Frankenstein (Konemann Classics)

Rating:
Summary: Not a Bad Book at All!!
Review: The novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley starts off very uninteresting. In the beginning, a man writes letters to his sister in England but the story soon begins to pick up. Don't be discouraged when you read the first page or two. Give it a chance you will learn to love this story.
This novel is definitely not the same as the black and white movies you may have seen. Mary Shelley shows a whole new side to the monster in her novel. There are many conflicts and themes in this story. There is love, hate, and the most obvious rage. This is a classic story of a gothic monster gone mad and even though it was written well over 100 years ago it can still scare the pants off of people today.
This book touches on the main problem in society, acceptance. There are so many people out there who will change their look, their attitude and their entire lifestyle just to be accepted. This relates to me because I am now in high school and I have observed people who will do anything to be accepted. In my opinion it is ok to want to be accepted but when a person is willing to harm themselves, just to have more friends, that is not ok with me. Mary Shelley shows us the reality of life in this wonderfully touching story.

Rating:
Summary: The Original Version of the Classic
Review: The original version of Frankenstein (or, The Modern Prometheus) was published anonymously in 1818. However, the version of Frankenstein that most people have read is the 1831 edition, which has significant changes from the original 1818 text. This book gives the readers a chance to experience the original text, which is less refined and a bit darker then the revised text. It also provides a wonderful introduction and notes discussing Mary Shelley's life, the context in which this story was written, and the differences between the original text and the 1831 edition. These notes and introduction are by Marilyn Butler, who was a Professor of English Literature at Cambridge.

The story is well known, although certainly the book is nothing like most of the movies that use its name. While clearly one can find many issues from Mary Shelley's life and times that are addressed in this book, what makes it stand the test of time is how it can be made to relate to modern day issues as well. One theme, science creates a "monster" which it cannot control and which ultimately destroys the lives of those that created it, can be found today in areas such as genetics, nuclear physics, etc., and will undoubtedly be with us in the future as well. Other themes from the story carry forward from 1818 to today as well, which undoubtedly why this story is a classic and will always endure.

Rating:
Summary: "cursed, cursed creator."
Review: Victor grew up reading the works of Paracelsus, Agrippa, and Albertus Magnus, the alchemists of the time. Toss in a little natural philosophy (sciences) and you have the making of a monster. Or at least a being that after being spurned for looking ugly becomes ugly. So for revenge the creature decides unless Victor makes another (female this time) creature, that Victor will also suffer the loss of friends and relatives. What is victor to do? Bow to the wishes and needs of his creation? Or challenge it to the death? What would you do?
Although the concept of the monster is good, and the conflicts of the story well thought out, Shelly suffers from the writing style of the time. Many people do not finish the book as the language is stilted and verbose for example when was the last time you said, "Little did I then expect the calamity that was in a few moments to overwhelm me and extinguish in horror and despair all fear of ignominy of death."
Much of the book seems like travel log filler. More time describing the surroundings of Europe than the reason for traveling or just traveling. Many writers use traveling to reflect time passing or the character growing in stature or knowledge. In this story they just travel a lot.
This book is definitely worth plodding through for moviegoers. The record needs to be set strait. First shock is that the creator is named Victor Frankenstein; the creature is just "monster" not Frankenstein. And it is Victor that is backwards which added in him doing the impossible by not knowing any better. The monster is well read in "Sorrows of a Young Werther," "Paradise Lost," and Plutarch's "Lives." The debate (mixed with a few murders) rages on as to whether the monster was doing evil because of his nature or because he was spurned?