Review: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Summary:
The novel begins with explorer Robert Walton looking for a new passage from Russia to the Pacific Ocean via the Arctic Ocean. After weeks as sea, the crew of Walton's ship finds an emaciated man, Victor Frankenstein, floating on an ice flow near death. In Walton's series of letters to his sister in England, he retells Victor's tragic story.
Growing up in Geneva, Switzerland, Victor is a precocious child, quick to learn all new subjects. He is raised with Elizabeth, an orphan adopted by his family. Victor delights in the sciences and vows to someday study science. Victor prepares to leave for his studies at the University of Ingolstadt, when his mother and Elizabeth become ill with scarlet fever. Caroline dies from the disease, and Elizabeth is nursed back to health.
At the university, Victor meets his professors M. Krempe and M. Waldman. For two years, Victor becomes very involved with his studies, even impressing his teachers and fellow students. He devises a plan to re-create and reanimate a dead body. He uses a combination of chemistry, alchemy, and electricity to make his ambition a reality.
After bringing the creature to life, Victor feels guilty that he has brought a new life into the world with no provisions for taking care of the "monster." He runs away in fear and disgust from his creation and his conscience. The monster wanders the countryside while Victor seeks solace in a tavern near the university. Henry Clerval appears to save Victor and restore him to health.
(I didn't put the rest of the summery here because there are spoilers in there).
My opinion:
The book was different than I thought it would be. When I think of Frankenstein, I think about horror, a monster and really scary scenes. The book was very different! It's more a psychological book with the love fore nature and about life and dead. I also don't like it when there are so many gasps in a story/chapter (like now it's Spring, two paragraphs later: now it's Summer etc.) because that makes a story really boring.
But I really appreciate this story. Mary Shelley was only 18 years old when she wrote this book. She wrote it in a contest (like NaNoWriMo) and I can't write a story like that and I'm already 19 and especially not from a mans view. I also understand why this is a classic and why people like it so much (back then) because I believe this is one of the first ''horror'' books (I believe Edgar Allan Poe was the first one) so there weren't many horror books or young adult books like there are now. Because of this I gave this book 3.5 stars.
I also liked some quotes. Here are the ones I liked:
“A human being in perfection ought always to preserve a calm and peaceful mind and never to allow passion or a transitory desire to disturb his tranquility. “
“Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change. “
These quotes say so much about this book and, it's like I said, more about psychology than horror.
I really want to see some movie adaptations. I saw a list from worse to best (click here) and I only want to see the best one (from 1931) and Frankenweenie. This is a childrens/cartoon adaption, created by Tim Burton. He also created Sweeney Todd and Les Misérables (2012) so perfectly so I'm really curious about that version! If you have any other suggestions: please let me know!
Have you read the book and what was your opinion about it?
