Review of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
I recently finished Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. I came away from it with an impression very similar to how I came away from Bram Stoker's Dracula: wow, that was less exciting than I thought it would be. First of all, none of the Hollywood versions that I've seen are anywhere close to the original. Igor? He doesn't exist. A lightning strike to bring the monster to life? No, there's no electricity involved at all. Viktor Frankenstein as the cruel and charismatic mad scientist? Nah, like all Romantic characters, he's sensitive and kind of whiney, given to stress-related delirium. The spooky castle with its vast, menacing lab? No, Viktor put his monster together in his apartment while still a student. As for the monster himself--first of all, he's not made from human flesh sewn together, as is the case in most versions of the movie. Viktor Frankenstein constructed him from scratch, building him larger than life because of the difficulty of creating the finer components on the normal scale. And far from an inarticulate brute, he's an intelligent being, probably smarter than the average human, with a great capacity for love and kindness.
Unfortunately, he faces rejection at every turn. Frankenstein's initial project to build him is a mad fit of brilliance, which he regrets the moment the monster opens his eyes. This happens, by the way, very early in the book. Frankenstein flees from the thing he's created, and by the time he returns home, the creature has run off. When next we see the monster, he's articulate and learned, but despises his creator for abandoning him, and the human race for fearing and hating him. Although the monster does great evil, we are moved to pity him, as we are moved to pity Viktor, who suffers greatly at his hands.
If you read this book, expect the same themes and style that you see from most Romantic authors. The great evil of society, the emotional self-involvement, the conceit of each chapter being a letter or journal entry, and much more time thinking and talking than actually doing. I know, it sounds like I'm panning this classic. I don't think it's a bad story, but keep in mind that this is a Romantic novel, not a modern horror novel, and you'll be better prepared for what it actually is.
Unfortunately, he faces rejection at every turn. Frankenstein's initial project to build him is a mad fit of brilliance, which he regrets the moment the monster opens his eyes. This happens, by the way, very early in the book. Frankenstein flees from the thing he's created, and by the time he returns home, the creature has run off. When next we see the monster, he's articulate and learned, but despises his creator for abandoning him, and the human race for fearing and hating him. Although the monster does great evil, we are moved to pity him, as we are moved to pity Viktor, who suffers greatly at his hands.
If you read this book, expect the same themes and style that you see from most Romantic authors. The great evil of society, the emotional self-involvement, the conceit of each chapter being a letter or journal entry, and much more time thinking and talking than actually doing. I know, it sounds like I'm panning this classic. I don't think it's a bad story, but keep in mind that this is a Romantic novel, not a modern horror novel, and you'll be better prepared for what it actually is.
