A Brief Book Review of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Like many people in the western world, I thought I knew most things about the fictional character Victor Frankenstein and his monster. The term “Frankenstein” today permeates the English language and suggests someone who has created a thing that is an albatross for its creator. But to actually read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) revealed a more surprising origin to these characters and their story than I realized. To put it succinctly, if you haven’t read this before, it might not be the novel you probably think it is—at least it wasn’t for me. In highly stylized gothic prose and an incredibly dramatic plot, Shelley has created a surprisingly intense sermon on love, friendship, grief, revenge, science, ambition, loyalty, and kinship.