Frankenstein: Or the Modern Prometheus
The world’s most famous work of horror fiction: a devastating exploration of the limits of human creativity. Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read
Mary Shelley's timeless gothic novel presents the epic battle between man and monster at its greatest literary pitch. In trying to create life, the young student Victor Frankenstein unleashes forces beyond his control, setting into motion a long and tragic chain of events that brings Victor to the very brink of madness. How he tries to destroy his creation, as it destroys everything Victor loves, is a powerful story of love, friendship, scientific hubris, and horror. Based on the third edition of 1831, this Penguin Classics edition, with an introduction and notes by Maurice Hindle, contains all the revisions Mary Shelley made to her story, as well as her 1831 introduction and Percy Bysshe Shelley’s preface to the first edition. It also includes as appendices a select collation of the texts of 1818 and 1831 together with "A Fragment" by Lord Byron and Dr John Polidori’s "The Vampyre: A Tale."
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
Mary Shelley's timeless gothic novel presents the epic battle between man and monster at its greatest literary pitch. In trying to create life, the young student Victor Frankenstein unleashes forces beyond his control, setting into motion a long and tragic chain of events that brings Victor to the very brink of madness. How he tries to destroy his creation, as it destroys everything Victor loves, is a powerful story of love, friendship, scientific hubris, and horror. Based on the third edition of 1831, this Penguin Classics edition, with an introduction and notes by Maurice Hindle, contains all the revisions Mary Shelley made to her story, as well as her 1831 introduction and Percy Bysshe Shelley’s preface to the first edition. It also includes as appendices a select collation of the texts of 1818 and 1831 together with "A Fragment" by Lord Byron and Dr John Polidori’s "The Vampyre: A Tale."
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
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Community Reviews
Not the story I expected
I had no idea the tragedy that befell Frankenstein after he created his monster. Why did he marry when he had been warned? Senseless tragedy. I know it's a classic but it was not to my taste.
I had no idea the tragedy that befell Frankenstein after he created his monster. Why did he marry when he had been warned? Senseless tragedy. I know it's a classic but it was not to my taste.
🌩️ It’s absolutely sublime!!!
I fell completely in love with this book — the writing, the emotion, the ache of grief and loneliness. It’s so beautifully written that I found myself pausing just to absorb certain lines, annotating every few pages, and even googling new words because I didn’t want to miss a thing.
I cried more than once, especially for the creature — he broke my heart in the most human way. The way Mary Shelley explores isolation and longing is just so haunting and poetic.
This may honestly be my favorite book. It captivated me from the very first page and stayed with me long after I closed it.
Now I can’t wait to dive into The Sorrows of Young Werther next — it feels like the perfect follow-up to this wave of emotion.
I listened to this as an audiobook and really enjoyed it! I thought the old world language would make it harder, but I think it was easier to understand hearing it rather than reading it.
Host: McAfees
I enjoyed this book. Much more poetic than I thought it would be and does not really align with the pop culture notion of who Frankenstien is today.
3.5 stars
I listened to the first half of this book on audiobook, but I wasn't really connecting with it, so I picked up my physical copy to finish it. I enjoyed reading it more than I did listening to it. It wasn't as creepy as I was expecting, but well-written and worth the read. It's not one I would pick up again, though.
#popsugarreadingchallenge2021 (prompt #25 - A book that was published anonymously)
I listened to the first half of this book on audiobook, but I wasn't really connecting with it, so I picked up my physical copy to finish it. I enjoyed reading it more than I did listening to it. It wasn't as creepy as I was expecting, but well-written and worth the read. It's not one I would pick up again, though.
#popsugarreadingchallenge2021 (prompt #25 - A book that was published anonymously)
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