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A review by heather3879
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
challenging
dark
sad
slow-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
4.0
I’ve heard for years that I just HAD to read this classic; that it is so very different from the story of Frankenstein we all recall when we hear the name. And this is true.
The “monster” created by Frankenstein is no serial-killer-brained Boris Karloff: rather, he is a human being turned into a monster by society’s continual rejection. Frankenstein’s monster experiences that most human desire for belonging and teaches himself language and literacy in an attempt to be part of the world, but he is so vastly “other” that he is unacceptable to the world. The monster’s story is tragic and compelling, and while he is supposed to be “other,” I think most people will find him relatable.
Frankenstein himself is irritating and self-absorbed. Rather than coming clean about having created and abandoned a monster, he keeps his secret and falls into “fevers” until everyone is convinced he’s insane and can’t be speaking the truth. The ethical dilemmas he faces are real, but as a character, he was not one with whom I empathized.
The letters in which the story was embedded seemed unnecessary to me and just added too many characters and layers to the story.
A very good read overall, and even more compelling after reading this feature in The New Yorker about Mary Shelley’s life and themes identified in the book:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/02/12/the-strange-and-twisted-life-of-frankenstein
The “monster” created by Frankenstein is no serial-killer-brained Boris Karloff: rather, he is a human being turned into a monster by society’s continual rejection. Frankenstein’s monster experiences that most human desire for belonging and teaches himself language and literacy in an attempt to be part of the world, but he is so vastly “other” that he is unacceptable to the world. The monster’s story is tragic and compelling, and while he is supposed to be “other,” I think most people will find him relatable.
Frankenstein himself is irritating and self-absorbed. Rather than coming clean about having created and abandoned a monster, he keeps his secret and falls into “fevers” until everyone is convinced he’s insane and can’t be speaking the truth. The ethical dilemmas he faces are real, but as a character, he was not one with whom I empathized.
The letters in which the story was embedded seemed unnecessary to me and just added too many characters and layers to the story.
A very good read overall, and even more compelling after reading this feature in The New Yorker about Mary Shelley’s life and themes identified in the book:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/02/12/the-strange-and-twisted-life-of-frankenstein