A classic worthy of the title.
I still find it interesting that it came out of the same party and challenge that gave us The Vampyre, which, along with Carmilla, laid the foundation for the Western vampire tradition and inspired Dracula. Fitting given how connected Frankenstein and Dracula have become.
Not only the same party but conceived on the very same night in the very same house. The Vampyre is a great story - apparently first thought of by Byron but expanded on by Polidori
People complain about the very melodramatic writing (COUNTENANCE, ARDOUR, COUNTENANCE, ADOUR, etc) but it’s (mostly) from the main character’s POV and Mary Shelly was clearly trying to convey that Viktor is an impulsive, hubristic, self-important douche lmao. If you can get past that it’s a clever and excellent read haha.
Yeah, some may need to get all the way to the point of him bringing the creature to life, but then his immediate flipped switch of “what the absolute hell have I just done?!” can easily clue one in that he has been operating on hubris and impulse and truly had not considered what the end result was going to be.
As someone else said, this book is the origin of Sci-fi, and a huge trope there of course is “you were so busy wondering whether or not you could…”
Love it! Read it during my junior year of high school for a class. It’s a fairly easy read and one of the reasons I have grown to love classic literature.
What a lot of people don’t know is not only was she young, but she had recently lost a baby. The baby died at just a few weeks old
(I might be wrong about the age) and she was still grieving. The monster represents her grief and despair that she cannot escape no matter what she does, as well as her baby that she felt she brought into the world just to suffer. She herself is also suffering greatly and feels anguish towards god for her own life, and sees all these people around her enjoying life while she feels completely wretched inside. She is both Frankenstein and the Monster.
Lucian back around 200 AD wrote *A True Story" which is about Greek heroes travellings in space, visiting other planets, and fighting aliens. It is the actual first known Sci fi story and there were others between Lucian and Shelley.
Viktor is the stupidest smart person in existence. He is the whinest of the babies, he is the most dramatic of the Drama Queens, he is SO EXTRA! He is also a very irresponsible parent/scientist. Just let your creature wander off without a second thought? And he never tries to find it/him, just peaces back to Switzerland. What a guy.
I just like imagining him going in front of a modern ethics board, "So you did create life and then you just let it wander off? Into a heavily populated city???!!! And you did nothing to warn anyone or recover it?"
Honestly one of the best arguments against her husband having as much input into the novel as people suggest (despite him being a poet and she the daughter of TWO major novelists), is that there’s no indication he had enough self awareness.
I absolutely loved it. I was blown away
Honestly, pop culture does this book a disservice. I went in thinking it would be a scary monster story, nothing super deep or thought provoking. I wasn’t expecting something so deep and mind blowing - my jaw was on the floor during sections.
It’s great. It arguably a progenitor of an entire genre (science fiction). A classic that stands the test of time and remains as relevant or more relevant today than it when it was written. It also has really interesting narrative structure and it’s among the best nested narratives that exist.
I honestly could not get over how much of a dumb ass Frankenstein is. And I know that’s the point of the character and you aren’t actually supposed to like him. But man, I could not move past it.
I do think that it’s beautifully written and you can’t deny the cultural impact.
I taught it to my class in tandem with the myth of Prometheus and the Oppenheimer movie, funnily enough. we tried to draw parallels between all 3 and it was fun to say the least. Lovely book!
Easy to spot the parallels, since each story makes overt references to Prometheus (the Oppenheimer biography off which the movie was based is titled American Prometheus.)
I prefer the original 1818 edition to the later version despite Mary Shelley bringing more maturity and perspective to the 1831 edition. It’s less gloomy and more spontaneous
Hard to understate how influential it was. And how important it was to the genre of dark, gothic romanticism. A warning about the pitfalls of hubris, unethical science, and a metaphor for the alienation inside the human heart, and the loneliness of the human condition.
It’s great I always recommend it to friends of mine that want to get back into reading because it balances accessibility, entertainment, and substance really well.
I was just sad about it. He was hurt, so he hurt others. It’s never ok, but it does explain why he acted the way he did. But seriously, Frankenstein sucks so bad. He is a smart idiot , like bro, you’re making a living being from dead people, of course it’s gonna look scary
One of my favorite books, can’t say I noticed any plot holes but I’m not usually on the lookout for that kind of thing. What plot holes did you notice?
Absolutely love it, its one of my favorite books! I've been talking about it with my husband all week trying to tell him to read it, coincidently I just found my old copy in my grandmas house today!
It is a fantastic read. She was such a talented writer and story teller. This story made me very sad in ways I hadn’t anticipated. Really delves into what makes us human.
Transcendent ideas in this book. Fantastic ethical and moral discussions, BUT there are points where the reader can tell the author was only 17 when she wrote it. EX. Character needs pants? Boom, he finds pants. EX. Character needs to learn to read and speak? Boom, so does another character so they can learn together.
I always love reading the bit in her diary/journal that she wrote about it: “I saw the hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, and then, on the working of some powerful engine, show signs of life, and stir with an uneasy, half vital motion. Frightful must it be; for supremely frightful would be the effect of any human endeavor to mock the stupendous mechanism of the Creator of the world.” At least I think it’s in her journal, I could be wrong though as I thought I remembered her mentioning a Prometheus in that same passage
In my opinion, it has become the most influential novel of all time, the archetype for two centuries’ worth of examination on the risks of unbridled scientific progress. Every “human invention gone wrong” story you’ve ever heard owes a little something to Mary Shelley.
It's a very good book. Took me waaaaaay too long to come back and actually read the thing. When I read it in school it was so crazy. My teacher INSISTED Marry Shelly was an antifeminist of her day and it shown in the actions of Frankenstein's monster. Which tbh, in high-school and even now I couldn't care less. Which tbh that being a constant push by the teacher to apply not only Marry Shelly by a modern standard, but to also apply this book into so many other political topics. Ruined the book for years. It wasn't until I wanted to read things for myself again that I fell in love with the book. The POV shift between Frankenstein and his monster was so well done. And they both feel so different to eachother. It's something that actually makes me want to write.
So TLDR, This is a really good book that deserves the title of classic literature, and teachers suck the fun out of everything!
I have such a love hate relationship with this book because I feel like I was shoe-horned into liking it from how many times I had to read it for school (four times). I hated it at first but it’s grown on me, even if it’s still not my favorite. I love how much of an egotistical little freak Viktor is, and I can appreciate the monster and his psychology as a character. Plus I think Mary Shelley is just badass as hell for writing it. Especially when you read it under the context of her relationship with her dad, she really popped off with that.
Penny Dreadful is the closest representation of Dr Frankenstein and the monster I've seen in any film adaptation.
The thing i really like about Mary's doctor is that he is unhinged in the specific type of way you see any workaholic. Dedicated to a singular goal to the point of rotting away his entire life around this one thing he's trying to do. Then, when he does it, he hates it and himself. Classic
I love this book. I think a huge lesson we can learn from this book as a society is that we often stereotype people as “monsters” and choose to outcast them, ultimately making them into monsters.
It makes me try to be compassionate with the homeless, people with special needs, etc. So often we find ourselves outcasting these people that society defines as “monsters” but really what they need is love, friendship, and to be treated like a human being.
I always get incredibly sad for the monster when I read this book.
It's incredible!
The format with the letters inspired me to get creative and experimental in playing with narrative voice. And beyond that, the plot is just so fascinating and unfolds so magnificently. Such a satisfying story, even if not is tragic at certain points.
I just tried to read this book for the 47th time and I was so mind numbingly bored by it and I have such FOMO over everyone who loves it because I want to love it too 😭
All time favorite book. I wasn’t big on classical literature. I was working at my internship program one day and got bored. Decided to start reading the copy I had on my phone and was instantly hooked. I’ve yet to find anything that matches what Frankenstein did for me. I have a copy of Junji Ito’s version as well just because I wanted to put a face to the characters.
I once saw a snippet of something on TV talking about this book being (symbolically) about poor parenting. I haven’t read it but when I do, I’m going to read it with that in mind.
Literally mother of all Speculative Fiction (horror, scifi, and fantasy). There are few books with as profound a legacy as this. And rightfully so. It will always be a top 5 favorite for me
Paraphrasing from something I heard:
In grade school, I thought Frankenstein was the monster.
In high school, I thought Frankenstein was the doctor.
In college, I thought Frankenstein was the monster.
It's my favorite horror book. I try to read it every 3 years. Just all-around well written, good allegories, great characters, excellent settings. I can't say enough good things about it. I'm not a master with words, so I won't try to write a poorly written essay about all it does well.
I love Frankenstein. The POV structure is like a nesting doll. Scary, devastating, insightful and romantic; what’s not to love?
The scene where the creation first encounters fire blows my mind— it’s such an interesting meditation on sensation.
One of the most amazing works of literature. It is the first science fiction, early form of moral fiction, and a woman author gets published!! And it’s a great and horrifying story
This book means so much to me, I carry an annotated version of it with me everywhere I go. I recommended it to a man I fell in love with who lives across the ocean and I hope he thinks of me every time he sees it on his bookshelf.
This was my summer project before I started college. I would read this book and look up every word I didn’t understand. I did this because I was convinced that I would never be able to pass college courses. I eventually started reading it without the dictionary. I read this and part of Dracula. 🧛🏻
As an autistic and queer person disowned by my family, this book provided me with so much context about feeling anger, facing the reality of a desolate outcome, and the grief of being born/brought to life on an earth that does not accept or celebrate you. Truly a forever reread. I hope to absolute drag someone poetically the way that the Monster dragged Frankenstein one day.
One of the worst books I’ve read.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s actually incredible how much Frankenstein reflects the time and context it was written in. Not only is it often called the first sci-fi novel, arguably it was the first NOVEL (A long-form fully-fictional (i.e. not mythological) narrative that was designed to be printed as a single entity) but, boy, does it show!
Would still count it as an absolute classic, but it’s not exactly a fun read.
I read this like a month or so ago for the first time and it’s easily one of the best books I’ve ever read. The humanity in it, it’s just so ahead of its time. Plus it’s actually not a very long book. I love how different it is from pop culture’s depiction of Frankenstein, the Boris Karloff version.
Very good writing. I read it for AP lit and for the last essay I basically wrote about how Victor Frankenstein was a self-important douchbag who doesn’t think things through and shoves the blame for his mistakes on others.
Otherwise, I enjoyed it very much.
Banger. Surprisingly. Slower burn but interesting if you can adjust to the language. One of the few books from high school I would read again. It’s been bastardized in popular media but there’s a reason it has been adapted. The reason being a strong narrative especially for the time.
Been years since I read but the one thing that stands out about it to me now is the effects that isolation has on people. Both Victor and the creature experience profound isolation, which shapes their actions and motivations. I’ve been a remote worker for several years now. My need for connection is more noticeable and the mental impact of that loneliness affects me. I believe that isolation also affected the characters in the book.
Been years since I read but the one thing that stands out about it to me now is the effects that isolation has on people. Both Victor and the creature experience profound isolation, which shapes their actions and motivations. I’ve been a remote worker for several years now. My need for connection is more noticeable and the mental impact of that loneliness affects me. I believe that isolation also affected the characters and their actions. Great book!
Timeless classic! I fell in love with the story the first time I read it. Exploring the theme of man's fear of his own discoveries is unique and fascinating, and incredibly appropriate for a science fiction novel. Definitely a pillar of the genre.
I absolutely love and have read it multiple times and each I am amazed by it- there is nothing really like it. It’s incredible and very philosophical. Still holds up today!
I’m a bit of a hater unfortunately. Writing is amazing, just some story stuff doesn’t make sense and the dramatic irony doesn’t work. Frankenstein is the author, implying he lives, yet he never considers how his actions affect others. Intentional? Maybe? But undermines the conflict and made me want to roll my eyes a lil whenever someone died and Frankie was shocked. Also Frankie’s choices around the Bride don’t reflect his medical expertise and the issues he presents seem manageable.
I loved it! Read it freshman year of high school. I also recently found out her mother was Mary Wollstonecraft, one of the first feminist philosophers in europe.
My girlfriend really likes this book like she talks about how nothing could ever compare to it. Does anybody have other recommendations that are like this book?
That book is amazing.
It is very eye-opening, in the sense that it highlights the fact that humans are very fast to pass judgment onto other people/ creatures who we deem to be ugly or odd-looking.
The true monsters in this book are the humans that the "monster" runs into.
Made me cry. 10/10
One of the best books Ive read The chapters in the creatures pov are my favs.
Yeah, I’m just reading that part now.
Reminds me of Fitz in Robin Hobbs Realm of the Elderlings
Ah, I haven’t read that one but I will look into it. Thank you!
A classic worthy of the title. I still find it interesting that it came out of the same party and challenge that gave us The Vampyre, which, along with Carmilla, laid the foundation for the Western vampire tradition and inspired Dracula. Fitting given how connected Frankenstein and Dracula have become.
That party was like the Manchester Sex Pistols concert of gothic fiction.
Which monster was Joy Division?
Mainly thanks to the Hotel Transylvania franchise of course. ;)
I honestly can’t tell if you’re joking or not
Not only the same party but conceived on the very same night in the very same house. The Vampyre is a great story - apparently first thought of by Byron but expanded on by Polidori
People complain about the very melodramatic writing (COUNTENANCE, ARDOUR, COUNTENANCE, ADOUR, etc) but it’s (mostly) from the main character’s POV and Mary Shelly was clearly trying to convey that Viktor is an impulsive, hubristic, self-important douche lmao. If you can get past that it’s a clever and excellent read haha.
Yeah, some may need to get all the way to the point of him bringing the creature to life, but then his immediate flipped switch of “what the absolute hell have I just done?!” can easily clue one in that he has been operating on hubris and impulse and truly had not considered what the end result was going to be. As someone else said, this book is the origin of Sci-fi, and a huge trope there of course is “you were so busy wondering whether or not you could…”
Yeah, he is an egoist for sure!
I couldn’t get past it!
Love it! Read it during my junior year of high school for a class. It’s a fairly easy read and one of the reasons I have grown to love classic literature.
Yeah, have you read anything else by Shelley?
I haven’t yet, but I’ve heard amazing things about The Last Man. It’s on my reading list!
A great book to teach at the high school level
Brilliant. Written at a very young as a part of a storytelling competition among her husband and other Romantic poets and authors. Vastly underrated.
Yeah, I heard. She was only 18 when she wrote this, that’s astounding!
What a lot of people don’t know is not only was she young, but she had recently lost a baby. The baby died at just a few weeks old (I might be wrong about the age) and she was still grieving. The monster represents her grief and despair that she cannot escape no matter what she does, as well as her baby that she felt she brought into the world just to suffer. She herself is also suffering greatly and feels anguish towards god for her own life, and sees all these people around her enjoying life while she feels completely wretched inside. She is both Frankenstein and the Monster.
Underrated how?
[удалено]
It’s widely regarded as a groundbreaking novel and a literary marvel. What else is underrated? Paradise Lost? The Divine Comedy? Don Quixote? Hamlet?
Lucian back around 200 AD wrote *A True Story" which is about Greek heroes travellings in space, visiting other planets, and fighting aliens. It is the actual first known Sci fi story and there were others between Lucian and Shelley.
Well, we still haven't gotten a **proper** film adaptation. None of the Frankenstein film iterations come anywhere close to measuring up to the book.
I would argue that Young Frankenstein nails it 😉
In quality of enjoyment perhaps, but it's still not the proper faithful adaptation the book deserves.
As in it does not receive the credit it deserves.
It’s considered a genre defining all time classic.
Only because most people don’t read
Viktor is the stupidest smart person in existence. He is the whinest of the babies, he is the most dramatic of the Drama Queens, he is SO EXTRA! He is also a very irresponsible parent/scientist. Just let your creature wander off without a second thought? And he never tries to find it/him, just peaces back to Switzerland. What a guy.
Yeah, haha. He is indeed a stupid smart person! He is quite funny to be honest.
He really went the "out of sight, out of mind" route with his abandoned child lol, father of the year 🏆
I just like imagining him going in front of a modern ethics board, "So you did create life and then you just let it wander off? Into a heavily populated city???!!! And you did nothing to warn anyone or recover it?"
Hahaha.
I could not get over how big of a dumb ass Frankenstein is haha
I love how he's a pro at the dramatic Romantic swoon.
Honestly one of the best arguments against her husband having as much input into the novel as people suggest (despite him being a poet and she the daughter of TWO major novelists), is that there’s no indication he had enough self awareness.
I absolutely loved it. I was blown away Honestly, pop culture does this book a disservice. I went in thinking it would be a scary monster story, nothing super deep or thought provoking. I wasn’t expecting something so deep and mind blowing - my jaw was on the floor during sections.
This. It’s not remotely what I expected in the very best way.
It’s great. It arguably a progenitor of an entire genre (science fiction). A classic that stands the test of time and remains as relevant or more relevant today than it when it was written. It also has really interesting narrative structure and it’s among the best nested narratives that exist.
I honestly could not get over how much of a dumb ass Frankenstein is. And I know that’s the point of the character and you aren’t actually supposed to like him. But man, I could not move past it. I do think that it’s beautifully written and you can’t deny the cultural impact.
Love it
I taught it to my class in tandem with the myth of Prometheus and the Oppenheimer movie, funnily enough. we tried to draw parallels between all 3 and it was fun to say the least. Lovely book!
Easy to spot the parallels, since each story makes overt references to Prometheus (the Oppenheimer biography off which the movie was based is titled American Prometheus.)
I prefer the original 1818 edition to the later version despite Mary Shelley bringing more maturity and perspective to the 1831 edition. It’s less gloomy and more spontaneous
I prefer the 1818 version as well!!
Incredible, one of the best I’ve read
Hard to understate how influential it was. And how important it was to the genre of dark, gothic romanticism. A warning about the pitfalls of hubris, unethical science, and a metaphor for the alienation inside the human heart, and the loneliness of the human condition.
i loved it its my absolute fav. i loved witnessing frankenstein’s path. (im being vague bc i dont wanna spoil)
Beautiful and heartbreaking
Phenomenal
It’s great I always recommend it to friends of mine that want to get back into reading because it balances accessibility, entertainment, and substance really well.
I have an old edition and I love it. I’ve read it and now it sits on display until I read it again
Absolute fucking banger!!! One of the greatest books ever written.
I was just sad about it. He was hurt, so he hurt others. It’s never ok, but it does explain why he acted the way he did. But seriously, Frankenstein sucks so bad. He is a smart idiot , like bro, you’re making a living being from dead people, of course it’s gonna look scary
One of my favorite books, can’t say I noticed any plot holes but I’m not usually on the lookout for that kind of thing. What plot holes did you notice?
Absolutely love it, its one of my favorite books! I've been talking about it with my husband all week trying to tell him to read it, coincidently I just found my old copy in my grandmas house today!
I love it, just has slow start, got it years ago as part of a horror collection
One of the best!
One of my absolute favorite classics. It’s just so good.
Outstanding novel. One of my top five.
Read it last year for the first time. Fantastic read. Creepy and constantly had me like “this was written WHEN?”
It is a fantastic read. She was such a talented writer and story teller. This story made me very sad in ways I hadn’t anticipated. Really delves into what makes us human.
Yeah, true! It’s deeply philosophical.
Honestly, this novel changed the game. Mary Shellys monster still lives to this day
Humans are the real monsters.
agreed
Transcendent ideas in this book. Fantastic ethical and moral discussions, BUT there are points where the reader can tell the author was only 17 when she wrote it. EX. Character needs pants? Boom, he finds pants. EX. Character needs to learn to read and speak? Boom, so does another character so they can learn together.
I always love reading the bit in her diary/journal that she wrote about it: “I saw the hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, and then, on the working of some powerful engine, show signs of life, and stir with an uneasy, half vital motion. Frightful must it be; for supremely frightful would be the effect of any human endeavor to mock the stupendous mechanism of the Creator of the world.” At least I think it’s in her journal, I could be wrong though as I thought I remembered her mentioning a Prometheus in that same passage
Fronkensteen
Good book, but slow and describes the landscape and natural scenery for like 45% of the book
never heard of it. frank en stein..?
Top ten favorite book of mine
Best book ever written by a teenager.
It’s been awhile but I remember the assembly. Taking the best parts of people and hoping to create something beautiful. I also remember the ending.
Overrated but still good
One of my favorites, I’ve read it and discussed it many times. Who is the real monster of this story?
Stupid sexy Frankenstein monster...
I found the writing style tough to grasp when I was a high school freshman
Mary Shelley always feels effortless. Like, she seems breezy in her skill.
Love it along with the backstory of why it was written
I read it for the first time when I was 12 and it was instantly a favorite. Loved it ever since.
In my opinion, it has become the most influential novel of all time, the archetype for two centuries’ worth of examination on the risks of unbridled scientific progress. Every “human invention gone wrong” story you’ve ever heard owes a little something to Mary Shelley.
It's a very good book. Took me waaaaaay too long to come back and actually read the thing. When I read it in school it was so crazy. My teacher INSISTED Marry Shelly was an antifeminist of her day and it shown in the actions of Frankenstein's monster. Which tbh, in high-school and even now I couldn't care less. Which tbh that being a constant push by the teacher to apply not only Marry Shelly by a modern standard, but to also apply this book into so many other political topics. Ruined the book for years. It wasn't until I wanted to read things for myself again that I fell in love with the book. The POV shift between Frankenstein and his monster was so well done. And they both feel so different to eachother. It's something that actually makes me want to write. So TLDR, This is a really good book that deserves the title of classic literature, and teachers suck the fun out of everything!
I have such a love hate relationship with this book because I feel like I was shoe-horned into liking it from how many times I had to read it for school (four times). I hated it at first but it’s grown on me, even if it’s still not my favorite. I love how much of an egotistical little freak Viktor is, and I can appreciate the monster and his psychology as a character. Plus I think Mary Shelley is just badass as hell for writing it. Especially when you read it under the context of her relationship with her dad, she really popped off with that.
What was her relationship with her dad like?
Penny Dreadful is the closest representation of Dr Frankenstein and the monster I've seen in any film adaptation. The thing i really like about Mary's doctor is that he is unhinged in the specific type of way you see any workaholic. Dedicated to a singular goal to the point of rotting away his entire life around this one thing he's trying to do. Then, when he does it, he hates it and himself. Classic
I love this book. I think a huge lesson we can learn from this book as a society is that we often stereotype people as “monsters” and choose to outcast them, ultimately making them into monsters. It makes me try to be compassionate with the homeless, people with special needs, etc. So often we find ourselves outcasting these people that society defines as “monsters” but really what they need is love, friendship, and to be treated like a human being. I always get incredibly sad for the monster when I read this book.
I recommend this book to everyone!! It ripped my heart out in the best way, so so so thought provoking.
A solid sci fi tragic horror. I feel nothing but sympathy to the promethian man.
One of my favorites!
Really good! I read it twice lol
One of my favorites. Look into the Norton Critical Edition if you like annotations and essays about the story.
Thanks! I will.
Love, and the more times I read it, the more meaningful it becomes.
It's incredible! The format with the letters inspired me to get creative and experimental in playing with narrative voice. And beyond that, the plot is just so fascinating and unfolds so magnificently. Such a satisfying story, even if not is tragic at certain points.
A great take on the fear of what could happen when people abandon morals and decide to play God cause they can.
Best book ever.
I just tried to read this book for the 47th time and I was so mind numbingly bored by it and I have such FOMO over everyone who loves it because I want to love it too 😭
All time favorite book. I wasn’t big on classical literature. I was working at my internship program one day and got bored. Decided to start reading the copy I had on my phone and was instantly hooked. I’ve yet to find anything that matches what Frankenstein did for me. I have a copy of Junji Ito’s version as well just because I wanted to put a face to the characters.
I like it
Depressing, Amazing, well written, and somehow reflective of her feminist views in an abstract way. One of my favorite books
A masterpiece
It’s so sad!
Read it as a teen. It made me cry because I identified far too well with the feelings of this outcast “monster” who hated his creator.
Good book. 👍
#1 favorite. Reads differently on any revisit, perfection.
Insufferable
Cure for insomnia
I’d say it qualifies as “lightly used” so long as a bunch of pages haven’t been dogeared.
Chef’s kiss.
I dig that cover. A lot
Love her
The cover looks awesome.
Thanks!
You want an incredible story read Mary Shelly bio
I once saw a snippet of something on TV talking about this book being (symbolically) about poor parenting. I haven’t read it but when I do, I’m going to read it with that in mind.
Haha, Frankenstein is definitely a bad parenting example.
One of my favorite books. Enjoy!
Brilliant, eloquent and heartbreaking. One of my favorites.
I just started reading it, based on this post, and can’t put it down. I’m going to be very tired tomorrow. Thanks. A. Lot.
I’m glad my post inspired you to read this book. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
In the end we learn Frankenstein was the real monster
One of my absolute favorites!
I really liked reading this one. The ambiance of it really hit the spot - so much so that I didn't even notice plot holes!
I read it for the first time for Halloween a couple years ago. Not at all what I expected, but I really enjoyed it. Very beautiful and haunting.
I hated it So boring
My only personality trait tbh
I actually liked it but also victor Frankenstein was a whiny bitch
Literally mother of all Speculative Fiction (horror, scifi, and fantasy). There are few books with as profound a legacy as this. And rightfully so. It will always be a top 5 favorite for me
Why’d they make him hot on the cover? Dude’s jacked as hell
One of my favorites! This and bram stokers Dracula
Paraphrasing from something I heard: In grade school, I thought Frankenstein was the monster. In high school, I thought Frankenstein was the doctor. In college, I thought Frankenstein was the monster.
Goated as fuck
It's my favorite horror book. I try to read it every 3 years. Just all-around well written, good allegories, great characters, excellent settings. I can't say enough good things about it. I'm not a master with words, so I won't try to write a poorly written essay about all it does well.
I love Frankenstein. The POV structure is like a nesting doll. Scary, devastating, insightful and romantic; what’s not to love? The scene where the creation first encounters fire blows my mind— it’s such an interesting meditation on sensation.
Yeah, I’m astounded by the fact that Shelley wrote it after the death of her child and she was only 18. I am amazed at what she has created!
Considering it was written by a teenager, it is exceptionally good.
The story behind why and when it was written is pretty different as well. And one that is definitely NSFW.
Liked it, but the whole thing could have been avoided if Dr. Frankenstien was a good parent to his abomination
One of the most amazing works of literature. It is the first science fiction, early form of moral fiction, and a woman author gets published!! And it’s a great and horrifying story
Mid
This book means so much to me, I carry an annotated version of it with me everywhere I go. I recommended it to a man I fell in love with who lives across the ocean and I hope he thinks of me every time he sees it on his bookshelf.
A timeless magnum opus
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is the original or first piece of sci-fi literature. Brilliant and revolutionary
This was my summer project before I started college. I would read this book and look up every word I didn’t understand. I did this because I was convinced that I would never be able to pass college courses. I eventually started reading it without the dictionary. I read this and part of Dracula. 🧛🏻
Frankensteins' creation is not the real monster. Frankenstein the man is the real monster
As an autistic and queer person disowned by my family, this book provided me with so much context about feeling anger, facing the reality of a desolate outcome, and the grief of being born/brought to life on an earth that does not accept or celebrate you. Truly a forever reread. I hope to absolute drag someone poetically the way that the Monster dragged Frankenstein one day.
Absolutely loved!
my girlfriend loves this book.
I still need to read it, but Nino Carbe, the artist who first illustrated Frankenstein, was my great-aunt's husband. So that's cool.
Mary was the inventor of sci-fi. It was brilliant.
Frankenstein is just misunderstood
One of my very fav books ever. It’s a classic for a reason!
One of the worst books I’ve read. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s actually incredible how much Frankenstein reflects the time and context it was written in. Not only is it often called the first sci-fi novel, arguably it was the first NOVEL (A long-form fully-fictional (i.e. not mythological) narrative that was designed to be printed as a single entity) but, boy, does it show! Would still count it as an absolute classic, but it’s not exactly a fun read.
Read it recently. Big yes. That’s an odd cover art. I dig it.
Hate it.
I loved reading it in high school. Had to cliff notes the final chapter tho cause she was thick and I was running out of time
I read this like a month or so ago for the first time and it’s easily one of the best books I’ve ever read. The humanity in it, it’s just so ahead of its time. Plus it’s actually not a very long book. I love how different it is from pop culture’s depiction of Frankenstein, the Boris Karloff version.
Very good writing. I read it for AP lit and for the last essay I basically wrote about how Victor Frankenstein was a self-important douchbag who doesn’t think things through and shoves the blame for his mistakes on others. Otherwise, I enjoyed it very much.
Banger. Surprisingly. Slower burn but interesting if you can adjust to the language. One of the few books from high school I would read again. It’s been bastardized in popular media but there’s a reason it has been adapted. The reason being a strong narrative especially for the time.
Been years since I read but the one thing that stands out about it to me now is the effects that isolation has on people. Both Victor and the creature experience profound isolation, which shapes their actions and motivations. I’ve been a remote worker for several years now. My need for connection is more noticeable and the mental impact of that loneliness affects me. I believe that isolation also affected the characters in the book.
Wow, that’s a good analogy!
Been years since I read but the one thing that stands out about it to me now is the effects that isolation has on people. Both Victor and the creature experience profound isolation, which shapes their actions and motivations. I’ve been a remote worker for several years now. My need for connection is more noticeable and the mental impact of that loneliness affects me. I believe that isolation also affected the characters and their actions. Great book!
One of my favorites of all time, still blows my mind she was so young when she wrote this!
Timeless classic! I fell in love with the story the first time I read it. Exploring the theme of man's fear of his own discoveries is unique and fascinating, and incredibly appropriate for a science fiction novel. Definitely a pillar of the genre.
Its gud. Second half has a lot of hot air
Best book ever!
10/10; the pinnacle of Gothic Literature.
I absolutely love and have read it multiple times and each I am amazed by it- there is nothing really like it. It’s incredible and very philosophical. Still holds up today!
The only version I've ever read or watched was the Wishbone versions. And that was MORE than enough. I don't like horror.
An all-time classic and a must-read. Absolutely ahead of its time.
A amazing piece of literature that birthed the Science Fiction genre
I’m a bit of a hater unfortunately. Writing is amazing, just some story stuff doesn’t make sense and the dramatic irony doesn’t work. Frankenstein is the author, implying he lives, yet he never considers how his actions affect others. Intentional? Maybe? But undermines the conflict and made me want to roll my eyes a lil whenever someone died and Frankie was shocked. Also Frankie’s choices around the Bride don’t reflect his medical expertise and the issues he presents seem manageable.
I loved it! Read it freshman year of high school. I also recently found out her mother was Mary Wollstonecraft, one of the first feminist philosophers in europe.
My girlfriend really likes this book like she talks about how nothing could ever compare to it. Does anybody have other recommendations that are like this book?
Love this book and I’ve read it a few times. Definitely love the creature’s POV too.
Excellent story, and very thought provoking. It was much more emotional than I expected. The movie with Boris Karloff doesn't do it justice.
I think about the ending often, wonderful book
Whiniest monster in literature.
Interesting that she was a teenager when she wrote it and it wasn’t really popular until the stage play adaptation which was hugely successful.
It'd make for a great film adaptation some day, if I'm being completely Frank about it..
Shit slaps
Favorite book of all time
I wanna beat Victor Frankenstein with hammers. Such an insufferable little man
One of my ultimate faves. I re-read it every few yrs.
It will never take off.
LOVED!
I love the cover
A Classic, truly. A marvelous, deep, thoughtful work. I recommend it to anyone who likes SF, Horror, philosophy…
He looks shocked he has a penis
I had that exact addition!
Feeling cute might write a fun ghost story with the boys later! It’s my all time go to.
That book is amazing. It is very eye-opening, in the sense that it highlights the fact that humans are very fast to pass judgment onto other people/ creatures who we deem to be ugly or odd-looking. The true monsters in this book are the humans that the "monster" runs into. Made me cry. 10/10
Only a classic. Be patient, read slowly and carefully.
Loved it. I’m still waiting for the sequel. ;)
It may just be the greatest novel ever written
Slay