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Review
"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
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
"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
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'In this new edition of Mary Shelley's classic work, Butler ... sets the work in its historical and intellectual context. She shows in details why the 1818 edition should be preferred to the third edition of 1831, on which most modern editions are based, revealing the 1818 version to be wittier, more clever, and harder-edged than the pious version which is more familiar.' - Reference and Research Book News 'The first appendix, detailing the differences between the editions, is useful for Shelley scholars, and Butler's work on scientific debate nicely counterpoints and complements other recent work, which has tended to concentrate on more specifically feminist, social and political issues.' - Emma McEvoy, Goldsmith's College, University of London
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format: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.
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.
49 of 52 people found the following review helpful
Format: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.
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.
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format: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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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Good present idea
My parents went to go and see this at the local theatre a while ago and my dad really wanted to read the book so being the amazing daughter that I am, I bought it as a present for... Read more
Published 7 days ago by Ms. L. J. Hawley
Thick Monster!!!
This book was alright but WAS SO THIN!!! If you're looking for an interesting book which keeps you occupied for 20 minutes get this. Read more
Published 12 days ago by sparkling ella
Still arguably the best horror story ever
Frankenstein, along with Dracula, is one of the most well-known horror stories in the world, combining art and science in a well-crafted interwoven way. Read more
Published 14 days ago by Prof J. P. Bowen
Tragedy made beautiful...
Now I wasn't prepared for this! Much in the same way as Treasure Island surprised me by being so much more than a book about pirates and parrots, so Frankenstein is so much more... Read more
Published 27 days ago by Stuart Ayris
Upbeat, it is not.
Just as another book I just reviewed (Catcher in the Rye), I wanted to read this as I'm going through a "classic novels" phase. And similar to CitR, this is incredibly dull. Read more
Published 1 month ago by dawnage
Preconceptions shattered
Many of us feel we know the story of Frankenstein and have a vision of his'monster' from other art forms (even if we do know that Frankenstein is not the name of the monster! Read more
Published 1 month ago by Estelle Longmore
An excellent short story which I can always make time for
First I must aay thank you to Amazon for their magnificent service. I was also pleased with the story of Frankenstein. A well written short story I can always make time for. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jeffrey Stevens
Monstered
This is a pretty awful book. The basic premise - the creation of life - is an original idea and could have been developed into a fascinating allegory about creating something... Read more
Published 1 month ago by A. C. Dickens
Ok.
It is a little poor in the text and it is also not good in description. If you want to by this as an Audio Book or not it shall be tedious for children. Read more
Published 3 months ago by manickam
A dyslexics review of our frank!
I'm 38 years old and I've only been reading for the past 7 years. Its been a challenge that I've worked very hard to overcome. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mr. Paul Williams
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