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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
classic for a reason. except for the weird cousin-adopted child incest it was very good, though the start is a big lugging.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A pure gem.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Murder
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read this in high school, and I’ve been wanting to reread it to prepare myself for the Guillermo Del Toro movie dropping in November. I simply wouldn’t know what was going on if I didn’t read the book first. What can I say about Frankenstein? Everyone knows the gist of it. It’s such a foundational piece of horror literature, and Shelley was a critical figure among early women authors. There are so many great themes in this book—birth and morality and purpose. The monster blames his creator for his miserable existence the same way many of us rail against our various gods. It’s very tormented and hateful, the relationship between Frankenstein and his monster. And for being over 200 years old, it’s still applicable and accessible. If you’re looking for an easy to digest classic and are also excited to watch Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi fight to the death in gorgeous costuming, read this.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Grief, Murder
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent
Such a thoughtful and thought-provoking work. The story was exquisitely written and very well-crafted. It is perhaps implausible the extent to which histories were repeated between characters verbatim, and the fact that they were told in such great depth, as scenes, in the first place. But it was an effective choice and one that can be moved past.
The crux of what I am left with are two questions: what does it mean to be human and what are or should be the limits of our creation? Frankenstein's monster was not biologically human, but in spirit and mind he very much seemed to be. It was his rejection by humanity that made him so base. Should he have been created? If he could have been treated humanely, then perhaps yes. In order for this to occur, Frankenstein would have needed to play a much more active role in his "monster's" upbringing.
For me, this is not so much a cautionary tale about hubris, but of the failure to step into one's responsibility. Frankenstein was not a god, but he should not have created a living creature only to run away from it like a child. It is so cool he figured out how to create life. He needed to be so much more mature before he created it though. We have immense power as a species, and it is not for us to shy away from, nor to treat lightly.
Edit: I was not aware of the feminist interpretation(s) of the novel, but I love the idea that it is essentially about what happens when a man is so afraid of female sexuality that he tries to create a child without a woman.
The crux of what I am left with are two questions: what does it mean to be human and what are or should be the limits of our creation? Frankenstein's monster was not biologically human, but in spirit and mind he very much seemed to be. It was his rejection by humanity that made him so base. Should he have been created? If he could have been treated humanely, then perhaps yes. In order for this to occur, Frankenstein would have needed to play a much more active role in his "monster's" upbringing.
For me, this is not so much a cautionary tale about hubris, but of the failure to step into one's responsibility. Frankenstein was not a god, but he should not have created a living creature only to run away from it like a child. It is so cool he figured out how to create life. He needed to be so much more mature before he created it though. We have immense power as a species, and it is not for us to shy away from, nor to treat lightly.
Edit: I was not aware of the feminist interpretation(s) of the novel, but I love the idea that it is essentially about what happens when a man is so afraid of female sexuality that he tries to create a child without a woman.