Frankenstein

1818394 pages

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Summary

Mary Shelley’s classic novel, presented in its original 1818 text, with an introduction from National Book Critics Circle award-winner Charlotte Gordon Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read The original 1818 text of Frankenstein preserves the hard-hitting and politically-charged aspects of Shelley’s original writing, as well as her unflinching wit and strong female voice. This edition also emphasizes Shelley’s relationship with her mother—trailblazing feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, who penned A Vindication of the Rights of Woman—and demonstrates her commitment to carrying forward her mother’s ideals, placing her in the context of a feminist legacy rather than the sole female in the company of male poets, including Percy Shelley and Lord Byron. This edition includes a new introduction and suggestions for further reading by National Book Critics Circle award-winner and Shelley expert Charlotte Gordon, literary excerpts and reviews selected by Gordon, and a chronology and essay by preeminent Shelley scholar Charles E. Robinson. Penguin Classics is the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world, representing a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Reviews

Thoughts

Themes and moodShow

This novel explores the profound consequences of man's quest for knowledge and the moral dilemmas that arise from creation, highlighting the complex relationship between creator and creation. Its enduring themes resonate with those interested in existential philosophy, ethics, and the darker aspects of human ambition.

Themes

  • •the consequences of unchecked ambition
  • •moral implications of creation
  • •the struggle for identity and belonging
  • •alienation and societal rejection
  • •the duality of human nature

Era

classic

Reading Level

literary