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It was drawn out. I liked it but it was difficult to read on the train.Maybe I should have read it in a place where I could be able to really absorb the material.
The effects he must face from playing god were valuable lessons then and have modern applications as well. Shelley's portrayal of Victor, the tortures he experiences and the impact his creation has on his life is well described throughout the book. Well worth the read. This is another book currently assigned by high schools. It is an intriguing and dramatic story of the Frankenstein monster that Hollywood has yet to match. In the middle, the story does slow in pace, but the realizations presented add significant substance to the plot and outcome.
In a century where image is all and beauty is mistaken for intelligence, Frankenstein's story is all too contemporary. Mary Shelley's story, which must be read in full appreciation of the style and sensibilities of the 19th century, is actually the sad story of a creature rejected by its creator. Thanks to a string of Hollywood's idiotic executives focused on cheap thrills, decades of bonehead movies have used Frankenstein in their title, but have kept nothing of the original story. As a result, readers that grab this title seeking a horror story (gory or not) stand to be disappointed. Love and love denied, revenge and forgiveness, rejection and acceptance, right and wrong - and how human judgment is tainted by appearances.
While Frankenstein has a nervous breakdown and is ill for months, the monster is set loose on the world.By the time Frankenstein recovers and tracks down his monster, the monster has developed a startling self-awareness. Or, possibly, a collection of corpses sewn together. Frankenstein isn't sure that he can or should give into the monster's demands, though.This book was much less a scary horror story, and more a story of psychology. It turns out I was completely wrong; this story was very surprising to me.Victor Frankenstein, a scientist, always wanted to make a mark on the world. What should Frankenstein's obligation be to this monster that he created. Frankenstein is never completely forthcoming on how his monster came to be.Once the reanimation is successful, though, Frankenstein finds himself confronted with a huge, ugly, fully alive monster.
We are invited to think about the reasons why Frankenstein would feel compelled to create this monster in the first place, and then to think about what should be done with a creature who is self-aware and so unhappy about his place in the world. Although I've never seen any of the Frankenstein movies, I was pretty sure that just growing up in the United States I had a pretty firm cultural grasp on the Frankenstein story. When he was given the opportunity to do some research and experiments on his own, he applied some information he'd read in some books and reanimated a corpse. He hates himself and his creator, and demands that Frankenstein somehow make things right.
While the book was probably very scary and very controversial in 1818, it didn't really translate through the centuries. I knew that the movies veered pretty far from the actual plot of the book, but still expected something more. I rated this book based more for being a horror classic and for basically inventing the creature feature horror genre and less on actual entertainment and merit. I did not enjoy this book. I should have and probably would have if I hadn't seen so many Frankenstein movies. At least for me it didn't.
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