Powerful Book, took me by surprise

I finally got to read Mary Shelly's Frankenstein the other day. I say the word "finally" because I bought this book years ago, during one of my high school book-buying binges. And even though it's a relatively short book, I never gave it a shot, mainly because I felt I knew everything there is to know about Frankenstein:

Let's see ...

Tall, inherently evil, athletically-built SGM seeks SGW, having a penchant for slow walks with arms fixed straight ahead, who enjoys bellowing out incoherent grunts and monosyllabic words. [let your own preconceptions fill in the rest]

Well, after reading the book, I see now that I had a few things completely wrong. First of all, I always just assumed "Frankenstein" to be the name of the monster, I didn't realize that the monster doesn't really have a name, other than his possessive association with his creator: Dr Frankenstein's monster.

Then another one of my preconceptions went sour, and in fact, became the exact opposite of what I expected. I imagined the monster to be very inarticulate, and if he had any written dialogue, I figured it would be as unreadable as Jim from Huckleberry Finn. But I was quite mistaken. He was extremely intelligible and even eloquent. It even mentions him reading Paradise Lost, and Plutarch's Tales (the former being a book I struggled a bit with in my British Lit. class). The monster is plaintive and rational, with tender emotions that are quite hurt by the repeated responses he gets by humans, who do nothing but snap-judge him by his hideous looks and reach for arms. During one instance, the monster risks his life to save a little girl drowning in a nearby river, and is rewarded only by a shot gun shell to the chest. A gift of firewood to a starving indigent family is met by fear and hate, with yet another attempt at the monster's life. And there were many more similar episodes. Largess rewarded by scorn, appeals to reason, retorted by violence; It felt like the label of monster was placed on the wrong group of people.

There also seems to be a splash of The Merchant of Venice influence. During one long sorrowful speech by the monster, I was almost expecting him to break down on his knees with: "Hath not a monster eyes? ... if you prick us do we not bleed."

Overall, the book is very well written and really an excellent story, I'd recommend it to anyone. It has such relevant themes, particularly on the grossness of ignorance, prejudice and preconceptions, and how in this regard the ostensibly intelligent, like the learned Dr. Frankenstein, can be ruefully stupid. I initially avoided reading this book due to my own assumption of what I would find-which inturn made the book's message, that much more effective.

Frankenstein

In the book Frankenstein, the author, Mary Shelley tells a story about a monster that the protagonist, Victor Frankenstein, creates. Well at the beginning of the book, it leads off with the narrator, Robert Walton, writing letters to his sister Margaret Saville. They are summarizing what Walton did, when he met Victor Frankenstein and how he nursed him back to health. After Victor is becomes healthy, Victor starts telling Walton his story. Victor starts by telling Walton about his early life, where he was born and where he lived, just a little back round information. After this is when you start to learn about Elizabeth, Victor's lifelong companion. Later in the years he starts to make a new friend named Henry Clerval, their friendship blooms. At the age of seventeen Victor goes to a University in Ingolstadt. Before he leaves his mother catches scarlet fever form Elizabeth, who she is nursing back to health. While at the university he creates a monster, which has no name. The monster terrorizes Victor and he becomes ill. Henry nurses him, when he is healthy again he receives a letter from his father saying that his brother William has been murdered. Justin Mortz is convicted of the murder she didn't commit and is executed. But come to find out the monster killed William. Later you find out that Victor meets the monster and finds out that he can talk and he shows emotions. The monster tells Victor of his past and how he learned how to speak. But when Felix scares him away he promises to himself that he will reject all humans. He comes across William and William mentions the name Alphonse and is strangled by the monster to death. After the monster finishes his story he tells Victor that he wants a female companion, after an agreement Victor agrees to make a female monster. When Victor, his father, and Henry go on a two-year tour, Victor finds himself making the female monster. But when he has second thoughts that they will make a "Devil race" he destroys the monster. When the monster finds out that Victor destroyed the companion the monster kills Henry. Victor is found innocent of Hery's murder and goes back to Geneva.

I found that the book was well written and that Mary Shelley, describes the characters with greatest descriptions. I believe that when the monster was telling his story that she put a lot of effort into letting people know what happened to him. That made me want to read the book more.

I would suggest that all ages should read this book because it is great entertainment when you have nothing to do. People who like mysteries will have more fun reading this book then a person who likes drama.

"cursed, cursed creator."

Victor grew up reading the works of Paracelsus, Agrippa, and Albertus Magnus, the alchemists of the time. Toss in a little natural philosophy (sciences) and you have the making of a monster. Or at least a being that after being spurned for looking ugly becomes ugly. So for revenge the creature decides unless Victor makes another (female this time) creature, that Victor will also suffer the loss of friends and relatives. What is victor to do? Bow to the wishes and needs of his creation? Or challenge it to the death? What would you do?
Although the concept of the monster is good, and the conflicts of the story well thought out, Shelly suffers from the writing style of the time. Many people do not finish the book as the language is stilted and verbose for example when was the last time you said, "Little did I then expect the calamity that was in a few moments to overwhelm me and extinguish in horror and despair all fear of ignominy of death."
Much of the book seems like travel log filler. More time describing the surroundings of Europe than the reason for traveling or just traveling. Many writers use traveling to reflect time passing or the character growing in stature or knowledge. In this story they just travel a lot.
This book is definitely worth plodding through for moviegoers. The record needs to be set strait. First shock is that the creator is named Victor Frankenstein; the creature is just "monster" not Frankenstein. And it is Victor that is backwards which added in him doing the impossible by not knowing any better. The monster is well read in "Sorrows of a Young Werther," "Paradise Lost," and Plutarch's "Lives." The debate (mixed with a few murders) rages on as to whether the monster was doing evil because of his nature or because he was spurned?