Book Review: Frankenstein

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Release Date: March 1818
Publisher: Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor & Jones
Audience: Everyone
Pages: 280 (322 in OWC)
Read the Book Here: Project Gutenberg
Buy the Book: Amazon
Book Rating: 5/5







The question of precisely when dystopian literature reared its head in the literary world is debatable, with many scholars leaning towards the latter end of the 19th century, usually citing H.G. Wells oeuvre as the beginnings of the genre. However, I disagree with that as I feel that Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is probably one of the earliest examples of the genre. In the next week or so, I will discuss more about this topic and the concept of 'Dystopian' in my first post examining the genre. Onto the review!

If you have not read the novel, and have only gone by the popular depictions of a shambling brute monster, you will be surprised by the fact that the monster (as it is only known by that name) is intelligent, learns several languages, and engages Dr. Frankenstein in a battle of wits that takes them across the globe and eventually intro the arctic. The monster even demands a wife from Dr. Frankenstein by rights as Dr. Frankenstein has created him and must take responsibility for his actions. However, Dr. Frankenstein, seeing the monstrous end result of his aspirations to create a new human race, refuses to do so, fearing the eventual extinction of human beings across the globe.

If I could sum up this book in one word, that word would be obsession. Dr. Frankenstein's obsession to create the perfect human being, the monsters obsession with destroying Dr. Frankenstein, and Walton's obsession with finding the north pole. With numerous frames and epistolary narratives, Frankenstein explores both creator and creation and how they understand the world around them. The latter half of the novel involves the cat and mouse games between the monster and the Doctor as they try to destroy the other.

Regarded as one of the earliest examples of science fiction, I argue it is one of the earliest examples of dystopian literature. While it does move slow at some points, this is a must read for any fan of the dystopian genre, and outside of the genres it rests in, Frankenstein is a classic and should be read by everyone. It can be picked up for super cheap and is worth the money. I put the 1818 edition up as I used it in a class and the introductory materials give a lot of background on the story and author and gives a lot of perspective on the novel and is a good edition to pick up if you are wanting to toss down more than a few bucks.