AnyBook4Less.com	Find the Best Price on the Web Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Home  |  Store List  |  FAQ  |  Contact Us  |
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money Keyword AuthorISBN

Title: Frankenstein: Or, the Modern Prometheus (World's Classics) by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, James Kinsley ISBN: 0-19-281532-6 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 01 August, 1982 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $4.95

Your Country USA Canada United Kingdom Australia Austria Belgium France Germany Italy Netherlands Switzerland Currency AutoUSD CAD GBP EUR AUD CHF Delivery Only cheapest delivery All delivery options Include Used Books Are you a club member of: Barnes and Noble Books A Million Chapters.Indigo.ca

Average Customer Rating: 4.08 (289 reviews)

Rating: 4
Summary: Who's the real monster?
Comment: Mention the name "Frankenstein" and the first image to pop into people's minds is one of a big, dumb, green guy with bolts coming out of the sides of his neck. Anyone reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstein for the first time may be surprised to learn that in the novel the creature is neither inarticulate nor ignorant. He is the product of a zealous doctor's quest to take life and death into his own hands. The creature is shunned by all mankind, including the one person who should feel some compassion or responsibility for him, his creator, Dr. Frankenstein. All the creature ever wants is to be accepted by society and to find companionship. With an intellect superior to that of the average human being, he learns to speak and read. It isn't until after he understands that he is doomed to a life of rejection that he seeks revenge, turning violent and murderous. The underlying question of the novel is, who is the real monster here, the formidable creature or the creator who abandoned him?

Through the creature's own words, we hear of his confused awakening and search for understanding. From the start he recognizes that his appearance is so horrifying as to repulse anyone who sees him. Fittingly, once he has taught himself how to speak and read, his first attempt at communication is with a blind man. When he realizes the futility of his search for a friend, he focuses his efforts on another objective - revenge upon the one who brought him into this cruel world. The creature sets out to make Frankenstein's life the same sort of hell as his own.

The scientist Frankenstein goes to great lengths to complete his experiment, realizing too late that there are consequences for interfering with the laws of nature. He brings to life a most unnatural beast, and flees in horror from the being he has created. Feeling no responsibility to comfort the creature in any way, he instead wishes to completely abandon it and forget that it even exits, leaving it to struggle single-handedly in a world where it does not belong. Is it any wonder that his creation becomes slightly incensed at his abandonment and seeks to create for Frankenstein a life equal to his own in misery and isolation?

Who deserves the label of "monster"? First-time readers of Shelley's novel may have a hard time accepting that the creature is not a purely evil or demonic being; contrary to popular belief, he does not just wake up and start strangling people. The creature in the novel has qualities we more easily identify with, such as the desire to be loved and accepted. On the other hand, Dr. Frankenstein's actions are questionable at times. Is the creature justified in his revenge? Or does Frankenstein get the bad end of the deal, his originally well-intentioned experiment gone sour? Either way, reading Mary W. Shelley's novel presents to us the viewpoint of a very different "monster" than we expect.

Rating: 4
Summary: Misunderstood Monster
Comment: Every year, millions children all around the United States dress up for Halloween, and many dress up as the malevolent Frankenstein's monster. But is Frankenstein's monster really evil? In today's society, it seems clear cut that someone who rips the heart out of an innocent person must be evil. However, this simply reflects our inability to look at such an event from a non-anthropocentric point of view. From the perspective of the monster, he only wanted revenge against a world that turned its back on him. Shelly does an excellent job of bringing you into all the pain and misery that the creature suffered ever since Victor Frankenstein created him. And as for his creator, Victor Frankenstein, was he good or evil? This ambitious young scientist wanted to play the role of God, however in his intellectual quest for understanding the nature of life, he managed to destroy everything he loved. This nicely illustrated the ethical dilemma that arises when the forces of nature are tampered with.

Frankenstein is a great read. For those who may be put off by the publication date of 1818, stick with it because the book is well worthwhile. It's much different than the popular conception of the story, which is not surprising, considering the way it has wended its way through popular culture for almost two centuries. Shelley pulls off quite a feat with this book, and rightly deserves the fame it has brought to her. Her attention to detail is magnificent, and her imagery was fantastic. The action scenes were extremely suspenseful, and they forced you to read on in order to see what happened next. Anyone in the mood for romance, suspense, agony, and action would truly love this book.

Rating: 4
Summary: Frankenstein Rev.
Comment: Frankenstein is a very inventive story. That is a must for any horror story fanatic. The mid-section of the book drags just a little (little too repetitive), but all and all it's a very good book. I could go on, but i dont feel like it. The books ok, i gave it 4 stars ..just ..because. read it u want to, if u dont want to, then dont ...whatever.