Product Description

This "Norton Critical Edition" of "Frankenstein" contains the 1818 first edition text. Only the obvious typographical errors have been corrected. The book also includes writings by Mary Shelley, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron and John William Polidori, enabling the reader to place the novel in its historical context. Six 19th-century responses to the novel illustrate contemporary reactions, whilst 12 modern critical essays cover the different aspects (psychoanalytic, mythic, feminist) of the work.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #81952 in Books
• Published on: 1996-02-23
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Customer Reviews

Great edition, helpful essays!
As I'm sure most of you know the story of Frankenstein, I'd just like to say a few words about the essays. This is a great edition for students, as you can read both modern responses to the text and those from Shelley's contemporaries. I found the essays on feminist and psychoanalytical responses invaluable; the commentary on the text is top-quality. I know it''s an expensive edition, but trust me, it's worth it!

Great for Open University students
Those of you studying A210 "Approaching Literature" would do well to buy this edition (based on the 1818 Frankenstein), rather than loose your time on the York Notes (1831 version). The contemporary critics, commentaries and essays make up for half the book already, and this is great primary source material for essay writing. Highly recommended.

"Cursed, cursed creator."
Victor grew up reading the works of Paracelsus, Agrippa, and Albertus Magnus, the alchemists of the time. Toss in a little natural philosophy (sciences) and you have the making of a monster. Or at least a being that after being spurned for looking ugly becomes ugly. So for revenge the creature decides unless Victor makes another (female this time) creature, that Victor will also suffer the loss of friends and relatives. What is victor to do? Bow to the wishes and needs of his creation? Or challenge it to the death? What would you do?

Although the concept of the monster is good, and the conflicts of the story well thought out, Shelly suffers from the writing style of the time. Many people do not finish the book as the language is stilted and verbose for example when was the last time you said, "Little did I then expect the calamity that was in a few moments to overwhelm me and extinguish in horror and despair all fear of ignominy of death."
Much of the book seems like travel log filler. More time describing the surroundings of Europe than the reason for traveling or just traveling. Many writers use traveling to reflect time passing or the character growing in stature or knowledge. In this story they just travel a lot.

This book is definitely worth plodding through for moviegoers. The record needs to be set strait. First shock is that the creator is named Victor Frankenstein; the creature is just "monster" not Frankenstein. And it is Victor that is backwards which added in him doing the impossible by not knowing any better. The monster is well read in "Sorrows of a Young Werther," "Paradise Lost," and Plutarch's "Lives." The debate (mixed with a few murders) rages on as to whether the monster was doing evil because of his nature or because he was spurned?