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Frankenstein: The 1818 Text

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley,

Charlotte Gordon (Introduction)

Discussion: 2016-19 Activities & Challenges

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2016-19 Activities & Challenges

* Time to Vote for the Top 10 PBT Books for 2019 . . .and the Decade!
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What Members Thought

Oct 27, 2018 Meli rated it it was amazing

Shelves: thriller, horror, love, literary-fiction

What can I say?
Frankenstein is an absolute timeless classic and for good reason.
Criticizing the scientific hubris of man, not to mention the entitlement and lack of responsibility for ones actions, just never goes out of style.

This is my 3rd (?) reading of the text, but what struck me this time was the comedy of Victor Frankenstein.
He makes a man out of corpses, for some ungodly reason makes him like 9 feet tall, then when it comes to life he is somehow surprised at its hideousness.
He simply ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Apr 14, 2021 Jen K rated it liked it

I really thought the movie Young Frankenstein was a true representation of this book. Boy, I was so wrong. I clearly never even considered otherwise to check reviews or even the book blurb. I was so confused at the start of the book and kept waiting for the action to move to Transylvania.

The actual story is much more romantic and melodramatic. Young Victor has always been fascinated by science when he finds books promoting the elixir of life and is determined to achieve this skill even after ch ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Nov 28, 2016 JoLene rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, 1001btrbyd, kindle, classic, read-2016

I try to throw in a classic from time to time and October seemed to be the right time to tackle Frankenstein. My familiarity with the story is limited to movie/TV depictions (mostly the movie Young Frankenstein). Needless to say, I was quite surprised that the book was not really what I was expecting. I started listening to this on audio, but then ended up reading the last half in one sitting (it's actually pretty short).

Even finishing it a month later, I'm not really sure what to make of it. Wh ...more

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Aug 15, 2013 Desertisland added it · review of another edition

Maybe I can find essays analyzing this novel. (Might have been chosen for UNBEARABLE BOOK CLUB because it describes a sort of parent/child relationship reflected in that book; also "child development" or development of intellect--tho I wondered if someone who had been consciously "taught" by other people, would assume same standards of beauty--and ugliness. (Perhaps author believed that nature trains the eye, as well as heart and spirit. We may be more aware now of how different cultures and tim ...more

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Dec 22, 2014 Sara rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: e-book, 1001-books, classics, horror

Victor Frankenstein has lived a charmed life. When he leaves behind Geneva for the colleges of Ingolstodt and his study of the natural sciences he is excited and gifted. Before three years are out he has surpassed all his teachers have to teach him and endeavors to discover the secret of life. To this end he creates for himself a man, cobbled together from the bits and pieces of cadavers. Yet his great success will also prove to be his demise.
An epistolary novel, we learn this story as Frankenst ...more

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Jan 21, 2016 Kristal rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, reviewed, classic, 2011-reads, gothic-horror, 1001-books-you-must-read-before-you

I love horror stories both in books and on film. So I was familiar with the tale of Frankenstein. However, I am sad to say that it has taken me almost 40 years to sit down and read this classic tale. While I will admit that it took me an exceptionally longer amount of time to read it than normal (I found myself yawning a lot and nodding off at some points), it is so much more detailed and emotional than I would have imagined. And it was really quite hard to believe the depth and emotion that She ...more

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