Marsha's Reviews > Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus

This book gives us the 1818 text as formed by Mary Shelley and her husband as well as the original text as written by the adolescent girl alone. Filled with spelling errors, grammatical flaws and missing or odd punctuation, this reveals the true origin of the Frankenstein story, one that might come as a real eye opener to people who know it only from the various movies. (Only the 1977 Terror of Frankenstein comes even close to the source material. It’s a Swedish-Irish version which makes a lot of sense since much of the novel takes place in those regions.) Revealing much of the inner thoughts of Frankenstein and its creation, it is a rich, multi-layered text, a-brim with local color, conflict and inner dialogue.

Mary Shelley created a powerful work that continues to resonate throughout the decades, a novel that has never been out of print from the year it was published. However, it does show some of the immaturity of the 19-year-old woman who penned it. The text can be repetitive, some sections are dragged out that could have worked better with a little tightening and Victor Frankenstein faints just a little too often.

However, two fascinating literary characters were forged, ones that generate endless debate and consideration. The nameless creation is a being of contradiction, much like his creator. He inspires sympathy and horror in almost equal amounts. Frankenstein’s character is a little harder to understand. You get the feeling that he is genuinely mad, given his original obsession with creating a rational being in defiance of God and religion.

Perhaps some of it stems from the grief over his mother’s death and yet that particular grief is rarely touched upon in the novel. It seems as if Frankenstein created this being simply because he could and not out of any feeling for his fellow man. Frankenstein is also subject to black depression, mood swings, hysteria and moments of rage almost equal to that of the being he created. Did he somehow let loose his Id when he made his daemon? Is the wretch his dark mirror as much as the product of his genius?

The novel is far from perfect but it’s a genuine work of horror, even after almost 200 years. Mary Shelley wanted to write about something that horrified her and she succeeded. No other ghost story created by her travel companions has lasted, even by her poet lover-turned-husband. Lightning struck the creator if not the creation.