Ensiform's Reviews > Frankenstein

An excellent little classic, a truly chilling idea that also provokes thought. Although the dramatic sense and pacing are somewhat badly formulated (the abrupt introduction of the monster, without buildup; the hoary epistolary style to introduce new characters), the psychological aspects and emotional descriptions are brilliant, and the language is superb. The book makes good points about the vanity of man and his quest for glory, and how easily a benevolent soul can turn malignant. The drama suffers from the outdated pacing, but the work more than makes up for it through its originality and poetic cadences.

When I first read it, I thought the monster not as evil as the doctor made him out to be, and the latter rather unfeeling for his refusal to make the monster a mate. Upon a second reading, I saw more clearly the utility of the doctor’s decision: he balanced the vast potential evil that two monsters could cause against the small certain evil of the monster’s revenge. And although it is true that the monster started off benevolent, the burning of the deLaceys’ cottage shows an innate tendency toward violent behavior, which Shelley must have been hinting at. Still, Frankenstein is definitely to blame for not tending to his creation and leaving it to make its own way. (He is also extremely naïve for missing the import of the monster’s words about his wedding night: he’s not as clever as he thought.)

[Read twice: 7/16/97, 8/4/06]