By Mary Shelley

In a time of great scientific innovation and discovery, a young Victor Frankenstein uncovers the secret to life and builds a grotesque monster, whose animation he immediately regrets. When the monster begins wreaking havoc on his personal life, Frankenstein ends up in a raw, wild battle with his own creation for life and revenge. Frankenstein is often considered one of the founding novels of the horror genre, so when I was assigned this classic to read for class, I was pretty excited.

Listen, I know I am a product of my modern age. I know I’m used to Karen McManus and YA when I want to get my blood pumping. I know I am biased. But this story just did not horrify me in any way. For readers of the time, I’m sure it was revolutionary. Mary Shelley did have some very vivid imagery and descriptions, but most of the “horror” centered around how ugly Frankenstein’s monster was. That being said, I did appreciate the thematic questions the novel raises and the dynamics between creation and creator.

Frankenstein was absurdly slow. Shelley spent pages describing this or that mountain, lake, or field. Most of the book took place in a man’s head while he thought intensely about every single small bit of action that occurred. Oftentimes, Frankenstein wasn’t even thinking about things that mattered, and his actions would come out of nowhere. Towards the end, he decides to marry this lady and says he has affections for none but her, but he seemingly thought of her as a friend up until that point. I felt like there were a lot of unnecessary asides and stories or confusing structuring. For example – and maybe I just haven’t done enough literary analysis on this – every time you met a new character you got their entire life history and backstory. I dunno, it was just hard to get through.

However, I was able to pick out some themes that were explored well. Shelley conveyed the common concerns of the time around scientists, their work, and nature. She analyzed humanity and what it means to be a human or a monster. There was grief, loss, guilt, shame, and disgust or fear of the uncanny. The descriptions may have been heavy and poetic, but Shelley portrayed some very strong emotions from every character.

Again, I am a product of my time. I struggle to stay engaged with books that feel like Shakespeare is talking to me. That’s an exaggeration, the language wasn’t that old-feeling, but Shelley definitely racked up some hours on Word Hippo. If she had all that five-dollar vocabulary memorized, I’m impressed. It took me a few chapters to get used to the writing style and vibe, but once you get into it the style just feels more immersive.

The characters might have been the strongest aspect of the book. Frankenstein’s character arc specifically was very interesting. He’s very much a perseverant and locked-in guy from the beginning to the end. He goes through episodes of crazy productivity (sometimes for years on end, as when he built his monster) and encourages others to never give up on a worthy pursuit. However, he doesn’t really think about the consequences of his work before beginning it or he’s halfway through and realizes what he’s done. He seemed both selfish and selfless at different points. He cares very much for his family and friends, but his own shame, guilt, secrets, and ambition led to the death of every single one of them.

Frankenstein’s monster, on the other hand, had selfless desires to start out with – he wanted to help people and be a part of a community. But the inability of other humans to understand him led to his villain era. He became filled with rage and wanted Frankenstein to either build him a companion or live a miserable life until he died. Shelley showed the way rejection and human fear at those who are different can push people toward evil.

I am giving this three stars because it’s definitely a book I would only read in a literature class, but I can appreciate its literary value, statements on humanity and science/nature, and impact on the authors that came after. If you love classics and inspiring women writers of this time period, support this Mary Shelley’s spirit and check Frankenstein out!