Frankenstein: Or the modern Prometheus

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Artdude
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Frankenstein: Or the modern Prometheus

Post by Artdude »

I had to give it it's full name: more people should. I think it's very important, if only for the sound of it.

Re-read this last night, and had forgotten how truly fantastic it was. Very interested in the contrast between 'light and dark', 'creator and creation', and (then) new world science. Brilliantly written, if only for the bit where Victor Frankenstein wakes up and the monster is looming above him. Just fantastic.

Thoughts people, thoughts.
michelet3005
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Post by michelet3005 »

I read this book in high school. I actually did a comparison between this and Forrest Gump. I think it's totally amazing. It's disappointing 'Hollywood' got a hold of it and turned the Frankenstein Monster into a terrible idiotic creature. I was so in love with this book. I really connected with the Frankenstein Monster. His desire to be loved and accepted, his dispair when society rejected him, his anger for revenge. It's such a well written book. Even though it was written so long ago I would recommend this to anyone.
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anijoan
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Post by anijoan »

I have read this while completing my bachelor's degree in Biophysics. This is an absolutely brilliant insight into the world of creation, responsibility, technological advance and its consequences. We strive to keep pushing the boundaries of nature and call it achievement, but our creations contain destructive powers that we cannot contain once set in motion. Incredible read !
Jbennett96
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Post by Jbennett96 »

Although this book was assigned to me as an English text to be studied, I enjoyed it thoroughly.

The novel was so different to my initial thoughts on what it would be. It isn't a tale about a monster with a bolt through his neck with a mad scientist screaming "ITS ALIVE", it's about a creature trying to find his place in the world.

The language of Frankenstein is quite complex and sometimes requires some double reading of lines to fully understand but for good reason, this book was written quite a while ago. However it is still relevant today. It successfully questions why we react to things that don't quite fit in. Everyone reacts with horror to the sight of the gentle creature that after such treatment turns monstrous.

All in all this book although complex, was a perfect example of an early horror novel that really digs deep to ask the dark questions of our human existence.
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mmsv010929
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Post by mmsv010929 »

One of my all-time favourites. People always give me a funny look when I say that because "I don't come across as someone who would enjoy monster stories". I simply tell them they need to read it and they will understand.

I love the relationships that develop throughout the book and seeing how the characters change as the story progresses. The writing is incredible. I get something new out of it every time I re-read it. As I mentioned on another forum, my copy is starting to fall apart because I've read it so many times and made so many notes in the margins.

Great read!
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mrssettlemyer
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Post by mrssettlemyer »

One of my favorite classics! And for first time readers, this book will not be what you expect!
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TheKeenReader
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Post by TheKeenReader »

It's a great book, and it becomes even more astonishing when you add in the fact that Mary Shelley was just 18 when she wrote it.

You can read it through any lens, but I always found the novel's formal aspects to be fascinating. The three layers of story that we get--Walton writing to his sister, Walton relaying Frankenstein's story, and Walton relaying Frankenstein's account of the Monster's story--brings a massive amount of subjectivity into play, which is interesting when most of the characters' goals are rooted in science, which should be primarily objective.
shalako
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Post by shalako »

One of my all-time favorite books. My wife and I plan to do a tour of Europe (someday), stopping at each location from the book. Well, every accessible location. I guess we'd have trouble finding a slab of ice to float on these days
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Post by Gravy »

:text-yeahthat:

I'm flummoxed by the way the monster is depicted :doh:
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Post by jamesabr »

I recently re-read it as well. The premise was what first drew me in, but the foil character relationship between Victor and some of the other characters (including Frankenstein's Monster/The Creature) kept my attention. I especially liked the way in which Mary Shelley seemed to imply Victor's obliviousness to his own hubris in making his creation and later attempting to forget it.

I didn't really find the Creature's actions to be very intimidating. Since he attempted to do good by others at first and is mainly driven by revenge for Victor's abandonment later in the story, to me he just seemed like a child who was angry with his parent.

Overall, I loved re-reading it.
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Rocheleau1
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Post by Rocheleau1 »

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley:

I was assigned to read this book both in high school and college, and I was not particularly thrilled with it. Although I liked the comparison of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde kind of idea, I had an extremely hard time following along with the story. I lost interest too quick.

I think the author, Shelley, did an excellent job at describing the plot of the story, and its surrounding details. I don't think anyone could have done it better.

My only question is: why did there have to be such a drastic comparison?
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ollesternberg
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Post by ollesternberg »

Frankenstein oder Frankenstein oder Der moderne Prometheus (Original: Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus) ist ein Roman von Mary Shelley, der 1818 erstmals anonym veröffentlicht wurde. Er erzählt die Geschichte des jungen Schweizers Viktor Frankenstein, der an der damals berühmten Universität Ingolstadt einen künstlichen Menschen erschafft.

Die Handlung wird durch eine Mischung aus Briefroman und klassischer Ich-Erzählsituation vermittelt. Viktor Frankenstein erzählt dem Leiter einer Forschungsexpedition, zugleich Eigner des Schiffes, das ihn in der Arktis rettet, seine Geschichte. Der Roman wird so zu einem Lehrstück, gibt Frankenstein doch deutlich zu verstehen, dass seine Erzählung auch eine Warnung an den Zuhörer und damit auch die Leser sein soll: Er warnt vor einer entgrenzten menschlichen Vernunft, die sich selbst zu Gott macht und sich anmaßt, lebendige Materie zu schaffen. Die Figur des Viktor Frankenstein ähnelt damit sowohl dem 'literarischen' Faust als auch dem Prometheus aus der griechischen Mythologie.
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Post by MsTri »

As Jbennett96 rightfully points out, Frankenstein is a slightly tough read, so I actually read a tween's version (Great Illustrated Classics) first, just to get the basic storyline down, so it'd be easier to read the actual book.

And what a book it is! I cried almost as much as I sat on the edge of my seat. As a child who didn't feel my parents' love the way I thought I should and other kids appeared to feel their parents', the grown-up me was totally sympathetic to the creature and forgave everything he did, for I too know what it is to be rejected time and again (though I've never killed anyone over it, :-p). I'm also able to feel a little empathy for the Doctor; even though he made his own bed, he didn't know of what he was making his bed, so it was very sad when it came time for him to lie in it.

After years of seeing images of the cartoonish 'monster' that the often-wrongly-named Monster (he is NOT "Frankenstein"!) has become in the movies and on TV, I was so glad to finally be introduced to the true story.
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Post by BelindaC »

This was one of the most surprising books I've read due to the pop culture image of Frankenstein. Having seen numerous film and cartoon versions of the story growing up, I'd always avoided the book, assuming I already knew everything that happened. However, in my first year of university I was assigned it as part of a literature class and realized as soon as I began that this was a very different story than what I had grown up knowing. In particular, I was struck by the intelligence of the creature, compared to the shuffling, dimwitted monster the media seems to love. The moment the creature began speaking I was shocked! I find the book to far superior to any film version of it (though I'll confess a particular fondness to the old Hammer Horror films).
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The Irmuun
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Post by The Irmuun »

Well, finally I read the original novel after watching infinite film adaptations, variations of the theme and even odd approaches to the topic.
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