Scan barcode
mercipourleslivres's review against another edition
4.0
"In their outsized passions, their remarkable talents, their distorted personal lives, their never-satisfied yearning for love--they were all monsters."
bellisk's review against another edition
5.0
A very well-done study of the life of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, and the lives of the four others who were with her on the infamous ghost-story night at the Villa Diodati in 1816: Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron, John Polidori and Claire Clairmont. The book examines the events and relationships -- and the many personal tragedies and betrayals -- that inspired their work. The authors support their narrative and emotional analysis of the players with copious quotations from their letters and journals, which makes it all the more galling to discover how much has been lost -- Byron's entire autobiography was burned after his death, for example!
The affairs of Percy Shelley, and the emotional wreckage he behind him in his pursuit of higher goals (literary, aesthetic, and radical) make a strong case against marrying a poet if one longs for stability and monogamy. Byron, of course, hardly performed better, but strangely the most positive relationship in this book is the friendship between him and Mary.
I would recommend those interested in this book also read Polidori's accounts of his European travels, with and without Byron. For my part, I'm going to seek out both Mary Shelley's and her mother Mary Wollstonecraft's travelogues to read next.
The affairs of Percy Shelley, and the emotional wreckage he behind him in his pursuit of higher goals (literary, aesthetic, and radical) make a strong case against marrying a poet if one longs for stability and monogamy. Byron, of course, hardly performed better, but strangely the most positive relationship in this book is the friendship between him and Mary.
I would recommend those interested in this book also read Polidori's accounts of his European travels, with and without Byron. For my part, I'm going to seek out both Mary Shelley's and her mother Mary Wollstonecraft's travelogues to read next.
teachocolateandbooks's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting look at the summer of 1816 when a group of young writers and thinkers met and were challenged to write a ghost story. We know quite a bit about one of those books, Frankenstein, but I was surprised to learn that the modern vampire also came out of this summer.
Reading about Polidori, Lord Byron's personal doctor, created the modern vampire, based on Lord Byron. Before the vampire was a peasant who would prey on a village until killed. Polidori, possibly using a story Byron began, created the aristocratic, sexually charged male vampire. This was one of those little bits of information I'd never known before. That and Polidori was the uncle to the Rossetti family.
If you want a quick biography of Mary and Percy Shelley this is a fantastic book.
Reading about Polidori, Lord Byron's personal doctor, created the modern vampire, based on Lord Byron. Before the vampire was a peasant who would prey on a village until killed. Polidori, possibly using a story Byron began, created the aristocratic, sexually charged male vampire. This was one of those little bits of information I'd never known before. That and Polidori was the uncle to the Rossetti family.
If you want a quick biography of Mary and Percy Shelley this is a fantastic book.
gilroi's review against another edition
2.0
While this book proposes to be an account of the Diodati circle (meaning those who had in 1816 visited the Villa Diodati, including Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron, John William Polidori and Claire Clairmont), it's really a biography of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, with occasional forays into the lives of the others, most principally Claire Clairmont and Byron. A scant chapter is spared for poor, miserable Polidori-- not that anyone in this story escapes being poor or miserable in some form or fashion.
I say 'story', not 'history', because that's what this is. I'm no expert on this subject, so I can't tell if it's well researched; I assume it is, if only for the sheer volume of detail provided in the work. However, in the greatest weakness of the novel, authors Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler cannot resist the apparently overwhelming urge to weigh fact with a narrative, insert their opinions and suppositions, and weigh events down with their own leading lines. It's especially glaring because half the time I feel I would agree with their conclusions anyway, but it's grating to see them so casually thrown out, sometimes cruelly. The authors have sympathy for Mary Shelley and loathing for her husband and his friend Byron-- more than understandable, given their abysmal treatment of others, especially to Mary Shelley! But they take it a step further than it needs to go, with constant snide asides on the nature of relationships long over.
They tell more than they show, which is a horrible thing to say of a history, of nonfiction.
The book constantly details when and where Shelley got her inspiration for Frankenstein, as though they have authority on the subject. Of course, suppositions can be made based on historical evidence, but that's all they can be! Yet the authors constantly lead the reader to believe they know implicitly what Shelley meant.
Not only does it make the story-- dramatic and turbulent enough-- morally shallow and saccharine, it often supposes that precisely everything of Mary Shelley's life went into her novels, which has the unfortunate and presumably unintended consequence of making it seen Shelley never had an original thought in her life. Which is ironic, considering the frankly insulting description of her only surviving son:
Throughout the book, the Hooblers assume they are the arbiters of history, and present their theories and opinions with the weight of fact. It weakens the book immesurably, and I would not in good conscious recommend it to others interested in the subject.
I say 'story', not 'history', because that's what this is. I'm no expert on this subject, so I can't tell if it's well researched; I assume it is, if only for the sheer volume of detail provided in the work. However, in the greatest weakness of the novel, authors Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler cannot resist the apparently overwhelming urge to weigh fact with a narrative, insert their opinions and suppositions, and weigh events down with their own leading lines. It's especially glaring because half the time I feel I would agree with their conclusions anyway, but it's grating to see them so casually thrown out, sometimes cruelly. The authors have sympathy for Mary Shelley and loathing for her husband and his friend Byron-- more than understandable, given their abysmal treatment of others, especially to Mary Shelley! But they take it a step further than it needs to go, with constant snide asides on the nature of relationships long over.
They tell more than they show, which is a horrible thing to say of a history, of nonfiction.
The book constantly details when and where Shelley got her inspiration for Frankenstein, as though they have authority on the subject. Of course, suppositions can be made based on historical evidence, but that's all they can be! Yet the authors constantly lead the reader to believe they know implicitly what Shelley meant.
Percy's changes to the manuscript also tended to justify Dr Frankenstein's behavior and portray him as the victim, rather than the creator of the evil. This reflected not only [Percy] Shelley's lack of awareness, but also his very similarity to Victor. Mary Shelley always saw that Frankenstein was deluding himself. So too was her husband.
[Harriet] had remarked to her sister, "I don't think I am made to inspire love, and you know my husband abandoned me." So on a gloomy, rainy day, Harriet acted on the suicidal impulses that she had entertained for a long time.
Mary [Shelley] was disduredbed that [Percy] Shelley and Claire [Clairmont] had k kept from her the secret of Claire's pregnancy for so long. Feeling shunted into the position of outsider, Mary would include secrecty among the suns that Victor Frankenstein committed in his pursuit of forbidden knowledge.
Not only does it make the story-- dramatic and turbulent enough-- morally shallow and saccharine, it often supposes that precisely everything of Mary Shelley's life went into her novels, which has the unfortunate and presumably unintended consequence of making it seen Shelley never had an original thought in her life. Which is ironic, considering the frankly insulting description of her only surviving son:
Percy Florence Shelley was elected to Parliment and received a knighthood-- respectability at last. As far as anybody knows, this son and grandson of four radical and creative individuals never had an original thought in his life.
Throughout the book, the Hooblers assume they are the arbiters of history, and present their theories and opinions with the weight of fact. It weakens the book immesurably, and I would not in good conscious recommend it to others interested in the subject.
celebrin's review against another edition
3.0
I picked up this book thinking it was historical fiction. I was surprised to find that it was a history of a fascinating woman, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley as well as the people in her life.
I recommend this book very much for any who are interested in the life of a writer. I will say that I wished for more of the flavor of the time. I understood the people very well due to the writing but I didn't feel the setting.
I recommend this book very much for any who are interested in the life of a writer. I will say that I wished for more of the flavor of the time. I understood the people very well due to the writing but I didn't feel the setting.
sunsoar25's review
5.0
To be honest, The Monsters: Mary Shelley and the Curse of Frankenstein is now one of my favorite biographies/ history books. Dorothy Hoobler does a brilliant job of laying out extraordinary and tragic lives of Mary Shelley, Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Dr. John Polidori, and Claire Clairmont. I wasn't particularly expecting much out of this, but it turned out to be exactly what I didn't know I needed.
knowledgelost's review
3.0
It was a dark and stormy night on the shores of Lake Geneva, 1816. You’ve heard the story before; Lord Byron challenges his friends to see who can come up with the best ghost story. Among the people include Percy Bysshe Shelley, his lover Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, Mary’s stepsister Claire Claremont and Byron’s physician, John William Polidori. Two novels were born that very night; Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s (née Godwin) Frankenstein and John William Polidori’s The Vampyre. The evening begat a curse, too. Within a few years of Frankenstein’s publication, nearly all of those involved met untimely deaths.
First of all I want to point out that authors of this book Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler don’t actually believe this was a curse. Well at least I hope they don’t, this is a little gimmick to help sell the book and I think they just wanted to explore the interesting fact that they did all die young. This book is purely a biography on Mary Shelley that focuses on the night in 1816 and the novel Frankenstein. I was hoping for something about struggling to write something as great as Frankenstein or how the novel has been destroyed by pop culture.
The book starts out with the life of William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft, the famous philosopher and feminist parents of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. The two had very different personalities and they seemed like a very odd couple but I think they really complemented each other. Sure, they had their problems but nothing like their daughter.
This brings us to the bulk of the book, Mary Shelley and the young romantics. These were the original rock stars and their lives, no soap opera will ever come close to the drama and complexity as the real lives of the romantics. I picked up this book to learn about these poets after reading A Treacherous Likeness and I wanted to know more about them. This was a very accessible biography, which focuses primarily on Mary Shelley but it gives you a great insight into her life. I don’t pretend to fully understand the Romantics, they are way to complex but I feel I have a better knowledge into their lives.
My interest in the Romantics has gotten stronger thanks to The Monsters by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler. I have a few other books I plan to finish off in on the topic and I doubt I’ll stop there. I love the quotes and the referencing in this biography; I’ve often found that I wonder about the source of information in biographies that don’t reference so it was so handy to have that reference.
While this book does primary focus on Mary, it was nice to learn a little more of Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron, Claire Claremont and John William Polidori. I didn’t previously know the story of the original publication of The Vampyre; I found it fascinating and heart breaking for John William Polidori. It is always great to find new stories about these amazing talented people.
One thing I liked about this biography, especially after reading A Treacherous Likeness, is the fact that it didn’t try to sway the reader’s opinions; it stuck to facts and left it to the readers to make up their own mind. This was a refreshing change from the opinionated A Treacherous Likeness and I really enjoyed the experience of learning more about these poets. I’m sure there are better biographies on Mary Shelley out there but The Monsters is worth checking out as well.
This review originally appeared on my blog; http://literary-exploration.com/2013/05/18/book-review-the-monsters/
First of all I want to point out that authors of this book Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler don’t actually believe this was a curse. Well at least I hope they don’t, this is a little gimmick to help sell the book and I think they just wanted to explore the interesting fact that they did all die young. This book is purely a biography on Mary Shelley that focuses on the night in 1816 and the novel Frankenstein. I was hoping for something about struggling to write something as great as Frankenstein or how the novel has been destroyed by pop culture.
The book starts out with the life of William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft, the famous philosopher and feminist parents of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. The two had very different personalities and they seemed like a very odd couple but I think they really complemented each other. Sure, they had their problems but nothing like their daughter.
This brings us to the bulk of the book, Mary Shelley and the young romantics. These were the original rock stars and their lives, no soap opera will ever come close to the drama and complexity as the real lives of the romantics. I picked up this book to learn about these poets after reading A Treacherous Likeness and I wanted to know more about them. This was a very accessible biography, which focuses primarily on Mary Shelley but it gives you a great insight into her life. I don’t pretend to fully understand the Romantics, they are way to complex but I feel I have a better knowledge into their lives.
My interest in the Romantics has gotten stronger thanks to The Monsters by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler. I have a few other books I plan to finish off in on the topic and I doubt I’ll stop there. I love the quotes and the referencing in this biography; I’ve often found that I wonder about the source of information in biographies that don’t reference so it was so handy to have that reference.
While this book does primary focus on Mary, it was nice to learn a little more of Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron, Claire Claremont and John William Polidori. I didn’t previously know the story of the original publication of The Vampyre; I found it fascinating and heart breaking for John William Polidori. It is always great to find new stories about these amazing talented people.
One thing I liked about this biography, especially after reading A Treacherous Likeness, is the fact that it didn’t try to sway the reader’s opinions; it stuck to facts and left it to the readers to make up their own mind. This was a refreshing change from the opinionated A Treacherous Likeness and I really enjoyed the experience of learning more about these poets. I’m sure there are better biographies on Mary Shelley out there but The Monsters is worth checking out as well.
This review originally appeared on my blog; http://literary-exploration.com/2013/05/18/book-review-the-monsters/
More...