Frankenstein
by Mary Shelley
The (a) story begins with Robert Walton, the captain of an exploration vessel that has become trapped in the ice during a foolhardy attempt to reach the North Pole. When, in the midst of their confinement, he takes in a weakened and weary dogsled traveler by the name of Victor Frankenstein, an unexpected and much welcomed friendship begins to develop. But as the charming yet withdrawn Frankenstein opens up about the circumstances that brought him north, a horrific tale of life and death, of madness and guilt, of men and monsters, and of vengeance ultimately unravels.
The (A) story is about monsters—but not simply the ones that exist to terrify us, but the ones we make as well as the ones we (sometimes) become. Along that same line of thinking, the book is also about isolation, and the horrific possibilities that neglect and loneliness can extract from an otherwise well-meaning soul simply searching for their place of belonging.
Another theme the story of Frankenstein covers is ambition, and the consequences that may arise when we put that ambition before everything else in our lives.
If you want a more detailed look at my history with the story of Frankenstein, feel free to read my post, “Why Frankenstein Should Have Won Best Adapted Screenplay.” Otherwise, I will keep it short and sweet: I see why this story has captivated readers for centuries. It certainly has more heart to it than you would otherwise expect from a Gothic horror novel—and it has definitely earned its reputation as one of the first works of science-fiction to ever exist.
If anything, Shelley just has a tendency to drone on and on about things that are really inconsequential in the long run. More than once as I was reading I thought to myself, C’mon, Victor, quit ogling the countryside and get back to the MAN you CREATED! (Save the lengthy descriptions of the landscape for Regency romances and fantasy fiction, please.) But apart from my nitpicky attitude about Shelley’s descriptions, Frankenstein is indeed a new classic to add to my list of favorites.
To anyone who finds the idea of the big green guy who just grunts and groans all the time and has metal bolts sticking out of his neck incredibly boring… Yes, it is. So go read the book instead and become acquainted with the much more interesting original source material.
