Frankenstein

My plan to catch up with the classics continues with Frankenstein, a classic horror story that's considered by many to be the first science fiction novel (and it was written by Mary Shelley when she was 19 years old!) I struggled with the language, as I often do with books this old. But it was short enough that it didn't take me too long to read. And it helped that I'm familiar enough with the story to follow along with the basic beats of the plot.

That said, this book was nothing like what I expected. It's framed as a series of letters an arctic explorer is sending to his sister, when he discovers a half-dead Frankenstein who is pursuing his creation across the ice. At one point we dig deeper into the creature's story, outlining his first two years of life. And in the midst of that we learn the story of the DeLacey's, the family from which the creature learns about humanity. I love when stories push in like this, and it was a pleasant surprise to discover that structure in this story.

It was even more surprising to discover that Frankenstein isn't a doctor at all. He was a student, in his second or third year I think, when he created artificial life. Also, Frankenstein is definitely the monster here. He tortures animals in an attempt to discover the secret of life. He robs graves. Upon creating his "monster" he immediately regrets everything and abandons the creature. Who is then prosecuted for the crime of being ugly, as far as I can tell. He looks just enough unlike a human that people attack immediately. His eloquence and education do nothing to save him because no one gives him a chance.

Eventually he turns into a monster, too. He deliberately kills everyone close to Frankenstein in attempt to torture his creator and get back at him for abandoning him to such a lonely and persecuted life. The creature is by no means innocent here, meaning that there are really two monsters in this book.

It was fun to go back and see the beginning of this particular cultural phenomenon. I especially loved everything having to do with the creature, who was far more human than I expected him to be. He can quote Paradise Lost and feels what appears to be genuine remorse for his actions by the end of the book. Unlike Frankenstein (who loses everything and learns nothing), he grows a lot and is generally a lot more complicated than I was expecting.

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