Mary Shelley’s 1818 horror classic: Frankenstein
With Halloween just around the bend, it seemed about time that I reviewed some horror novels. I know for a fact I have mentioned and recommended this book before, but I figured it was about time that it received a proper review: it’s time to look at Mary Shelley’s 1818 horror classic, Frankenstein. Now, I assume that most people at least have a basic understanding of Frankenstein‘s plot. That being said, if you haven’t read the book, you are in for a story that is, in many ways, completely different from what is often shown in pop culture. Victor Frankenstein is a young man obsessed with natural wonders. Being particularly brilliant and driven, Frankenstein does what most geniuses do when uninhibited in their ambitions: he makes a horrendous mistake. Frankenstein wishes to bring back the dead and, as we all know, succeeds. But what he creates isn’t the beautiful marvel of science and human ambition that he wished for. Soon, he will come to regret ever creating the creature, and their conflict will span across the globe.
If you only know the Halloween-esque version of the tale, then you probably have no idea how this book will end. Don’t worry, that is a good thing. Frankenstein is often considered to be one of the first pieces of science-fiction ever written. Shelley’s writing is both wondrous and haunting, and it is astounding that such timeless quality came from a small nineteen-year-old girl in the early 1800s. Authors that have been writing for decades still try to match her prowess, often to no avail. Victor Frankenstein is the classic tragic hero. We wish for him to succeed, but it can never be denied that all of the chaos wrought in the book is either directly or indirectly his fault. He is familiar, yet mysterious in an ominous way that is hard to describe. Readers will almost certainly identify with him from time to time. This is the true horror of the book. Frankenstein’s quest is wondrous and hopeful and magnificently, terrifyingly human. At what point did the noble quest take its abominable turn?
If you haven’t read Frankenstein, there really is no excuse not to check it out now. It is a novel containing hope, romance, sacrifice, and utter horror. In short, Frankenstein is almost immediately thought of in the Halloween season for good reason. As long as you don’t dislike fiction, then Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a timeless classic that, in my humble opinion, has firmly earned its status, and it is the perfect time of year to experience the real story if you haven’t done so already.
