Frankensteinby Mary Shelley
1818
pp. 352
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book starts out a little slow, but it is so good! Something interesting that I discovered the last time I read this book was the message it sends about becoming what society claims you to be. Dr. Frankenstein's creature originally desired nothing but basic physical needs and companionship, but he was so grotesque-looking that he was rejected and feared as a monster whenever he was seen. In time, he actually becomes this monster that everyone assumes him to be and seeks revenge on the doctor who abandoned him soon after giving him life. If you know anything about sociology or Howard Becker, labling theory comes to mind. If you call a person something long enough, odds are he will begin to see himself that way and will become whatever they have been labled as.
This novel is a little Phantom-of-the-Opera-ish in that there are moments when you feel so sorry for the monster, but there are also many times when you wish him dead.
I heard (don't know if it's true) that Mary Shelley wrote this when she was pregnant. The story is that she and her husband and several of his literary buddies were having a little writing contest. Clearly she won. Whether or not she was pregnant at the time and I think it's curious to consider the theme of creating life and what happens once it's there. Agency, the influence of others, etc. I still haven't read the book though. Shame on me. Maybe I should wait until I'm not pregnant anymore. Or maybe it would be more interesting given my mindset. Who knows.
ReplyDeleteAs far as I know Mary Shelley was not pregnant when she wrote Frankenstein, but she did have a baby die before she wrote the book. After the baby died, she had a dream that her baby was just cold, and once they warmed it up, it was alive again. Many people speculate that this was part of her inspiration for Frankenstein.
ReplyDeleteIt is true that she wrote the story for a contest. She was with her husband and a group of friends, visiting Lord Byron. On a rainy day, Lord Byron suggested they all invent ghost stories to tell each other. Thus, Frankenstein was born.
Sweet. Now I know the facts. I always wondered how much of that was true and how much was not.
ReplyDeleteI actually love Phantom of the Opera. I found it facinating. Partly because it is not entirely like the play and partly because you gain a greater insight into the phantom and his thoughts. Like Franenstien I wonder what might have been different for him had he not been utterly rejected by others except for what he could create for torture, etc. Like Frankenstein, and in our own society, neglect and rejection take its toll. I will have to read Frankenstein and see how it compares to Phantom and if I like it as well as you do.
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