Frankenstein
by Mary Shelley (1818)
2022 reads, 18/20:
I fittingly finished this novel on Halloween night (as you can see, I’m behind on reviews), and overall enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. As my friend Corey said, the first thing that stuck out to me was the fact that the creation of the monster happens very early on, and there’s no real theatrical “Hollywood” moment as it happens – it just happens. And the rest of the book is all about the aftermath of that fateful night. We follow Victor to see what happens afterward, learn about the tragic downfall of the monster, and how this translates to the terror that Victor experiences. Make no mistake though; I believe that Victor is the true monster. He knows this too, but at times almost cannot bring himself to face what he’s done. This, of course, has drastic consequences.
“But I am a blasted tree; the bolt has entered my soul; and I felt then that I should survive to exhibit what I shall soon cease to be—a miserable spectacle of wrecked humanity, pitiable to others and intolerable to myself.”
What a line. I also really enjoyed the parallels between Victor and the monster. Isolation, vengeance, and the creation/destruction of life are all traits that are present in both of these characters. Another unexpected pleasure I had from reading this was all of the natural descriptions of the European landscape as the characters traveled around. To me, this “sublime nature” of the book was a perfect foil to the human horror that we are constantly inundated with in the main story.
“The weight upon my spirit was sensibly lightened as I plunged yet deeper in the ravine of Arve. The immense mountains and precipices that overhung me on every side, the sound of the river raging among the rocks, and the dashing of the waterfalls around spoke of a power mighty as Omnipotence—and I ceased to fear or to bend before any being less almighty than that which had created and ruled the elements, here displayed in their most terrific guise. Still, as I ascended higher, the valley assumed a more magnificent and astonishing character. Ruined castles hanging on the precipices of piny mountains, the impetuous Arve, and cottages every here and there peeping forth from among the trees formed a scene of singular beauty. But it was augmented and rendered sublime by the mighty Alps, whose white and shining pyramids and domes towered above all, as belonging to another earth, the habitations of another race of beings.”
I definitely enjoyed this classic much more than I thought I would, and highly recommend it to anyone who hasn’t read it yet.