Frankenstein (Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism) [Paperback]

"Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley is a fascinating book. I was prejudiced by the film adaptations of this novel. To start with I had no idea that Frankenstein is actually Victor Frankenstein, the creator of a monster. The monster that was created is not called Frankenstein; it is his creator's name.

The monster is the creation of Victor Frankenstein and the monster is lithe, strong, fast and intelligent; this again differs greatly from any film version of the book.

In reading the book I sympathized with the monster that is spurned by his master and by all who gaze upon his repugnant form. The monster flees from society and lives in a hovel, while secretly observing a family which consists of a blind father, a daughter and a son. In observing the family the monster learns their language and learns about love and acceptance and thus learns about the wretchedness of his own existence; how he longs to be part of the family. He attempts to join the family, but one glance at his hideous frame and the family rejects him with great horror.

The monster then seeks out his maker and is rejected once again and this turns his soul to malevolence and revenge.

Victor Frankenstein loses his brother, friend and wife to the monsters murdering hands and indirectly the monster is responsible for the death of Victor's father and a friend of Victor's family. Victor pursues his creation to the ends of earth to rid mankind of the fiend. The story ends up in the North Pole and the ending is tragic. Victor loses his life in his journey and once his creator is dead the monster decides there is no reason for his own existence.

"Frankenstein" is a fabulous read, a read that has you sympathizing with the monster. His creator rejected him when all he wanted was acceptance. Mankind rejected him due to his hideous appearance. He was kind and giving, but turned to hatred and evil due to society's rejection of his physical being. "Frankenstein" is a thought provoking read.

I enjoyed this book, even though it was nothing like anything that I expected. When I first thought of Frankenstein, I saw a creature that was ten feet tall, had bolts in his neck, and was hideously ugly. As I started reading the book, I soon realized that Frankenstein wasn't the name of the creature at all, it was the inventor. Mary Shelley never gave the creature a name, which I thought was odd. She did give a description of him, but I was surprised that it was nothing like the "classical image of Frankenstein." This book was at times hard to follow, and hard to predict. At times, I wondered if this hideous creature was really so bad. Mary Shelley painted this picture of thoughtfulness and actually gave the creature a heart. He was seen as a monster by society, when in fact he had the heart of a human to the reader. This book puts all the movies that I have ever seen about Frankenstein to shame. I started to wonder where the writers of the movie got their information, because they changed one of the most important elements of the book-the creation and the character names.

Frankenstein is a book for all ages. Frankenstein has shown versatility throughout its life. This book has been adapted by its readers to represent all eras. It offers the reader a look not only into the past but also to the near future. With such things as the Human Gnome project in mid-flourish Frankenstein has yet again opened the eyes of its readers. The horror is not in the story but is in the representation it presents to us today. Technology, science, love, and when you throw in the ambition of "Victor" you can closely relate to this tale. Mary Schelley may have never intended for Frankenstein to be a book into the subconscious, or a representation of Marxist ideologies and various other criticism, but it has lend itself to be a perfect subject for study. Frankenstein is truly a book worthy of reading by the most critical of readers.