Reviews
Frankenstein: Annotated for Scientists, Engineers, and Creators of All Kinds by Mary Shelley
colette_aesthetiqlit's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
edbasham123's review against another edition
5.0
Read this for English GCSE. Would be worth a re-read
swxxt_dxath's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
maaarta's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
thebookwasbetter_22's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
sarful's review against another edition
5.0
A classic for a reason.
Armed with man’s arrogance, lack of foresight and visions of fame, Victor Frankenstein adventures to use his education and imagination to reanimate a human life. He creates his “monster”, hideous in size and aesthetics, and runs away from it, in shame.
Told in epistolary form, we see Frankenstein hounded by his own creation until he’s nothing but regret, sorrow, loss and deathly ill. But, really, my sympathies went to his monster, fiend, but ultimately a sad creature. Left alone when he awakes, the creature is horribly shunned in fear by all he encounters. He watches a family from afar and falls in love with them, learns from them, but once they see him, he’s shunned again. Everywhere he goes, the only thing he craves, love, is violently pulled from his grasp. Until finally, he’s filled with revenge for his creator, violent revenge.
And while what happens to Frankenstein is pretty terrible, he really did lead himself straight to where he ends up, miserable and alone, just like his creation. Only really, in the end at least Victor had been loved and even at his death had a friend. Compassion shouldn’t have been so hard to feel for Frankenstein, I mean geez.
Obviously, Frankenstein is mankind, willing to create anything he imagines, but often unwilling to accept its consequences. As relevant today as it was when published.
Armed with man’s arrogance, lack of foresight and visions of fame, Victor Frankenstein adventures to use his education and imagination to reanimate a human life. He creates his “monster”, hideous in size and aesthetics, and runs away from it, in shame.
Told in epistolary form, we see Frankenstein hounded by his own creation until he’s nothing but regret, sorrow, loss and deathly ill. But, really, my sympathies went to his monster, fiend, but ultimately a sad creature. Left alone when he awakes, the creature is horribly shunned in fear by all he encounters. He watches a family from afar and falls in love with them, learns from them, but once they see him, he’s shunned again. Everywhere he goes, the only thing he craves, love, is violently pulled from his grasp. Until finally, he’s filled with revenge for his creator, violent revenge.
And while what happens to Frankenstein is pretty terrible, he really did lead himself straight to where he ends up, miserable and alone, just like his creation. Only really, in the end at least Victor had been loved and even at his death had a friend. Compassion shouldn’t have been so hard to feel for Frankenstein, I mean geez.
Obviously, Frankenstein is mankind, willing to create anything he imagines, but often unwilling to accept its consequences. As relevant today as it was when published.
mariceltanya's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
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
4.0
theoliveprincess's review against another edition
Well. This was way less exciting than I expected. Even the exciting parts just kind of happened before there was time to react. But, considering the source and era I'm going to leave the boring parts alone.
Where did we get the modern day myth and description of Frankenstein? Through the movies? How did they get everything so grossly wrong? Penny Dreadful did a better job of depicting Frankenstein's creature (and their feelings toward each other) than the movies did. The PD version, so much more like the fiend in Frankenstein's tale, is intelligent, wrathful, strong, curious, and deeply, deeply, hurt. I believe what struck me more than anything else in this tale was his early childish faith and hope in everything, and his heartbreaking pain to have his every good act thrown back into his face simply because of his appearance. I can't really blame him for his actions once he realized what had happened to him.
I have always despised the person of Dr. Frankenstein as a selfish, spoiled person with no real sense of compassion or care, except as it pertained to his own existence. You would think that someone who was smart enough to CREATE LIFE would have had a clue, or a better sense of responsibility than to just weakly run away from something he created. Who can blame the monster for his course of action? This of course requires a longer discussion, but I'm out of time so that was my two cents' worth.
Where did we get the modern day myth and description of Frankenstein? Through the movies? How did they get everything so grossly wrong? Penny Dreadful did a better job of depicting Frankenstein's creature (and their feelings toward each other) than the movies did. The PD version, so much more like the fiend in Frankenstein's tale, is intelligent, wrathful, strong, curious, and deeply, deeply, hurt. I believe what struck me more than anything else in this tale was his early childish faith and hope in everything, and his heartbreaking pain to have his every good act thrown back into his face simply because of his appearance. I can't really blame him for his actions once he realized what had happened to him.
I have always despised the person of Dr. Frankenstein as a selfish, spoiled person with no real sense of compassion or care, except as it pertained to his own existence. You would think that someone who was smart enough to CREATE LIFE would have had a clue, or a better sense of responsibility than to just weakly run away from something he created. Who can blame the monster for his course of action? This of course requires a longer discussion, but I'm out of time so that was my two cents' worth.