The critical edition includes the 1818 edition of Frankenstein, plus annotations and critical articles (primary sources and secondary sources). In general, it is aimed at undergraduate students of English and Literature. Also, it is highly useful for writing essais and for writing thematic index cards. ( )

I found the language in this book to be a little tiresome at times what with all of it's 'His continence, her continence, it's continence, the dogs continence' talk but it's old what do you expect, other than this I fond it to be a good book about the exploration of society's problems and lacking of what would seem the most common decency it's a book that makes you think. So if you don't have anything better to read then pick up a copy and give it a try or listen to it on a book tape or something (which is what I did) I think you'll find you might like it too. ( )

Gothic, values, classic, mystery, promethean, monster, education ( )

I am soooo glad I didn't toss this book back into the pile after the first twenty pages. It begins with several letters from a ship's captain nearing the artic circle and Victor Frankenstein is not formally introduced; rather, his name is suddenly dropped into the story circa page 25 or so. By sticking to reading it, however, I entered the most wonderful black gothic horror I've read from that time (early 19th century). The reason it gets four stars rather than five is the unbelieveability of two bits in the plot, e.g., The monster is born without any knowledge of language, but he spends a year or two watching a family and then begins to speak to his Maker in language approximating an Oxford Don, and (2) there is less than a page on Victor Frankenstein making his monster. Shelly doesn't even go into the details of "the materials" he collects to make his man. And you could really jump on this one: why did he make an eight foot man? Why such a disfigured face? He could have any face he wanted; any form he wanted. In short, the whole book is way too prepostorous for it be a classic today, if initiated today. However, it was initiated at a time when literary fantasy simply didn't much exist. If you take up this title, I suggest you suck grapes or melon for the first two score pages, but you will surely become engrossed soon, maybe (to be sure) faster than I. ( )

I love that one of the best known gothic horror classics was written by a woman. I don't even mind that I need a dictionary to get through this because I like imagining that people really used to talk this way and about big issues: this one about whether it's right for a man to try to be a god by creating life. Shelley's subtitle, "The Modern Prometheus," suggests that, from her perspective, such hubris is inevitably tragic. ( )