Frankenstein- The 1818 Text (Penguin Classics) by Mary Shelley
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Web ID: 8019480Moronic Editorial Decisions
As with most new Penguin Classics, the editorial apparatus in this edition of Frankenstein is awful. For one thing, it pushes a political agenda, forcing readers who may not be familiar with Frankenstein already to view the novel through a reductionist, 21st-century feminist view. For another, the so-called editor Charles E. Robinson makes several mistakes in the appendices, such as claiming that the book’s subtitle is “A Modern Prometheus” instead of the correct “The Modern Prometheus.” This complete lack of attention to detail plagues modern Penguin Classics, and this one is no exception.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Not what I expected, but clearly influential
Frankenstein has clearly influenced horror and sci-fi in major ways, notably felt in the eerie tone of the narrator and the theme of science going too far. Dr. Frankenstein tells the story through another man who is writing letters to his sister. The doctor’s ramblings get more paranoid as his tale unfolds and brings us closer to the present. I enjoyed this format as it felt like hearing a long spooky story around a campfire from a madman. **SPOILERS AHEAD** My biggest complaint is that I went in with a lot of preconceived notions. Frankenstein’s Monster is often portrayed as a tragic and pitiful character. This is the case here, but I found him to be less sympathetic. He’s more the murder a child as a cry for help type, instead of the just asking for help type. I do think he makes for an interesting enough villain. I guess I just never saw him as a villain when I watched movies, so I haven’t fully wrapped my head around that. My final verdict is, I enjoyed this read. The language is flowery for my taste, but what wasn’t during this time period. We also didn’t get a dramatic “he’s alive!” scene… What I did get was common threads to so many other books I’ve read and movies I’ve watched. It’s hard to argue with the impact this one has had. It’s not too long either, I definitely think it’s worth a read!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com