description: The original Frankenstein is a far cry from the sensational horror movies that have borrowed from its elements. It is a large-scale drama about a being who is judged as a monster because of his appearance, and who then spurns the society-and the maker-that rejects him. The story begins with Dr. Frankenstein's rescue from an iceberg. As he relives his past in conversation with the ship's captain, he bitterly regrets the blind ambition that led him neglect everything he held dear, in his zeal to create a living creature. When he succeeds in his experiment, he regrets his accomplishment, and abandons the monster. In heartrending terms, the monster describes the rejection and hostility he endures. In the midst of his loneliness and pain he finds love, only to be misunderstood and spurned once more. Society teaches him to hate. Mary Shelley wrote the manuscript when she was still in her teenage years, and in doing so defined the gothic romance genre. She wrestled with many moral questions in the What responsibilities do we have toward the things we create? When does technology stop helping and start hurting people? What harm can society do when it judges merely by outer appearance? These moral ambiguities leave us wondering who the real monster is in the beautiful story of the original Frankenstein.
language: English
title: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
titlecomplete: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (Horror Library)
characters: Felix, Justine Moritz, Caroline Beaufort Frankenstein, William Frankenstein, Elizabeth Lavenza, Henry Clerval, Safie, Robert Walton, Victor Frankenstein, Ernest Frankenstein, Alphonse Frankenstein, De Lacey, Agatha, The Monster (Frankenstein)
genres: Fiction, Classics, Gothic, Science Fiction, Read For School, Horror, Fantasy, Literature, Novels, School
ratings_count: 1519246
places: Ingolstadt, Switzerland, Germany, Geneva, Arctic Circle
publisher: Dercum Pr Audio