Frankenstein
-
-
2.7 • 21 Ratings
-
Publisher Description
An Apple Books Classic edition.
Mary Shelley was just 18 when she had a nightmare vision: “I saw the pale student of unhallowed arts kneeling beside the thing he had put together. I saw the hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, and then, on the working of some powerful engine, show signs of life.”
Despite her lack of writing experience, Shelley converted her dream into what is often referred to as the world’s first horror novel, a timeless tale of science gone bad. Frankenstein follows the story of Swiss scientist Victor Frankenstein, who manages to animate a hulking creature referred to as a “monster,” “wretch,” or “fiend.” Shelley’s 1818 classic has become one of the most frequently taught works of fiction, a cultural touchstone for conversations about the dark side of innovation. (Made-up words like Frankenscience andFrankenfood have become shorthand for the products of technological tampering.) More than 200 years after it was published, this novel remains a thought-provoking read that explores timely themes like creators’ responsibilities for the unintended consequences of their inventions.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Few novels can be credited with launching entire genres. Written in 1818, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a gothic tale whose influences are felt in countless works of fantasy, horror and science fiction. Hypnotic and suspenseful, the book slowly unfolds the story of Victor Frankenstein, a ferociously intelligent man whose scientific experiments lead to violent tragedy. Though you’re probably familiar with the basic plot—manmade monster rises up to destroy its creator—it’s fascinating to make connections to the scary stories that came in its wake. Equally compelling is the notion that Shelley found inspiration in her own life; the author’s “creator”, pioneering feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, died giving birth to her only daughter.
Customer Reviews
O wow this book is awesome
“Letter 1
St. Petersburgh, Dec. 11th, 17—
TO Mrs. Saville, England
You will rejoice to hear that no disaster has accompanied the commencement of an enterprise which you have regarded with such evil forebodings. I arrived here yesterday, and my first task is to assure my dear sister of my welfare and increasing confidence in the success of my undertaking.
I am already far north of London, and as I walk in the streets of Petersburgh, I feel a cold northern breeze play upon my cheeks, which braces my nerves and fills me with delight. Do you understand this feeling? This breeze, which has travelled from the regions towards which I am advancing, gives me a foretaste of those icy climes. Inspirited by this wind of promise, my daydreams become more fervent and vivid. I try in vain to be persuaded that the pole is the seat of frost and desolation; it ever presents itself to my imagination as the region of beauty and delight. There, Margaret, the sun is forever visible, its broad disk just skirting the horizon and diffusing a perpetual splendour. There—for with your leave, my sister, I will put some trust in preceding navigators[…]”