3 Review(s)

Frankenstein tells the story of one man’s mad plan to revive the dead, unleashing a creature society refuses to accept in a classic story of science fiction at its best by Mary Shelley. Summary of the Book Dr. Victor Frankenstein had a plan. He wished to rid mankind of its need to die, by reviving the dead. To this end he haunted graveyards, reaping body parts to fulfill his insane dream. Shunned by society as a maniac, he convinces himself that lightning can revive the dead. He sets up a lab and tries to revive a creature, a miasma of several bodies which becomes over 8 feet tall. He succeeds, though not in the way he expected. What he revives is a creature neither man nor machine. It is a Monster and it is by this name that society decides to call it. The Monster becomes an allegory for all mankind, and is considered Mary Shelley’s examination of the creation story. The Monster questions his creation, asking if he ever asked to be made, let alone shunned by society. A notable common misconception of the novel is that the monster is named after its creator, erroneous since the Monster is never named in the book. About Mary Shelley Mary Shelley was an English novelist, poet and short story writer. The daughter of the eminent writer and philosopher William Godwin, she wrote from a young age. She married the writer and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley. Frankenstein was adapted into several major motion pictures and has entered mainstream horror fiction in the centuries since its first printing. The most notable adaptation was directed by James Whale, and produced by Universal Studios. It starred Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, John Boles, Edward Van Sloan, Dwight Frye, and Boris Karloff as the monster. Boris Karloff’s portrayal of Frankenstein’s Monster is considered the definitive adaptation, although it deviates largely from the description of the Monster in the novel. A more recent adaptation stars James McAvoy as Dr. Frankenstein, and  Daniel Radcliffe as the assistant Igor, due in theatres in 2015.