Last Thursday was the day when my reading of Frankenstein was due. I actually managed to read the book except for the last few pages, which I then managed on Thursday after class. Unfortunately I didn’t find time to write about it here, but now here I am.
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is the original title of Mary Shelley’s novel dating back to 1818.
The book begins with letters written by Robert Walton to his sister Margaret, telling her about his voyage to the arctic. He meets our protagonist, Victor Frankenstein there in the ice, who tells him a curious story. Victor begins his story in Geneva, where he grows up with his parents, his adoptive sister (who is of the same age as he is) and his 2 brothers.
Later he starts studying natural sciences in Ingolstadt and makes an astounding discovery: He is able to give live to a somewhat humanlike, but rather monstrous creature. He is horrified right after the monster looks at him for the first time. The monster flees and Victor studies languages with his friend until he gets a letter by his father, that his littlest brother is dead.
When almost at home, he wanders around one night and sights the monster in the surrounding mountains. Back at home, he comes to know how his brother died and that one of the servants is accused of this horrific murder. Although Victor knows the real murder, he is not able to prevent the execution. Thus he feels like he is the cause for the death of these two beloved ones.
In his search for tranquility he encounters the monster again, which urges him to hear his story. The monster explains how everyone rejects him only by his sight, although he is really friendly and reasons Victor into a promise to get him a female companion.
Victor’s father wishes that Victor and his adoptive sister might marry soon, but Victor wants to get rid of his monster problem first and goes to Great Britain with his best friend. While his friend tours the Island, he confines himself on a small Scottish island to create the female.
When he reflects about his promise again, he comes to the conclusion that he could never allow that there might be a new species of monsters terrorising humanity, so he destroys the almost complete female. The monster swears revenge and vanishes.
By some strange incidents, Victor then ends up in Ireland and is accused of murder of his best friend who was found dead the same day. When he becomes ill, the people in town send for his father, who comes to bring Victor back home, that he might get sound again and might marry his love.
In the wedding night, the monster kills the bride so that Victor is tormented the same way he is. Victor goes back to his father, but he dies soon as well, so Victor starts chasing the monster to kill it. This is how he comes to meet Robert Walton in the arctic.
In the end, Victor dies on Robert Walton’s ship. The monster comes back to find him dead and, having no other connection to our human society, swears that it will burn itself and vanishes.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is the first novel that can be called science fiction. Here we have for the first time a story that is based on what might happen when scientists experiment with “giving life”. Although the novel is almost 200 years old, I think it is still modern and up-to-date. Today we are not able to give life to death matter, or rather a dead body sewn together from single human pieces. But our sciences are making fast progress when it comes to giving life from only one cell and similar things. I think, the setting of Frankenstein could as well be at some university today; perhaps a little more updated when it comes to technology like cars and how lectures are presented.
Now I’ll give you an update of my reading challenge, which I forgot for the last two books I read….
The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe:
- A book with nonhuman characters
- A book more than 100 years old
- A book by any author you’ve never read before
- A play
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams
- A book with nonhuman characters
- A funny book
- (A trilogy – well, it’s called a trilogy, but isn’t)
- A book you own but have never read
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley
- A book that became a movie
- A book written by someone under 30 (Shelley was only 20 then)
- (A book with nonhuman characters)
- A book by a female author
- (A book with a one-word title – often referred to as Frankenstein)
- A book set in a different country (with exception of Ingolstadt)
- A popular author’s first book
- A book more than 100 years old
Right now this makes a total of 24 out of 50 items, 25 if we count the Restaurant as part of a trilogy, but I haven’t finished the “trilogy” right now, so this does not count. Way to go!
I really should start reading different genres. I have several Items that don’t have enough space on my list, like “A book with nonhuman characters” or “A book with magic”. There are already so many books, while other items are empty. Perhaps it will become a little more balanced until the end of the year. But I still have this boxed set of the Harry Potter series, that I haven’t read in English yet…. Maybe there will be no balance.
I hope you have wonderful books on your to-be-read pile as well.
And a cup of tea next to you.Lots of hugs to all of you.
ophelia owlwitch 