Author: Mary ShelleyDate Originally Published: 1818
Start Date: August 27th
Completion Date: September 4th
Frankenstein is yet another classic novel that I have been meaning to read over the years. I initially knew enough about the book to know that Frankenstein is not the monster himself, but the creator of the monster. However, I had no clue of the novel's eloquence and emotion.
Most people know the story of Frankenstein. A man with a vision creates what he hopes to be the perfect human out of inanimate materials. When this creation comes to life, Frankenstein realizes that the new human is so ugly that he is terrifying. Confused and hurt by his creator's (and others) repulsion, the monster has a difficult time comprehending his new body, emotions, and not to mention language acquisition (could you imagine being born adult?) The monster develops a deep revenge for his creator and vows to follow him throughout events in his life and even seeks to murder Frankenstein's family and friends. By the end of the book, many lives are in peril and the novel serves as a reminder that nobody should mess with mother nature.
I enjoyed this book for many reasons. First, I admired the eloquence of all the characters, even the monster (to the point where I find myself sympathizing with him at certain points.) The book is beautifully written and the plot evokes some beautiful imagery and emotion. Second, Frankenstein is indeed the modern retelling of the Prometheus myth. He discovers something initially thought to be great and wonderful for society, but in actually many horrors come with his creation. Frankenstein himself, like Prometheus, also suffers consequences for his actions. Third, I think it's great that a classic novel was written as a result of friendly competition between great writers/poets when they were stuck inside during an unusually cold summer.
Most people have read this book, but I highly recommend it if you haven't gotten around to it yet.
Most people know the story of Frankenstein. A man with a vision creates what he hopes to be the perfect human out of inanimate materials. When this creation comes to life, Frankenstein realizes that the new human is so ugly that he is terrifying. Confused and hurt by his creator's (and others) repulsion, the monster has a difficult time comprehending his new body, emotions, and not to mention language acquisition (could you imagine being born adult?) The monster develops a deep revenge for his creator and vows to follow him throughout events in his life and even seeks to murder Frankenstein's family and friends. By the end of the book, many lives are in peril and the novel serves as a reminder that nobody should mess with mother nature.
I enjoyed this book for many reasons. First, I admired the eloquence of all the characters, even the monster (to the point where I find myself sympathizing with him at certain points.) The book is beautifully written and the plot evokes some beautiful imagery and emotion. Second, Frankenstein is indeed the modern retelling of the Prometheus myth. He discovers something initially thought to be great and wonderful for society, but in actually many horrors come with his creation. Frankenstein himself, like Prometheus, also suffers consequences for his actions. Third, I think it's great that a classic novel was written as a result of friendly competition between great writers/poets when they were stuck inside during an unusually cold summer.
Most people have read this book, but I highly recommend it if you haven't gotten around to it yet.
5 comments:
I completely agree with you about this one.
I also thought the language acquisition part was incredible, especially since he needed to be able to communicate well in order to gain our sympathy. I didn't mention it at all in my review, but the eloquence of the monster really is crucial to the novel...otherwise no one would be able to feel a lot of pity for him.
Did you like the Penguin Classic version?
I love this one. Glad you enjoyed it too!
It's been quite a long time since I read this one, but I remember liking it very much. I also felt quite a bit of sympathy for the monster. He didn't ask for the situation he was forced into and was persecuted for another's mistake. That seemed very, very sad to me. I can understand his reaction and desire for revenge, which, by the way, just proves how human he really was. He reacted just as most humans would have.
I should have added this book for this year's challenge, but it will have to sit on the shelf until next year. It sounds amazing.
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