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Frankenstein: The 1818 Text (Penguin Classics)
Mary Shelley’s classic novel, presented in its original 1818 text, with an introduction from National Book Critics Circle award-winner Charlotte Gordon
Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read
The original 1818 text of Frankenstein preserves the hard-hitting and politically-charged aspects of Shelley’s original writing, as well as her unflinching wit and strong female voice. This edition also emphasizes Shelley’s relationship with her mother—trailblazing feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, who penned A Vindication of the Rights of Woman—and demonstrates her commitment to carrying forward her mother’s ideals, placing her in the context of a feminist legacy rather than the sole female in the company of male poets, including Percy Shelley and Lord Byron.
This edition includes a new introduction and suggestions for further reading by National Book Critics Circle award-winner and Shelley expert Charlotte Gordon, literary excerpts and reviews selected by Gordon, and a chronology and essay by preeminent Shelley scholar Charles E. Robinson.
Penguin Classics is the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world, representing 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.
Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read
The original 1818 text of Frankenstein preserves the hard-hitting and politically-charged aspects of Shelley’s original writing, as well as her unflinching wit and strong female voice. This edition also emphasizes Shelley’s relationship with her mother—trailblazing feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, who penned A Vindication of the Rights of Woman—and demonstrates her commitment to carrying forward her mother’s ideals, placing her in the context of a feminist legacy rather than the sole female in the company of male poets, including Percy Shelley and Lord Byron.
This edition includes a new introduction and suggestions for further reading by National Book Critics Circle award-winner and Shelley expert Charlotte Gordon, literary excerpts and reviews selected by Gordon, and a chronology and essay by preeminent Shelley scholar Charles E. Robinson.
Penguin Classics is the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world, representing 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
If you have a God complex and/or Daddy issues, then this is the book for you!!! Mary Shelley wrote the scariest story known to mankind, which is basically what happens when a man invents something highly destructive and then regrets it, but it's way too late and it bites him -- but mostly OTHER PEOPLE -- in the ass (also see: the nuclear bomb). Really, the story of Pandora's Box was probably about a man. Great work, Mary. I've also done really destructive things to get my father's attention, so this book was very relatable.
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.
Read the 1831version. Fantastic book that can be looked at through a myriad of social and political lenses. It got me out of a long reading slump.
This book was very good. I liked the romantic aspects that went into it. I hated/liked Victor as a character. He could have avoided all of this death and destruction by being a good “parent” to the creature. I also think the creature is partly to blame because his heart was so filled up on revenge that he killed innocents and good hearted people. Overall this was a good story and I liked the mystery to it.
This was amazing.
This was the first book I've read in a long time that grabbed a hold of me and made me want to know what what going to happen next, how this tale was going to end. So much so that I brought this book to work with me and read before my shift started, during my first fifteen minute break, during lunch, and then again at my second/last fifteen minute break. I was only sort of familiar with the tale of Frankenstein and his "monster". I've never read this before nor do I recall ever sitting down and watching any of the many films that have been made based around the story. So I wasn't entirely sure what kind of story would be contained within the pages. I wasn't disappointed and it wasn't what I was expecting.
There is no clear hero to this story. There is no clear villain. There is only arrogance, bad choices, and my not knowing whose side I'm cheering for because, honestly, both sides are epic in their wrongness.
In short, such a good story.
The only reason I didn't give this five stars is because I wish it had ended differently. I was waiting for some sort of payoff at the end that simply didn't arrive. Which is cool because there is a high degree of realism to the way the story ended, but the part of me that wanted and was expecting something different forced me to give it four stars which isn't too shabby!
Recommended for those that love under-stated horror and those that have seen all of those Frankenstein renditions on film. Be a completist. Read the book!
This was the first book I've read in a long time that grabbed a hold of me and made me want to know what what going to happen next, how this tale was going to end. So much so that I brought this book to work with me and read before my shift started, during my first fifteen minute break, during lunch, and then again at my second/last fifteen minute break. I was only sort of familiar with the tale of Frankenstein and his "monster". I've never read this before nor do I recall ever sitting down and watching any of the many films that have been made based around the story. So I wasn't entirely sure what kind of story would be contained within the pages. I wasn't disappointed and it wasn't what I was expecting.
There is no clear hero to this story. There is no clear villain. There is only arrogance, bad choices, and my not knowing whose side I'm cheering for because, honestly, both sides are epic in their wrongness.
In short, such a good story.
The only reason I didn't give this five stars is because I wish it had ended differently. I was waiting for some sort of payoff at the end that simply didn't arrive. Which is cool because there is a high degree of realism to the way the story ended, but the part of me that wanted and was expecting something different forced me to give it four stars which isn't too shabby!
Recommended for those that love under-stated horror and those that have seen all of those Frankenstein renditions on film. Be a completist. Read the book!
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