3 Review(s)

'Direct and engaging in style, this comprehensive study will appeal to new students of Frankenstein.' - Mike Edwards, formerly Head of Humanities, Crosskeys College, UK Ever since it was first published in 1818, Frankenstein has exercised a powerful hold over its readers. Critics have puzzled over the question: how could Mary Shelley, a teenager at the time, have written with such rhetorical power, and about such shocking ideas? Part I of this essential study: ? takes a fresh look at the novel and leads the reader into close analysis of Shelley's text and her different narrators ? features chapters on the different narrative frames through which the story is told, characters, and major issues such as nature, science and society, symbolism and myth ? builds familiarity with Shelley's writing and her concerns, and develops a clear sense of how this unique novel grips and fascinates its readers ? contains suggestions for further study at the end of each chapter. Part II provides the key background information students of Frankenstein need, including: ? an account of Mary Shelley's life, her other novels and other writing ? discussion of Frankenstein in relation to its historical and literary contexts, including its influence on subsequent fictions up to the present day ? a sample of major critical views on the text, and suggestions for further reading. Providing students with the critical and analytical skills with which to approach Frankenstein, this stimulating book helps readers to enjoy and explore the text for themselves.