Frankenstein was published in 1818, the work of a 21-year-old genius named Mary Shelley. Hundreds of movies, adaptations, and monster masks later, its reputation remains so lively that the title has become its own word in the English language. Victor Frankenstein, a scientist, discovers the secret of reanimating the dead. After he rejects his hideous creation, not even the farthest poles of the earth will keep his bitter monster from seeking an inhuman revenge. Inspired by a uniquely Romantic view of science’s possibilities, Shelley’s masterpiece ultimately wrestles with the hidden shadows of the human mind.
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel written by English author Mary Shelley (1797-1851) that tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a grotesque but sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment. Shelley started writing the story when she was 18, and the first edition of the novel was published anonymously in London on 1 January 1818, when she was 20.[1] Her name first appeared on the second edition, published in France in 1823.
Shelley's suspenseful and intellectually rich gothic tale confronts some of the most important and enduring themes in all of literature―the power of human imagination, the potential hubris of science, the gulf between appearance and essence, the effects of human cruelty, the desire for revenge and the need for forgiveness, and much more. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more. Simon & Schuster Classics are bringing Frankenstein back to life with a stunning but terrifying new cover. Through letters sent by Robert Walton to his wife, a wandering figure emerges named Victor Frankenstein. Frail and nearing his death, Victor recounts a fantastical story of how he assembled old body parts to create a human-like being, a creature so utterly monstrous and hideous that he regretted being its creator. Frankenstein's rejection of his creation turns the 'creature' into a true monster, resulting in murder and havoc and a treacherous voyage to find and kill it once and for all. Frankenstein is a true classic of modern literature and is often considered to be a pioneering work of science fiction. Through Mary Shelley's extraordinary tale, we see the true reflection of the human condition, which demands wonder, fear and empathy.
Mary Shelley's classic Frankenstein pioneered the deeply explored battle between monster and man. Follow three narratives in this ageless tale that navigates fear, fixation, love and desire, while finding an anchor in humanity. The combination of fantastical elements and scientific exploration makes this Mary Shelley novel one of the first true models of science fiction. This new edition of Frankenstein stays true to the classic origins, but is provided with a whole new life by a smaller, portable format. The Knickerbocker Classics bring together the works of classic authors from around the world in stunning gift editions to be collected and enjoyed. Complete and unabridged, these elegantly designed cloth-bound hardcovers feature a slipcase and ribbon marker, as well as a comprehensive introduction providing the reader with enlightening information on the author's life and works.
From the imagination of 18-year-old Mary Wollstonecraft (Godwin) Shelley, wife of renowned poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, came perhaps the most celebrated monster in history. Created by the Mary Shelley's fictional Victor Frankenstein, the creature has inhabited nightmares, new editions, and movie screens for nearly two centuries. Mary Shelley (1797-1851) was the daughter of politically radical philosophers, friend of literary figures such as Lord Byron, and mistress and then wife of Percy Bysshe Shelley. FRANKENSTEIN, OR THE MODERN PROMETHEUS was first published anonymously in 1818.
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (illustrated) is a novel written by English author Mary Shelley about eccentric scientist Victor Frankenstein, a Swiss student of natural science who creates a grotesque artificial man/creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment using pieces of corpses. The book is a combination of Gothic horror and science fiction and is written in the form of a frame story. Though it initially seeks affection, the monster inspires loathing in everyone who meets it. Lonely and miserable, the monster turns upon its creator, who eventually loses his life. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty. The first edition was published anonymously in London in 1818.
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel written by British author Mary Shelley about eccentric scientist Victor Frankenstein, who creates a grotesque creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment.
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (Godwin) (30 August 1797 - 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818), which is considered an early example of science fiction. She also edited and promoted the works of her husband, the Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley. Her father was the political philosopher William Godwin and her mother was the philosopher and feminist activist Mary Wollstonecraft. Shelley's mother died less than a month after giving birth to her. She was raised by her father, who provided her with a rich if informal education, encouraging her to adhere to his own anarchist political theories. When she was four, her father married a neighbor, Mary Jane Clairmont, with whom Shelley came to have a troubled relationship. In 1814, Shelley began a romance with one of her father's political followers, Percy Bysshe Shelley, who was already married. Together with her stepsister, Claire Clairmont, she and Percy left for France and travelled through Europe. Upon their return to England, Shelley was pregnant with Percy's child. Over the next two years, she and Percy faced ostracism, constant debt and the death of their prematurely born daughter. They married in late 1816, after the suicide of Percy Shelley's first wife, Harriet. In 1816, the couple and her stepsister famously spent a summer with Lord Byron and John William Polidori near Geneva, Switzerland, where Shelley conceived the idea for her novel Frankenstein. The Shelleys left Britain in 1818 for Italy, where their second and third children died before Shelley gave birth to her last and only surviving child, Percy Florence Shelley. In 1822, her husband drowned when his sailing boat sank during a storm near Viareggio. A year later, Shelley returned to England and from then on devoted herself to the upbringing of her son and a career as a professional author. The last decade of her life was dogged by illness, most likely caused by the brain tumor which killed her at age 53. Until the 1970s, Shelley was known mainly for her efforts to publish her husband's works and for her novel Frankenstein, which remains widely read and has inspired many theatrical and film adaptations. Recent scholarship has yielded a more comprehensive view of Shelley's achievements. Scholars have shown increasing interest in her literary output, particularly in her novels, which include the historical novels Valperga (1823) and Perkin Warbeck (1830), the apocalyptic novel The Last Man (1826) and her final two novels, Lodore (1835) and Falkner (1837). Studies of her lesser-known works, such as the travel book Rambles in Germany and Italy (1844) and the biographical articles for Dionysius Lardner's Cabinet Cyclopaedia (1829-1846), support the growing view that Shelley remained a political radical throughout her life. Shelley's works often argue that cooperation and sympathy, particularly as practiced by women in the family, were the ways to reform civil society. This view was a direct challenge to the individualistic Romantic ethos promoted by Percy Shelley and the Enlightenment political theories articulated by her father, William Godwin.
Frankenstein has been hailed as one of the all-time literary greats - A phenomenal tour de force originally published in 1818 from the matriarch of science fiction, Mary Wollstonecraft (Godwin) Shelley. The conception of this five-tier narrative is said to have come to Shelley in a dream during the damp, dark summer of 1816. Shelley delves into an exploration of 'just how far is too far when it comes to atypical procreation?' Far from making something from nothing, Victor Frankenstein will stop at nothing, rummaging through graveyards and the like to garner materials to attempt to create a life-form like no other. Hot in this insatiable pursuit, Shelley takes a deep dive into a plethora of themes including hope, loss, bereavement, abandonment, rejection, victimhood, discrimination, loneliness, companionship, revenge, possessiveness and mental health. The vacillation from postpartum depression to outright postpartum hatred and the capitulation of ethical conduct only begins to scratch the surface of this multi-layered, fascinating tale.Legend has it that Mary Shelley carried around the actual heart of her deceased husband, Percy Shelley! A chilling revelation of how her fractured heart could not be healed without his by her side. What else would we expect from the one-of-a-kind genius mind behind such an intriguing masterpiece! This edition concludes with a unique annotation bonus section entitled 'Shelley's Heartfelt Souvenir'. This bonus material provides some fascinating historical details regarding the aforementioned heart as well as a modern day take on one of Shelley's timeless quotes.
The world's most famous monster comes to life in this 1818 novel, a compelling narrative that combines Gothic romance and science fiction to tell of an ambitious young doctor's attempts to breathe life into an artificial man. Despite the doctor's best intentions, the experiment goes horribly wrong in a timeless tale about the hazards of playing creator.Mary Shelley began writing Frankenstein when she was only eighteen. At once a Gothic thriller, a passionate romance, and a cautionary tale about the dangers of science, Frankenstein tells the story of committed science student Victor Frankenstein. Obsessed with discovering the cause of generation and life and bestowing animation upon lifeless matter, Frankenstein assembles a human being from stolen body parts but; upon bringing it to life, he recoils in horror at the creature's hideousness. Tormented by isolation and loneliness, the once-innocent creature turns to evil and unleashes a campaign of murderous revenge against his creator, Frankenstein.Frankenstein, an instant bestseller and an important ancestor of both the horror and science fiction genres, not only tells a terrifying story, but also raises profound, disturbing questions about the very nature of life and the place of humankind within the cosmos: What does it mean to be human? What responsibilities do we have to each other? How far can we go in tampering with Nature? In our age, filled with news of organ donation genetic engineering, and bio-terrorism, these questions are more relevant than ever.A masterpiece. -Phillip PullmanOne of the most original and complete productions of the day. -Percy Bysshe ShelleyThe greatest paradox and most astonishing achievement of Mary Shelley's novel is that the monster is more human than his creator. This nameless being, as much a modern Adam as his creator is a modern Prometheus, is more lovable than his creator and more hateful, more to be pitied and more to be feared, and above all able to give the attentive reader that shock of added consciousness in which aesthetic recognition compels a heightened realization of self. -Harold Bloom
