Thursday, October 11, 2012

Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley wrote one of modern literature's most popular novels, Frankenstein, a science-fiction thriller exploring the human quest for technological advancement and innovation. Victor Frankenstein, a young college student, attempts to build his own live person by putting together bits and pieces of corpses and whatever other material he could find. After successfully creating a living being, Victor is horrified with the montrosity of a creature he has brought to life, and struggles with his sanity as he tries to escape the reality of the monster. The monster, who possesses nothing but good intentions, soon is faced with the truth of his character. Outcast from society due to his beastly appearance, the creature turns vengeful and soon starts to take the lives of many innocent victims, including the loved ones in Voctor's life. A reluctant Victor is faced with the responsibility of the monster he has created and must accept the situation for what it truly is. Read Mary Shelley's thriller to discover the fate of Victor Frankenstein and his infamous monster.

I really admired this novel by Mary Shelley. Even though it was written almost two centuries ago, in 1818, it has a lot of relevance to the modern world, especially with its significant warning on the dangers of experimentation with science in the natural world. I thought the plot was also really interesting, and it kept me turning the pages. The novel definitely holds a different perspective of the famous 'Frankenstein' monster that pop culture has made so popular, and it is really fascinating to read the actual root of the green-skinned monster we so often see today. Frankenstein was a great novel to read and is definitely worth a shot by anyone looking for a science-fiction classic!

-Reviewed by P.P., grade 11.

2 comments:

Teen Speak said...

Frankenstein is about a man named Walton on a journey to be the first European to travel to the North Pole. On the way, he sees a man stranded on an iceberg. This man, Victor tells Walton the story of how he ended up in his state. Victor Frankenstein became very interested in supernatural science. With his mom's death leaving him a bit mentally unstable, Victor went to university and decided to search for the secret to creating life. Eventually he succeeded in finding the secret and he created a monster, who wreaked havoc on everyone Victor loved.

Frankenstein was a pretty boring read for me. Shelley's language is beautiful but the huge amount of description in every scene left me waiting for the end. The book was also less interesting than I thought it would be and nothing like I expected. I had to read Frankenstein for school, and if I did have to, I probably would not have picked it up. I would recommend Frankenstein to people who enjoy classics and Gothic fiction.

Reviewed by Rebecca S., Grade 10
Glendale Central Library

Melissa said...

The book is about a man named Victor Frankenstein who from an early age grows a fascination with the creation of life and how nature works. After years and years of obsession and research, he is able to create life. Throughout this journey, readers will see how unhealthy his obsession becomes to creating this creature and the sisters that come with creating this creature. Readers will grow to understand how important it is to have good relationships and how in a blink of an eye how all of that can be taken away be a simple mistake.

Frankenstein has come to be one of my favorite books I have ever read. The bession that Victor ends up adopting and his want to create life is so inspiring but also frightening. The book has taught me that in anything you do in life there must be a balance and victor clearly was not able to grasp that throughout the book. I also love how Shelby ends up giving the creature human tendencies and allows us to feel empathy for what the creature is going through. The imagery in this book was also well done, with the way every single person was described piece by piece and felt like I knew the characters on a personal level

Reviewed by Ariana G., Grade 11
Montrose Library