Frankenstein (Enriched Classics) | Mary Shelley

Frankenstein (Enriched Classics) | Mary Shelley | Life as it shouldn't be.

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Frankenstein (Enri...

	Frankenstein (Enriched Classics) Mary Shelley Pocket, 2004 - 352 pages average customer review:based on 35 reviews view larger image
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Not just a classic

This book goes beyond a "classic". Many of the classics I have read have felt out dated, trite, or just plain boring but Frankenstein is not one of those classics. I've read a number of amazing classics too, but I was blown away by this novel. With all the renditions of Frankenstein in movie form none do this book justice.

Fantastic!

Life as it shouldn't be.

"Life, although it may only be an accumulation of anguish, is dear to me... I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend. Make me happy, and I shall again be virtuous." This was said by none other than M. Frankenstein's monstrous creation. To me this quote sums up one of the most important themes in the book. This theme being that all life is very difficult to deal with, but we still strive to live even if times are very hard. It also throws up the question: Are we born pure and good? Because the monster says that when created he was all about being a good man, but now that he is miserable he is a bad person. Mary Shelley wrote this book on a dare from Lord Byron in 1816. This was supposed to be a ghost story, even thought to me it doesn't really seem like a ghost story, but more of a story about playing god, and about life's hardships. Two of her daughters died during infancy, only one son survived. Her husband drowned while sailing in 1822. Mary Shelley died at the age of 53 in 1851. As you can see her life was full of hardships, and loneliness. This makes a lot of sense because if you read Frankenstein you get a sense of horrid loneliness throughout the entire novel. Emotionally this book plays a toll on pity for M. Frankenstein as well as the monster. No one is happy for more than a page or two in this book, and during this rut of happiness they are constantly nagged by something in the back of their mind. It is a very good story and has a lot of very good points about life in it, but the book leaves you feeling...cold and alone.

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Frankenstein

"Night quickly shut in, but to my extreme wonder, I found that the cottagers had a means of prolonging light by the use of tapers." - It describes how the monster was left all alone and didn't understand anything, but would find out a great deal about people.

Victor Frankenstein is a person who likes to be with people but at the same time likes to be alone. He created Frankenstein. He is a really friendly guy but at the same time he has a passion to get back at the monster he created for killing all of his friends and family. He has a thing about doing what he thinks is best too.

The Monster is someone who doesn't understand the meaning of life. He goes around trying to find out his purpose, and he is treated badly by every human he meets. So he goes bad and starts getting back at Frankenstein for making him and not making him a wife.

The story takes place in Europe, around the 17th century. It mainly takes place in Geneva.

It is a mystery kind of story.

He used a lot or describing words, he described everything really good. He used a wide viraty of words. He is a good author, and he kept the ending good. I liked it.

The problem is that the monster starts killing people and Frankenstein has to stop him. The monster is going out of control just to get revenge at his creator.

I think that people who like adventurous books would, but they have to be able to read a lot, and be able to read through some boring parts because there were a few.

I liked the book and would rate it a 7 out of ten. But the author used a few words a lot. But the story plot was good, and was pretty easy to follow as long as you were reading it and not just looking at it. It grabbed my attention, but at the same time some parts were just boring. And if you were to read it you would have to be able to know what some of the words mean, there were a few weird words too. But all in all I liked it.

I would definitely read another book by this author. But this time I wouldn't cram all of my reading in until the last minute. All in all I liked the book.

By JT

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Frankenstein

In the book Frankenstein, the author, Mary Shelley tells a story about a monster that the protagonist, Victor Frankenstein, creates. Well at the beginning of the book, it leads off with the narrator, Robert Walton, writing letters to his sister Margaret Saville. They are summarizing what Walton did, when he met Victor Frankenstein and how he nursed him back to health. After Victor is becomes healthy, Victor starts telling Walton his story. Victor starts by telling Walton about his early life, where he was born and where he lived, just a little back round information. After this is when you start to learn about Elizabeth, Victor's lifelong companion. Later in the years he starts to make a new friend named Henry Clerval, their friendship blooms. At the age of seventeen Victor goes to a University in Ingolstadt. Before he leaves his mother catches scarlet fever form Elizabeth, who she is nursing back to health. While at the university he creates a monster, which has no name. The monster terrorizes Victor and he becomes ill. Henry nurses him, when he is healthy again he receives a letter from his father saying that his brother William has been murdered. Justin Mortz is convicted of the murder she didn't commit and is executed. But come to find out the monster killed William. Later you find out that Victor meets the monster and finds out that he can talk and he shows emotions. The monster tells Victor of his past and how he learned how to speak. But when Felix scares him away he promises to himself that he will reject all humans. He comes across William and William mentions the name Alphonse and is strangled by the monster to death. After the monster finishes his story he tells Victor that he wants a female companion, after an agreement Victor agrees to make a female monster. When Victor, his father, and Henry go on a two-year tour, Victor finds himself making the female monster. But when he has second thoughts that they will make a "Devil race" he destroys the monster. When the monster finds out that Victor destroyed the companion the monster kills Henry. Victor is found innocent of Hery's murder and goes back to Geneva.

I found that the book was well written and that Mary Shelley, describes the characters with greatest descriptions. I believe that when the monster was telling his story that she put a lot of effort into letting people know what happened to him. That made me want to read the book more.

I would suggest that all ages should read this book because it is great entertainment when you have nothing to do. People who like mysteries will have more fun reading this book then a person who likes drama.

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"cursed, cursed creator."

Victor grew up reading the works of Paracelsus, Agrippa, and Albertus Magnus, the alchemists of the time. Toss in a little natural philosophy (sciences) and you have the making of a monster. Or at least a being that after being spurned for looking ugly becomes ugly. So for revenge the creature decides unless Victor makes another (female this time) creature, that Victor will also suffer the loss of friends and relatives. What is victor to do? Bow to the wishes and needs of his creation? Or challenge it to the death? What would you do?
Although the concept of the monster is good, and the conflicts of the story well thought out, Shelly suffers from the writing style of the time. Many people do not finish the book as the language is stilted and verbose for example when was the last time you said, "Little did I then expect the calamity that was in a few moments to overwhelm me and extinguish in horror and despair all fear of ignominy of death."
Much of the book seems like travel log filler. More time describing the surroundings of Europe than the reason for traveling or just traveling. Many writers use traveling to reflect time passing or the character growing in stature or knowledge. In this story they just travel a lot.
This book is definitely worth plodding through for moviegoers. The record needs to be set strait. First shock is that the creator is named Victor Frankenstein; the creature is just "monster" not Frankenstein. And it is Victor that is backwards which added in him doing the impossible by not knowing any better. The monster is well read in "Sorrows of a Young Werther," "Paradise Lost," and Plutarch's "Lives." The debate (mixed with a few murders) rages on as to whether the monster was doing evil because of his nature or because he was spurned?

Paradise Lost (Penguin Classics)

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reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, page 7

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