Frankenstein (Dover Thrift Editions: Classic Novels)

by Mary Shelley

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Book Overview: Frankenstein (Dover Thrift Editions: Classic Novels)

Few creatures of horror have seized readers’ imaginations and held them for so long as the anguished monster of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The story of Victor Frankenstein’s terrible creation and the havoc it caused has enthralled generations of readers and inspired countless writers of horror and suspense. Considering the novel’s enduring success, it is remarkable that it began merely as a whim of Lord Byron’s.
“We will each write a story,” Byron announced to his next-door neighbors, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin and her lover Percy Bysshe Shelley. The friends were summering on the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland in 1816, Shelley still unknown as a poet and Byron writing the third canto of Childe Harold. When continued rains kept them confined indoors, all agreed to Byron’s proposal.
The illustrious poets failed to complete their ghost stories, but Mary Shelley rose supremely to the challenge. With Frankenstein, she succeeded admirably in the task she set for herself: to create a story that, in her own words, “would speak to the mysterious fears of our nature and awaken thrilling horror — one to make the reader dread to look round, to curdle the blood, and quicken the beatings of the heart.”

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About the Author

Mary Shelley

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, born on August 30, 1797, was a powerful force in 19th century literature. Emanating from a line of prominent intellectuals, she was the daughter of philosopher and political writer, William Godwin, and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft. Unfortunately, her mother passed away shortly after her birth, inevitably casting an influential shadow on her work. Primarily educated by her father, she was ushered into the expansive world of literature and creativity early in life, cultivating a passion for writing that she nurtured into adulthood.

She is most acclaimed for her iconic novel, “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus”, which she penned at the age of 20. This was a groundbreaking work in the genre of Gothic literature, intertwining elements of horror and romance with a profound exploration of the human condition. The timeless tale of a scientist who creates a terrifying creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment has permeated global culture, making her one of the earliest and arguably one of the most influential contributors to science fiction.

Beyond “Frankenstein”, Shelley demonstrated her literary prowess through diverse bodies of work including novels, essays, and travelogues. Her personal life, marred by tragedy including the loss of several children and her husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley, echoed in her haunting, melancholic themes. Mary Shelley devoted her life to the power of the written word and survived numerous tragedies, leaving a legacy that significantly shifted the landscape of literature. She died on February 1, 1851, but her timeless works continue to resonate with, and inspire, readers worldwide.