Frankenstein

by Fred Botting

Emerging from the shadow of popular reproductions, Frankenstein's importance in debates about gender, culture and politics has been dramatically affected by recent developments in criticism and theory. This volume collects the most significant contemporary work on the novel from Marxist, Psychoanalytic, Historicist, Feminist, Poststructuralist and Postcolonialist perspectives. The book reflects the way that monstrosity in its literary, historical and philosophical context raises crucial questions for modern issues of sexuality, class, science, race, language and identity.

Genres: Classics, Gothic, Fiction

Paperback

Published February 27, 1995

Reviews

[Hanife · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yazar; acımasız,merhametsiz,zalim olanin kitapta bahsi gecen canavar olmadigini, asil canavarin insanin bizzat kendisi olduğunu gözler önüne seriyor. İnsanin tabiatinda zulmetmek var. Bu zulum kendisinde güç,makam,para olduğu zaman ayyuka cıkıyor. Ve bu zulmunu bir aşaği derecedeki her varliga cömertce harciyor. Bahsi gecen canavar ise insan olmak istiyor. Ve nitekim ilerleyen sayfalarda tanik oluyoruz ki yaptigi zulumlerle ne insan olabiliyor ne de yaptigi iyiliklerle canavar kalabiliyor. Yazarin 19 yasinda kaleme aldiği bu eser Gotik korku alaninda en ünlü hikayelerden biri ve gunumuze kadar da yankisini surdurmeye devam ediyor.

[W Lammy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrendous. Tedious.
I know it means a lot to many and was antsy to read it!!
Hated every second of it!

[Filip Antunovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, because it tells a fictional story about a scientist who made a monster out of dead body parts found in other people’s graves. The book itself was so good that once I got my hands on it, I couldn’t stop reading it. The thing that also got me hooked on this book is the thing that besides Victor Frankenstein’s perspective, we could also see the monsters perspective which gives us a better insight to the book itself. While I was reading the book I kinda sympathised with the monster but not so much with Victor even though they had the same problem because he was described as an arrogant individual. The monster’s only problem was that he was lonely and wanted a companion so he wouldn’t be lonely again which later on lead to hate commited crimes done by the monster because his request wasn’t fullfilled. The book itself was described as a horror story but I’d have to dissagree with that. To me it’s more of a romantic/sad story with some horrorish parts(the murders for example), because when u think about why the monster has done all those things you would realize that he only did it because he wanted a companion. The writing itself was a bit complicated and kind of old fashioned so I wouldn’t recommend it to someone who doesn’t speak english very well. Other than that the characters in the book were so well made and described in the way that it seemed like they were brought to life. Reading the book now in 2018 I’m fascinated with the thing that the idea for this book came from a 19 year old girl in 1818, that’s just unbelieveable. All in all I loved the book, I had a great time reading it despite the slightly complicated writing. I Would deffinetly recommend it to anyone who has the time and a thing for horror/romantic novels, because it certainly won’t let them down.

[Shinell Romo]

Though I have just begun to read this tale I already feel that the vocabulary sets the scene and helps to give detail of how the characters lived in that time. So far in the story, a man named Robert Wilson has been writing letters to his sister about his oversea trip to explore the "land of mist and snow." He writes of his loneliness and how a traveler who came by sled dogs had joined along, keeping him company. His sister has not answered and as he keeps sending letters, we see that he has barely any time to write anymore since he is reaching the end of his journey and testing his theory. The vocabulary in the story is what helps to tell us what time era they are in. Though complicated to read, every word gives us a more detailed view of Wilson's emotions and thoughts through this journey.

[Susan Hunt~Clark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe I went into this with high expectations, but I was certainly underwhelmed by this novel. The story line is weak having frustratingly vague inferences to the monster's creation and Victor Frankenstein's continual, and I mean continual, lamentations about his life. Then there is the dialogue. The only way to know who is speaking is because the text indicates it. Every character, including the daemon, speaks with an unrealistic erudite vocabulary. When Frankenstein and the monster encounter each other in the icy Alps their speech became heavy with thees, thous and thines. I commenced to eye rolling at this point. Perhaps the value of this book is its idea of a created monster that has lent itself to further expansion by other authors and film makers.

[HoneyLemon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterpiece. Some complex language and graphic scenes about piercing body parts together and dumping an unfinished body into a river, but overall a must read for all ages. It shows you how a man can be a monster just as terrifying as the most paranormal creature you can think of. Which is, basically, what the whole slasher genre is about.

[Ladybug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I didn't really know much about the story except that Frankenstein was made by a mad scientist from body parts and scared children in costume-form on Halloween, I didn't know much about the story. Well, even all of that was wrong. This novel was still tugging at my heartstrings two days after I read it. No wonder it's such a classic.

[Charity Dušíková · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’d seen a horrible performance of this that made me want to do Shelley the honour of reading her unadulterated original work (albeit the later publication). I found it compelling in a way that our pop culture adaptations wouldn’t make us expect.

[Azure · Rating 3 out of 5]

6/10

[Michaela K]

Frankenstein
Author’s Background- Mary Shelley is the women who wrote Frankenstein. She was an English novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel writer, best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus. Mary was born on August 30, 1797 in Somers Town, London. She died on February 1, 1851 in Chester Square, London. Shelley had many famous quotes she was remembered by: Nothing contributes so much to tranquilize the mind as a steady purpose - a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye.

My dreams were all my own; I accounted for them to nobody; they were my refuge when annoyed - my dearest pleasure when free.

Invention, it must be humbly admitted, does not consist in creating out of void, but out of chaos.

Literary Time Period- This book was originally published in 1818 in Great Britain and Ireland in the United Kingdom.

Setting- The narration begins in Russia then goes to Geneva, then to Switzerland where the events surrounding Victor Frankenstein and the Monster are chronicled. The setting switches often, but the majority is set in Europe.

Characters- Victor Frankenstein- He is the protagonist and narrator of the main portion of the story. Studying in Ingolstadt, Victor discovers the secret of life and creates an intelligent but grotesque monster, from whom he recoils in horror. Victor keeps his creation of the monster a secret, feeling increasingly guilty and ashamed as he realizes how helpless he is to prevent the monster from ruining his life and the lives of others.
The Monster- Is the eight-foot-tall, hideously ugly creation of Victor Frankenstein. Intelligent and sensitive, the monster attempts to integrate himself into human social patterns, but all who see him shun him. His feeling of abandonment compels him to seek revenge against his creator.
Robert Walton- Is the Arctic seafarer whose letters open and close Frankenstein. Walton picks the bedraggled Victor Frankenstein up off the ice, helps nurse him back to health, and hears Victor’s story. He records the incredible tale in a series of letters addressed to his sister, Margaret Saville, in England.

Theme- The theme for this book was dangerous knowledge and the sublime nature, monstrosity, and secrecy. Light and fire also take a part in this book.

Plot Summary- Robert Walton, the captain of a ship bound for the North Pole, recounts to his sister back in England the progress of his dangerous mission. Successful early on, the mission is soon interrupted by seas full of impassable ice. Trapped, Walton encounters Victor Frankenstein, who has been traveling by dog-drawn sledge across the ice and is weakened by the cold. Walton takes him aboard ship, helps nurse him back to health, and hears the fantastic tale of the monster that Frankenstein created.
Victor first describes his early life in Geneva. At the end of a blissful childhood spent in the company of Elizabeth Lavenza (his cousin in the 1818 edition, his adopted sister in the 1831 edition) and friend Henry Clerval, Victor enters the university of Ingolstadt to study natural philosophy and chemistry. There, he is consumed by the desire to discover the secret of life and, after several years of research, becomes convinced that he has found it. Armed with the knowledge he has long been seeking, Victor spends months feverishly fashioning a creature out of old body parts. One climactic night, in the secrecy of his apartment, he brings his creation to life. When he looks at the monstrosity that he has created, however, the sight horrifies him. After a fitful night of sleep, interrupted by the specter of the monster looming over him, he runs into the streets, eventually wandering in remorse. Victor runs into Henry, who has come to study at the university, and he takes his friend back to his apartment. Though the monster is gone, Victor falls into a feverish illness.

Literary Devices- There is symbolism, imagery, and allegory in this book.

Memorable Quotes- "I feel my heart glow with an enthusiasm which elevates me to heaven, for nothing contributes so much to tranquilize the mind as a steady purpose — a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye."
"There is something at work in my soul which I do not understand. I am practically industrious — painstaking, a workman to execute with perseverance and labour — but besides this there is a love for the marvellous, a belief in the marvellous, intertwined in all my projects, which hurries me out of the common pathways of men, even to the wild sea and unvisited regions I am about to explore."
"What can stop the determined heart and resolved will of man?"

[Alex Fenelon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mhmmm....just no my favorite. It didn't keep me motivated enough

[Chiara Cercandounavia · Rating 4 out of 5]

È la storia di Victor, del mostro e di come l'ossessione per la scienza e la vendetta può avere risultati catastrofici

[Liza Curran · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story that transcends time, Shelley's "Frankenstein" exposes the painful truth about human nature. After reading it, you'll look at society and yourself in a new way.

[Ana Jácome · Rating 4 out of 5]

El libro en general está cargado de emociones. Casi me sentí como si viviera dentro de la piel de Frankenstein y empaticé fácilmente con los dos personajes principales.

[Laura Schmigel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audio book. This would be a good companion book for the titles the creature mentions on his own reading list, especially Milton's "Paradise Lost." Frankenstein is practically without mentors in his scientific pursuits, and horrified by what he created, yet the creature seems desperate for companionship and warmth. Both become obsessed with inflicting pain on each other, yet the collateral damage of their obsession means friends and family pay the most for their crimes. The frame story of failed scientific exploration makes me wonder if the infection will be transmitted to the narrator next.

[LynnG]

Just wasn't in the mood for the more old fashioned style right now.