Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

Frankenstien by Mary Shelley

24 reviews

lilacerie's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

“Life, although it may only be an accumulation of anguish, is dear to me, and I will defend it🏔️🌌”

Frankenstein is a sweeping, gothic delight that provides interesting insight into human nature + the depth of human cruelty. I honestly found myself able to discuss it at length with lots of people around me because the themes presented are so engaging. It depicts what it means to be Othered through the creature and is an exploration of the conflict between all-consuming individualistic pursuits of greatness and the human need for community, connection and love. Victor’s rejection of community is what ultimately led to his downfall and that same lack of love and care is what he cursed his Creature child to. What I found particularly poignont and painful is Victor’s positioning as a failed parent and the Creature’s as his scorned child. It was so heart-wrenching and beautifully executed. I thought I enjoyed the sections centered on Victor, but when I first read from the Creature's perspective, I was utterly swept away. Reading about him lumbering through the forest awkwardly with the senses of a confused child cut deep and the depth of loneliness experienced by his character is rendered in dazzling clarity in Shelley's atmospheric prose. Something that stuck with me is the solace both characters found in the natural world, and I felt a pang of heartbreak thinking about how both father and cursed son wandered through the world with only the moon and the mountains for company.

This is one of my favourite books but I’m knocking off a star for the deeply orientalist portray of Safie sometimes called ‘The Arabian’ like she’s a sought after breed of horse and her father who is only referred to as ‘the Turk’, ‘the treacherous Turk’ or ‘the unfortunate Muhammadan’. I’d recommend reading Sauleha Kamal’s
‘ Muslim Women and the Victim/Seductress Binary in Frankenstein and “Alastor” ’ for more on this. As a Muslim woman, this subplot left a bad taste in my mouth but I don’t expect much from Mary Shelley considering that she’s an upper class, white Victorian woman whose mother was literally Mary Wollstonecraft (Wollstonecraft’s ideas of women’s liberation in relation to 'Eastern women' have racist, orientalist underpinnings).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Murder, and Abandonment

mr_d8a's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Fascinating concept. The language of the story is very high society and somewhat to flowery for a reader some 200 years removed. If there were a translation that was more readable it might be better. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, and Classism

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

orchidlilly's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Death, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Body horror, Chronic illness, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism

rin_varga's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I enjoyed reading this classic immensely! I'm so glad that I decided to start it in the heart of winter just after the holidays since I discovered so much of the mood is wrapped up in desolate, frigid landscapes & frozen tundra.

If you've only ever watched the 1930s movie like me, then the original 1818 version will feel like a completely new story to you!

I appreciated how much heart, empathy, passion & flaws we see as both Victor & his creature explore the same feelings (believing that they're completely different from one another) such as hubris, the spectrum of morality, justice, & if wickedness is due to nature or nurture. The book even begins & ends through the lens of a third party, leaving us the reader free to sympathize a bit with both Victor & his creature who are at such odds with each other.

I didn't expect to get as emotionally invested in the characters as I did--it was a pleasant surprise to find myself hoping, grieving & crying on their behalf, especially the monster who so desperately & sincerely loves people & longs to be accepted for who he is on the inside💔

The middle of the novel could drag on at times, especially as Victor traveled and couldn't shake his fears, regrets & melancholy no matter who he was with or what he was doing for long. In the begin & by the end though, events picked up again in anticipation & drama leaving me at the edge of my seat!

There may be a little good & evil in everyone, & this novel explores in depth just how much enemies can be more similar than they'd like to believe. I'd recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind a little (or a lot) of gray area & want to try a classic where emotions are a strong motivation--both for the characters & us as readers!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Stalking, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, and Xenophobia

Minor: Child death, Confinement, Gore, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Stalking, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

mobymaize's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Yeah, I mean it's fucking Frankenstein, like you got to read it. It is the first sci-fi novel, of course you have to read it. ALSO READ THE 1818 VERSION, IT'S A LOT BETTER.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

kierank's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Transgender awakening 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Body horror, Suicide, Violence, and Xenophobia

celisabeth's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Things don’t go as planned for Dr. Frankenstein, and his creature (aptly named The Creature) turns against him. What I will say is this: Frankenstein has been told and retold since its publication, but one thing that is certain, is that the original novel is not so much about fear or horror or monsters, but what happens when a living thing becomes lonely. After learning more about Shelley’s life, it becomes clear that The Creature’s monologues come from a very personal place. In many ways, Shelley is The Creature. She did not ask to be made. She did not ask for the pressures put on her by her parents. She didn’t ask to be born into a world where sadness, loneliness, and rejection rule. She also didn’t ask to be a woman in the 19th century, without many options. At the time, women were supposed to be wives and mothers, and (in her mind) Shelley couldn’t even do that properly. 

Shelley works through her feelings of loneliness through her writing. But, she wasn’t allowed to claim her work the first time it was published due to her sex. It was published anonymously with a short introduction by her husband. Many thought that the novel was written by Percy, and he didn’t seem to mind taking credit for it. The second edition did give credit where credit was due, and Mary Shelley’s name was on the cover. Interestingly enough, when critics found out it was written by a woman, harsh reviews began to surface which criticized the novel, with a few publications refusing altogether to comment on the novel. But despite the harsh reviews, Frankenstein was an instant success and has remained largely read and studied since the 19th century. 

For me, it’s important to remember that Mary Shelley was just 18 years old when she wrote her masterpiece. It speaks on the hardships and melancholy that come along with being a teenager on the cusp of adulthood. She was trying to find her place in a world that was very difficult for a young woman. She was trying to express her feelings in a way that felt right. And, I think, if we take a closer look at Frankenstein, we can all recognize that we have a Creature living inside of us. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, and Abandonment

Moderate: Child death

Minor: Xenophobia and Islamophobia

pizzaisjesus98's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Stalking, Abandonment, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child death, Chronic illness, Self harm, Terminal illness, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical content, Gaslighting, and Classism

Minor: Animal death, Incest, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail

alphabetmafiamember's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Murder, and Abandonment

Moderate: Incest, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

co32minus's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A deliciously complex character narrative that still holds up to contemporary questions of the integrity of humanity, with plenty of room for interpretation and no fixed morality.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Xenophobia, and Murder