Frankenstein was written in 1817 by young Mary Shelley and this tragic story ( often regarded as a gothic horror) recounts the tale of a young ambitious science student, Victor Frankenstein, who has always dreamed of discovering the elixer of life, which he eventually does, and uses, to create an inanimate monstrous being whom he brings to life. The monster disgusts Victor and so he callously abandons it. The creature goes out into the world looking for love, empathy and understanding. Unfortunately, because his appearance is so ugly and horrific, the monster experiences only rejection, attacks and fear from everyone he encounters. As a result, his yearning to love (both his fellow "human" beings, and his creator) turns to hate and a desire for revenge. He seeks out members of Frankenstein's family and circle of close friends, and chokes them to death.
Long narratives occur in this book which give us an insight into the minds of both Victor and his creature. The theme of Adam's -and all of mankind's- relationship with his creator (God) is explored, and also, the notion of nature vs. nurture (or lack thereof) in the role of the degeneration of a being: what factors contribute to someone becoming evil enough to commit heinous crimes.
Verdict: Very interesting themes to explore. The book is not graphic or gory and does not contain any inappropriate sexual innuendo or scenes. Suitable for study in the classroom. However, the long narrative passages, expressed in old language could prove too boring or advanced for weaker students. Also, we do not recommend showing any movie of this book in class as it could be rendered more horrific/scary on screen or re-interpreted by a modern screen writer to be more horror-like than Shelley intended.
I wasn't really happy when I saw this on the prescribed list but I decided to read it for myself in case my son's school chose it for one of their comparative novels. I was surprised that it was so different to what I expected! The verdict of irishParents is actually very accurate. This book is not gory or violent in any of its descriptions. It just states, instead of describes, the murders that Adam, the monster, carries out. Unlike the movie versions of the story, the book does not give any graphic or queasy descriptions of the actual making of the monster. The themes are interesting to think about but I can't see my son, or any of his pals, being very excited to read this old-style book with its long-winded narrative passages.....
Kayleigh, Co. Cavan