The Books of Mary Shelley

FSFH Book Review

The Books of Mary Shelley

Of all the science fiction, fantasy and horror ever published, only 'Dracula' can claim to be as well known and influencial as Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein'. Shelley was born in 1797 and, at the age of sixteen, eloped with the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Mary and Percy joined Lord Byron and Dr. John Polidori at the Villa Diodati in Switzerland in June 1816, where Byron challenged the group to create a ghost story. The discussions of the day led Mary to have a dream that would lead to the creation of 'Frankenstein', published anonymously in 1818. It wasn't until a revised edition was published in 1831 that Mary was fully acknowledged as the author.

Average Review Score: 5 out of 5 (1 book)

Frankenstein

It is a great tragedy when Hollywood, merchandising and pop-culture conspire to destroy a piece of classic literature and such is the case with 'Frankenstein'. Too many people will only ever know the square-headed monster with bolts through it's neck and never understand the true nature of Frankenstein's monster. The story should be familiar to you; the brilliant young Victor Frankenstein creates life but is then haunted by the creature he has made. Ultimately this book is about two men unable to control their passions. Victor's passion for science is what causes him to create 'the wretch' (monster is not nearly accurate) and his self-loathing and anger at his creation is what leads to his destruction. By the same token, the wretch is driven by lonely anger and his belief that his woes are Victor's deliberate construction. The tragedy of the story is that both men have a core of goodness about them but whenever it seems as though a happy ending is in sight, distrust and passion sees the feud take over once more. The wretch's tale is truly saddening as reaction to his monstrous appearance wounds him so deeply that he lashes out, feeling that he has no option but to become the monster others fear him to be. Overall I felt that Shelley is trying to convey the dangers of man, being an imperfect being and subject to irrational passions, dabbling in the works of God (hence the subtitle 'The Modern Prometheus' - Prometheus being he who stole fire from the gods in Greek myth), a message that is every bit as poignant today as it was then, if not more so. This book has only two real flaws, both being common to 19th century literature. The first is Shelley's tendency towards being unnecesarily elabourate in her prose and the second is that, like much of the literature of that period, the book is incredibly depressing.

5 out of 5

'You will rejoice to hear that no disaster has accompanied the commencement of an enterprise which you have regarded with such evil forebodings.'

If you liked Shelley:

Then Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' would be a natural choice. Also, you might enjoy Dr. John Polidori's novella 'The Vampyre'.

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