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A review by josiahdegraaf
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
5.0
Fourth time reading this novel, and while some of its potency has dulled through the multiple times I've read it, other parts are still quite fresh. Frankenstein questions which are still very much pertinent today (with the growing possibility of human cloning) on what constitutes life and what duties a creator owes to creatures that he has created.
This time around, I picked up a lot more of the monster's manipulation and verbal framing, particularly in the concluding conversation with Walton. While Shelley's dialogue occasionally seems stilted, in scenes like this she does an excellent job of conveying his emotions and thoughts in a way that feels quite natural.
I also found it interesting this time around how even to the end, Frankenstein doesn't seem to ever deal with his fatal flaw. He's always pursuing the impossible--whether it's in creating life, trying to successfully hunt the superior monster, or encouraging Walton to find a better passage. He deals with particular mistakes. But he never deals with his core problem as a character.
Complex and horrifying, Frankenstein is a cautionary tale about the limits of man and the folly of playing God. One of my favorites.
Rating: 4.5 Stars (Excellent).
This time around, I picked up a lot more of the monster's manipulation and verbal framing, particularly in the concluding conversation with Walton. While Shelley's dialogue occasionally seems stilted, in scenes like this she does an excellent job of conveying his emotions and thoughts in a way that feels quite natural.
I also found it interesting this time around how even to the end, Frankenstein doesn't seem to ever deal with his fatal flaw. He's always pursuing the impossible--whether it's in creating life, trying to successfully hunt the superior monster, or encouraging Walton to find a better passage. He deals with particular mistakes. But he never deals with his core problem as a character.
Complex and horrifying, Frankenstein is a cautionary tale about the limits of man and the folly of playing God. One of my favorites.
Rating: 4.5 Stars (Excellent).