countless sequels, remakes, rip-offs, and parodies in every media, and this granddaddy of cult movies constantly renews its followers in each generation. Along with an in-depth critical reading of the original 1931 film, this book tracks Frankenstein the monster's heavy cultural tread from Mary Shelley's source novel to today's Internet chat rooms.
Publication
W W Norton & Co Inc (1995), Edition: Reissue, 339 pages
Pages
339
ISBN
0393964582 / 9780393964585
Collection
Language
Original publication date
1818
Physical description
339 p.; 8.4 inches
User reviews
LibraryThing member baswood
Everybody thinks they know the story of Frankenstein, although many will have not read the book. They will have most likely seen one of the many film versions or will have at least some idea of what Frankenstein is because the word Frankenstein has passed into common usage as a word signifying
The first surprise when I started the book was the realisation that it is an epistolary novel. It starts with letters from R Walton to his sister which describe his exploratory voyage towards the North Pole. It is in the fourth letter that starts with "So strange an accident has happened to us, that I cannot forbear recording it" that the real story starts: he has rescued a half dead man adrift on the ice and after a few days when he recovers the stranger beseeches Captain Walton to hear his story. Walton complies with the request writing down the narrative as told to him by Frankenstein. It is already clear from Walton's previous letters that the captain has difficulties in relating to other people and he is a somewhat obsessive character and so when his fifth letter starts:
"My affection for my guest (Frankenstein) increases everyday. He excites at once my admiration and my pity to an astonishing degree. How can I see so noble a creature destroyed by misery without feeling the most poignant grief? He is so gentle, yet so wise; his mind is so cultivated; and when he speaks, although his words are culled with the choicest art, yet they flow with rapidity and unparalleled eloquence."
Captain Walton seems well on the road to hero worship here and when we read Frankenstein's narrative his thoughts and actions seem that of another obsessive individual. The monster's story is told to us by Frankenstein and so takes the form of a tale within a tale within a tale, but the monster's story is the most thoughtful and eloquent of the stories and at times the one most deserving of our sympathies. We are therefore reading three narratives, all by narrators that could be extremely unreliable and which only enhances some of the strangeness of the story they have to tell.
Peter Brooks in his essay "What is a Monster? (According to Frankenstein) says the reader should "look closely at a text which is too complex, peculiar and interesting to be neglected". There is now no fear that Mary Shelley's book will be neglected even though it faded into obscurity through much of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries: today it is securely placed in the cannon and much ink has been spilt in trying to get to grips with Shelley's intentions or thoughts when she wrote her novel. In the Norton Critical edition there are sixteen essays ranging from Sandra M Gilbert and Susan Gurbar's "Mary Shelley's Monstrous Eve" which attempts to link the monster to Shelley's own maternity issues (she was unmarried and pregnant when she wrote it) to James A W Heffernan's "Looking at the Monster Frankenstein and Film.". There are many claims for this novel: Brian W Aldiss claims that it is the earliest novel that can be securely placed in the science fiction genre, it is claimed by many to be an extraordinary example of a gothic novel and of course there have been many feminist readings that have claimed all sorts of things. The Norton Critical edition does a good job of providing essays that are different in tone and scope adding much to a readers enjoyment of the novel.
The Norton Critical edition also provides much in the way of contexts. The story of why and how the novel was written is a fascinating subject in itself: Mary had eloped with Percy Bysshe Shelley and they were staying in a villa near Lake Geneva. Lord Byron and his entourage were staying nearby at the Villa Diodati. The Shelleys would spend evening at Lord Byron's place staying over if the weather was bad. The summer of 1816 was atrocious because of a volcanic eruption that had adversely affected the weather and there were literally weeks of rain. One night Byron suggested that everyone should try their hand at writing a ghost story and Mary set to with a will and started her novel Frankenstein. Apart from Dr Polidori's Vampyre hers was the only exercise that eventually resulted in a fully fledged novel and there was some interventions by Percy along the way. The novel was published anonymously in 1818 and received some hostile reviews because of its materialistic stance; the idea of a man as a creator was too much for some critics.
When all is said and done this is a great story and still a rattling good read. I would recommend that every effort should be made to read the 1818 text rather than the 1831 revised text, which made Frankenstein a more sympathetic as well as a more religious character. The revisions were an attempt at damage limitation after the sensational Burke and Hare murder trial in the 1820's. Critics today recommend the 1818 text and care should be taken because the 1831 text is still very much alive as it proved to be the most popular at the time. This is a wonderful reading experience and if you have any affinity for Gothic or early Victorian novels then don't miss out on this. A Five star read.
Show More
monster. Most people then will be in for a shock if they read the book, because even if they did not realise that Frankenstein was not the monster (He was the scientist that created "The Creature"), by the end of the novel they may well feel that there is more than one monster, because this is not a simple story and a reader's natural sympathy tends to switch from one to the other. I am sure I read the novel some time ago, but I am not so sure that I read Mary Shelley's original 1818 version which is the preferred text in the Norton Critical Edition. I was under the impression that Frankenstein's character was essentially good and the monster; although misunderstood was essentially evil, but throughout my reading experience these thoughts were challenged in the most unexpected ways. There is a constant edginess in this story that made me feel that something was not quite right with the actions of many of the characters: the sort of feeling you get when you are introduced to someone and they make you feel uncomfortable; you can't quite put your finger on it at the time but your senses are screaming at you; "beware!".The first surprise when I started the book was the realisation that it is an epistolary novel. It starts with letters from R Walton to his sister which describe his exploratory voyage towards the North Pole. It is in the fourth letter that starts with "So strange an accident has happened to us, that I cannot forbear recording it" that the real story starts: he has rescued a half dead man adrift on the ice and after a few days when he recovers the stranger beseeches Captain Walton to hear his story. Walton complies with the request writing down the narrative as told to him by Frankenstein. It is already clear from Walton's previous letters that the captain has difficulties in relating to other people and he is a somewhat obsessive character and so when his fifth letter starts:
"My affection for my guest (Frankenstein) increases everyday. He excites at once my admiration and my pity to an astonishing degree. How can I see so noble a creature destroyed by misery without feeling the most poignant grief? He is so gentle, yet so wise; his mind is so cultivated; and when he speaks, although his words are culled with the choicest art, yet they flow with rapidity and unparalleled eloquence."
Captain Walton seems well on the road to hero worship here and when we read Frankenstein's narrative his thoughts and actions seem that of another obsessive individual. The monster's story is told to us by Frankenstein and so takes the form of a tale within a tale within a tale, but the monster's story is the most thoughtful and eloquent of the stories and at times the one most deserving of our sympathies. We are therefore reading three narratives, all by narrators that could be extremely unreliable and which only enhances some of the strangeness of the story they have to tell.
Peter Brooks in his essay "What is a Monster? (According to Frankenstein) says the reader should "look closely at a text which is too complex, peculiar and interesting to be neglected". There is now no fear that Mary Shelley's book will be neglected even though it faded into obscurity through much of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries: today it is securely placed in the cannon and much ink has been spilt in trying to get to grips with Shelley's intentions or thoughts when she wrote her novel. In the Norton Critical edition there are sixteen essays ranging from Sandra M Gilbert and Susan Gurbar's "Mary Shelley's Monstrous Eve" which attempts to link the monster to Shelley's own maternity issues (she was unmarried and pregnant when she wrote it) to James A W Heffernan's "Looking at the Monster Frankenstein and Film.". There are many claims for this novel: Brian W Aldiss claims that it is the earliest novel that can be securely placed in the science fiction genre, it is claimed by many to be an extraordinary example of a gothic novel and of course there have been many feminist readings that have claimed all sorts of things. The Norton Critical edition does a good job of providing essays that are different in tone and scope adding much to a readers enjoyment of the novel.
The Norton Critical edition also provides much in the way of contexts. The story of why and how the novel was written is a fascinating subject in itself: Mary had eloped with Percy Bysshe Shelley and they were staying in a villa near Lake Geneva. Lord Byron and his entourage were staying nearby at the Villa Diodati. The Shelleys would spend evening at Lord Byron's place staying over if the weather was bad. The summer of 1816 was atrocious because of a volcanic eruption that had adversely affected the weather and there were literally weeks of rain. One night Byron suggested that everyone should try their hand at writing a ghost story and Mary set to with a will and started her novel Frankenstein. Apart from Dr Polidori's Vampyre hers was the only exercise that eventually resulted in a fully fledged novel and there was some interventions by Percy along the way. The novel was published anonymously in 1818 and received some hostile reviews because of its materialistic stance; the idea of a man as a creator was too much for some critics.
When all is said and done this is a great story and still a rattling good read. I would recommend that every effort should be made to read the 1818 text rather than the 1831 revised text, which made Frankenstein a more sympathetic as well as a more religious character. The revisions were an attempt at damage limitation after the sensational Burke and Hare murder trial in the 1820's. Critics today recommend the 1818 text and care should be taken because the 1831 text is still very much alive as it proved to be the most popular at the time. This is a wonderful reading experience and if you have any affinity for Gothic or early Victorian novels then don't miss out on this. A Five star read.
Show Less
LibraryThing member andyray
I am soooo glad I didn't toss this book back into the pile after the first twenty pages. It begins with several letters from a ship's captain nearing the artic circle and Victor Frankenstein is not formally introduced; rather, his name is suddenly dropped into the story circa page 25 or so. By
Show More
sticking to reading it, however, I entered the most wonderful black gothic horror I've read from that time (early 19th century). The reason it gets four stars rather than five is the unbelieveability of two bits in the plot, e.g., The monster is born without any knowledge of language, but he spends a year or two watching a family and then begins to speak to his Maker in language approximating an Oxford Don, and (2) there is less than a page on Victor Frankenstein making his monster. Shelly doesn't even go into the details of "the materials" he collects to make his man. And you could really jump on this one: why did he make an eight foot man? Why such a disfigured face? He could have any face he wanted; any form he wanted. In short, the whole book is way too prepostorous for it be a classic today, if initiated today. However, it was initiated at a time when literary fantasy simply didn't much exist. If you take up this title, I suggest you suck grapes or melon for the first two score pages, but you will surely become engrossed soon, maybe (to be sure) faster than I. Show Less
LibraryThing member Anduril85
I found the language in this book to be a little tiresome at times what with all of it's 'His continence, her continence, it's continence, the dogs continence' talk but it's old what do you expect, other than this I fond it to be a good book about the exploration of society's problems and lacking
Show More
of what would seem the most common decency it's a book that makes you think. So if you don't have anything better to read then pick up a copy and give it a try or listen to it on a book tape or something (which is what I did) I think you'll find you might like it too. Show Less
LibraryThing member lena_kate
Unbelievable. This book was the core text for my undergrad dissertation on the psychology of horror fiction. It's just incredible how saturated this book is with psychological undertones... not just in regards the plot and characters but also the interconnections with the author herself. There is
Show More
not one single text I would put above this on a scale of writing genius! Just incredible! Loved it! Show Less
LibraryThing member Stevil2001
Weirdly, I've managed to go this long reading and studying science fiction without reading Frankenstein. But now I've read the archetypal scientist story-- and Brian Aldiss goes even further, in calling it the story that birthed science fiction. In many ways this is true: Frankenstein evidences
It's hard to know if the book is really a critique of science and the scientist, because 1) the problem isn't that Frankenstein's a scientist, it's that he's a bad problem and 2) the reader is more interested in the Creature than any other character. But as I said, this is the problem that drives all science fiction; you need your technology to go wrong so there's a plot, but you need the technology to be awesome so people are interested. Even Frankenstein can't figure out the point of his own story; pages after telling Captain Walton that there really are things man is not meant to know, he has his best moment in the book when he gives a big speech about how knowledge must be advanced at all costs. The book as a whole is a little bit of a drag, but the Creature sections more than make up for it-- as for the wealth of Shelley's ruminations on the costs and powers of science itself.
Show More
that tension that drives a lot of science fiction, a simultaneous fascination with and revulsion of the products of technology. Even knowing that the popular perception of Frankenstein is wrong, I was still surprised by the book; I'd always pictured Frankenstein himself as older and vaguely sinister, but in fact he's young and fairly whiney. This makes for awkward reading: you just want him to shut up. But while a lot of the sections about Frankenstein himself were a slog, the sections about the Creature were absolutely riveting. Every scene from its point-of-view was so great, with the poor thing all on its own forever, and no one out there to sympathize with it. Rejected by its own creator at birth-- a creator who doesn't understand that the problem's not that he created new life, but that he created new life and ran out of the room. It's hard to know if the book is really a critique of science and the scientist, because 1) the problem isn't that Frankenstein's a scientist, it's that he's a bad problem and 2) the reader is more interested in the Creature than any other character. But as I said, this is the problem that drives all science fiction; you need your technology to go wrong so there's a plot, but you need the technology to be awesome so people are interested. Even Frankenstein can't figure out the point of his own story; pages after telling Captain Walton that there really are things man is not meant to know, he has his best moment in the book when he gives a big speech about how knowledge must be advanced at all costs. The book as a whole is a little bit of a drag, but the Creature sections more than make up for it-- as for the wealth of Shelley's ruminations on the costs and powers of science itself.
Show Less
LibraryThing member lesserlady
Norton Critical editions are almost always amazing. This is no exception. The supplementary reading adds so much to the experience of this wonderful novel on the human condition and it's relationship to the "other." This is recommended for readers of all levels, especially those interested in early
Show More
science fiction. Show Less
LibraryThing member jwhenderson
Fantastic, filled with both vivid emotions and exciting action, Mary Shelley's story of the haunted Victor Frankenstein, and his creation who does the haunting, still stirs the soul. Just as Goethe's Faust sought the secrets of arcane knowledge, Victor Frankenstein engages in the secrets of both
The novel is a classic tale of the uncanny which, according to the novelist and critic David Lodge, invariably use "I" narrators, imitating documentary forms of discourse like confessions, letters and depositions to make events more credible. Beginning with letters from Mr. R. Walton, whose own search for the source of the magnetic north pole mirrors Victor Frankenstein's quest, the first book of the novel relates Victor Frankenstein's narrative of his youth and education. The center of the novel continues Victor's story and that of his creation, the monster. Victor's emotions seem to swing from the the heights of elation to the depths of despair coloring his actions and clouding his reason. I found the monster's narration to be the most persuasive of the two. He pleads with Victor, " Remember, that I am thy creature: I ought to be thy Adam; but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed."(p 66) Victor is unable to satisfy him and the monster who searches for acceptance throughout attempts to exert power over his creator as he tells him, "You are my creator, but I am your master; -obey!"(p 116) His words and actions only serve to speed the descent of Victor.
I saw the monster as a classic example of "the other", a precursor to modern images much as those found in Kafka. The action builds effectively through the third book of the novel building suspense and leading to the tragic ending. The power of the book, however, remains in the questions it raises; questions that we are dealing with to this day.
Show More
licit and illicit science to bring a being to life. Once this is accomplished he immediately rues his action and spends the rest of the novel trying through a variety of means to atone for his mistake.The novel is a classic tale of the uncanny which, according to the novelist and critic David Lodge, invariably use "I" narrators, imitating documentary forms of discourse like confessions, letters and depositions to make events more credible. Beginning with letters from Mr. R. Walton, whose own search for the source of the magnetic north pole mirrors Victor Frankenstein's quest, the first book of the novel relates Victor Frankenstein's narrative of his youth and education. The center of the novel continues Victor's story and that of his creation, the monster. Victor's emotions seem to swing from the the heights of elation to the depths of despair coloring his actions and clouding his reason. I found the monster's narration to be the most persuasive of the two. He pleads with Victor, " Remember, that I am thy creature: I ought to be thy Adam; but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed."(p 66) Victor is unable to satisfy him and the monster who searches for acceptance throughout attempts to exert power over his creator as he tells him, "You are my creator, but I am your master; -obey!"(p 116) His words and actions only serve to speed the descent of Victor.
I saw the monster as a classic example of "the other", a precursor to modern images much as those found in Kafka. The action builds effectively through the third book of the novel building suspense and leading to the tragic ending. The power of the book, however, remains in the questions it raises; questions that we are dealing with to this day.
Show Less
LibraryThing member zoeernie
I don't think I had any idea how much I would enjoy this book. Of course, the films focus on the monster terrorizing the village, but the book is more about the creator's internal struggles and remorse. Great Gothic novel. The style reminds me in many ways of Wilkie Collins's Woman in White,
Show More
somewhat because of the letters and different frames of reference, but also because of the slow, steady building of the story. The plot takes hold of you and you cannot put it down, but the writing is also beautiful. Show Less
LibraryThing member JBD1
Frankenstein is one of those "you may think you know the story" books ... the idea of this book sort of gets ingrained at some point, but reading it you discover it's not really like that at all. The story is much less ridiculous than the caricature of it; Shelley's tale is much more sinister and
The contextual essays, notes on the text, and other material made available in the Norton Critical edition are, as usual, both useful and enlightening. The pieces on the composition and publication of the book, and the evolution of the text, were particularly handy. The text, of the 1818 first edition, is kept mostly clean and free of obstructions. Overall, certainly a good way to experience this classic.
Show More
more philosophical, and makes for absolutely gripping reading. The monster is no awkward, shambling zombie-type, but something much more ambiguous and, at times, even sympathetic.The contextual essays, notes on the text, and other material made available in the Norton Critical edition are, as usual, both useful and enlightening. The pieces on the composition and publication of the book, and the evolution of the text, were particularly handy. The text, of the 1818 first edition, is kept mostly clean and free of obstructions. Overall, certainly a good way to experience this classic.
Show Less
LibraryThing member leabharlannagra
Widely considered to be the first SF work, Frankenstein deals with the "responsibility and consequences of human creation (Bomarito & Whitaker, 2006)." This theme is underscored by Shelley's references to Paradise Lost and Prometheus. Today, many mistakenly think the central theme is a warning
Frankenstein is soft-SF as Shelley does not provide a detailed description of the science behind the creation of the monster and it certainly deals more with social issues. My previous exposure to this book was a course on Weimar Germany in which Frankenstein was discussed to gain a better understanding of Europe prior to WWI. Looking at it now through the lens of SF only added to my appreciation of the book.
Show More
against going too far with science, however, that was not Shelley's intention. The story attempts to show what can occur when someone "violates the natural order (Bomarito & Whitaker, 2006) and also, the anguish endured when the creation is rejected by its creator. Frankenstein is soft-SF as Shelley does not provide a detailed description of the science behind the creation of the monster and it certainly deals more with social issues. My previous exposure to this book was a course on Weimar Germany in which Frankenstein was discussed to gain a better understanding of Europe prior to WWI. Looking at it now through the lens of SF only added to my appreciation of the book.
Show Less
LibraryThing member books-n-pickles
I read this specific version for the essays. They were very interesting, but I must admit I was hoping for more character analysis--it's research for my current story project.
LibraryThing member wanderlustlover
Spring 2019,
This book for read/taught to the Dual Credit Senior's this year as a combination of Metaphysical/Romantic/Gothic text, switching it out from teaching Wuthering Heights last year. I always love reading this novel. I always the surprise in the first few chapters when I remember how lush
This book for read/taught to the Dual Credit Senior's this year as a combination of Metaphysical/Romantic/Gothic text, switching it out from teaching Wuthering Heights last year. I always love reading this novel. I always the surprise in the first few chapters when I remember how lush
Show More
of a Romantic Era novel that Frankenstein is. How placed in the high intelligence, the swing of the grand fixation on the sublime, and the questions between God, Man, Creation, and Creator, and who has power and what responsibilities power demands of a creator, the created, and the world around it. A forever favorite. Show Less
LibraryThing member Andjhostet
This book is incredible. It has instantly joined the list of my favorite books of all time. Some of the philosophical and psychological perspectives in this book are so incredibly insightful, I can't believe it was written by a 19 year old. I know she had some help, but still. Some of the
I also really love the prose. Mary Shelley writes with such an intense, feminine, and emotional perspective. Honestly it's really refreshing.
Show More
psychological degradation, remorse, anguish, anxiety, and depression the characters deal with remind me of Crime and Punishment, only to remember this book predates C&P by decades!I also really love the prose. Mary Shelley writes with such an intense, feminine, and emotional perspective. Honestly it's really refreshing.
Show Less
LCC
PR5397.F73 M36