Frankenstein: or The Modern Prometheus (Oxford World's Classics): Amazon.co.uk: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, M. K. Joseph: Books

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"The select bibliography by M.K. Joseph is of benefit to our students."--Dr. Darlene J. Alberts, Ohio Dominican College
"This has proved ideal for my Freshman class...compact, inexpensive, clearly printed with margins big enough to scribble in!"--Hilary Kaplan, University of California and Los Angeles
"The best general edition of this classic text in terms of text, notes, and general design."--Barry M. Katz, Stanford University
"Indispensable for the study of Shelley's Frankenstein."--Eric Rabkin, University of Michigan
"Marilyn Butlers introduction was comprehensive and informative and provided a valuable background for my general intro to lit students. The inclusion of the apprndices was also useful and thought-provoking."--Stephanie Wardrop, Colorado State University

Book Description

A gorgeous new edition of this dark classic tale --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
You will rejoice to hear that no disaster has accompanied the commencement of an enterprise which you have regarded with such evil forebodings. Read the first page

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Concordance

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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

153 Reviews

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More original and disturbing than any "Frankenstein" film, 22 Jan 2011

By

Ian Thumwood "ian17577" (Winchester) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Frankenstein: Or, the Modern Prometheus (Penguin Popular Classics) (Paperback)

In the past I have read several science fiction "classics" such as "War of the worlds", "The Lost World" and several Jules Verne and it is probably been fair to say that these books have been undone by "science fact" with their enduring appeal proabably assisted by Hollywood films or BBC productions. These books have proved to be hugely disappointing and frequently very poorly written. Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" is saturated in the melodrama of her age but the quality of the writing and the true horror in many instances genuinely mark this book up as a classsic.

The most striking thing is just how different this book is from your perception. I was surprised just how little I actually knew of the story as it bears no resemblance to any film about "Frankenstein" I have seen. In fact, Shelley offers very little physical description of her "daemon" and the horror of the narrative stems from the fact that the monster has almost super-human powers with which to torment his creator Victor Frankenstein. I was fascinated by the first third of the book and by the time I had read with disbelief that the story could take such a turn concerning the machinations that brought about the fate of the character Justine, I was totally hooked. Oddly for a book of the early 19th Century, the story does not conclude with a totally satisfactory ending and the monster's intended fate would definately have shocked the audience of the time. Part of the book's success stems from the fact that the monster is extremely intelligent and has a strong conscience yet remains hell bent on bringing about the most terrible destruction of the things his creator holds dear.

Ultimately, my impression was why had film directors in the past taken so many liberties with the original story when this would so obviously make a powerful film with some wonderful locations and plenty of menace to produce a piece of cinema that would have such memorable scenes as to be compelling. Definately worth checking out.

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48 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Forget your preconceptions and read a classic., 12 Jan 2005

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Ian Tapley "thefragrantwookiee" - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Frankenstein (Wordsworth Classics): Or, the Modern Prometheus (Paperback)

THE STORY:
An intelligent and promising young student indulges a moment of thoughtless scientific passion and creates life. Horrified at himself, Victor Frankenstein shuns the creature and attempts to continue his life without thinking about it. The creature, however, is lost in an unkind world and he never stops thinking about Frankenstein.

WHAT'S GOOD:
Forget square-heads and green make-up, forget that dreadful modern remake with Kenneth Branagh and Robert DeNiro sit down and read one of the most remarkable science fiction stories ever written. It is basically about two men, Frankenstein and 'the wretch', who are so consumed by passion and pride that they are drawn ever further from the redemption that at times is tantalisingly close. These two men are all too easy to empathise with; Victor being a scientific genius but also scared witless by the horror he feels he has unleashed upon mankind and 'the wretch' (I can't honestly call him monster) who wants only to be loved but is so pained by his loneliness that he lashes out at others. Perhaps my favourite element of the book is the fact that the wretch reads 'Paradise Lost' and, having no concept of fiction, takes it all as complete truth, subtley warping his perception of reality.

WHAT'S BAD:
As with a lot of 19th century literature, this book can be ponderous at times, seeming to deliberately avoid getting on with the story. Also, like a lot of 19th century literature, this book is incredibly depressing. By the time you've read it, you'll be in no doubt that you've read a masterpiece, but you'll also be as miserable as sin.

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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Evocative creation of a mood of bleak despair, 18 Feb 2007

By

John Hopper (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE) (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Frankenstein (Wordsworth Classics): Or, the Modern Prometheus (Paperback)

This is primarily a novel that sets out to create an atmosphere of fear, horror and despair and succeeds admirably in so doing. Mary Shelley must have had an appalling dream but she brought it to life in wonderful, evocative language and at such a young age (only 19 when she wrote the book). The monster is so different from the monster of the films. Here he is no lumbering, stupid brute, but an agile, resourceful and calculating creature who can and does conduct a deep and thoughtful dialogue with his creator when explaining his background story. But at the same time the monster carries out horrible murders of Frankenstein's nearest and dearest and these deaths are shocking when they happen. The science is almost non-existent and we never find out how Frankenstein creates the monster nor indeed what the monster really looks like other than being repulsively hideous. But that is not the purpose of the book, which is to set a mood and raise philosophical questions about the purpose of scientific discovery. And Mary Shelley does this brilliantly.

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