Hello everyone!
Literature is a world where you can escape the daily grind and life's difficulties; where you can live a thousand lives and gain precious knowledge. Yeah, I think you can learn some great lessons from each book that are perfect for you...
Recently I decided to re-read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, or Modern Prometheus. I first encountered it four years ago, and I can say confidently that my perception of it was different back then. Maybe I've grown up, or maybe my attitude towards everyday life has changed...
Frankenstein, or Modern Prometheus, Mary Shelley|| General Information ||
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Author: Mary Shelley.
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Mary Shelley is a British writer and novelist, best known for her iconic work "Frankenstein, or Modern Prometheus" and several other novels with fantastical storylines.
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Publisher: Martin, 2015.
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Where to buy? I bought it at Chita - City, but you can also find it for free in electronic form if you want.
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Price: 193 rubles.
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Number of pages: 256 pages.
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|| Book Description ||
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Frankenstein, or Modern Prometheus, Mary ShelleyFrankenstein, or Modern Prometheus is an epistolary Gothic novel by English writer Mary Shelley, first published anonymously in 1818. The book tells the story of scientist Victor Frankenstein, who succeeds in unlocking the secret of life and learns to bring life to inanimate matter.
What really caught my eye about this book was its unique description, especially considering it was written in the 19th century, when science wasn't as advanced as it is today.
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|| Appearance and Design ||
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Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, Mary ShelleyMy version of the book comes in a softcover with a lovely blue and white design - they have a whole series of classic works in a similar binding.On the back cover, they've included a key quote from the book:
It was impossible to look at him without shuddering. No mummy returned to life could be more ghastly than this wretch. I saw my creature unfinished; it was hideous even then; but when its limbs and muscles moved, it became something more terrible than even Dante's imagination could conceive.
Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, Mary ShelleyThe font in the book is a decent medium size, making it easy on the eyes for reading.Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, Mary ShelleyIn the back of the book, you'll find a comprehensive table of contents.Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, Mary ShelleyAll in all, the book looks really nice and visually appealing. It'll add a touch of style to your bookshelf.xa0
|| Story ||
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Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, Mary ShelleyI've got to say, the premise of this classic novel still gives me the chills. A young scientist, Victor Frankenstein, creates life from a dead body, but instead of embracing his creation, he's terrified and tries to deny it ever happened.
There's nothing more unsettling than the stillness that follows a storm - a silence where fear and hope have both been extinguished.
But the monster exists, and its hurt and anger lead to a series of misfortunes for the young scientist. But is the creature truly to blame for its actions, or is it simply a product of its creator's mistakes?
|| My Thoughts on the Book ||
Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, Mary ShelleyWhat Frankenstein fails to realize is that by breathing life into his creation, he's also given it the capacity to love and be loved. In other words, this monster is a rejected child of human ingenuity, and it starts to exact revenge. It's cast out into a harsh, unfamiliar world, where it must find a new identity on its own.How often do we create our own Frankenstein's monsters through our thoughtless actions and decisions? We give someone life, hope, and a sense of purpose, only to abandon them when things get tough. We pretend our creations are just figments of our imagination, a scary dream we can wake up from.
Don't you think that's a pretty cruel approach? I get that there are situations where we can't love someone back or return their feelings, but that's a different story. What I'm talking about is when we use someone's love for our own gain, pretending to care when it suits us.
I have to admit, reading this book made me think a lot about abandoned animals. You know what an urban cat, which you played with and then threw away because it was no longer needed, wants most of all? Food? Not really.
Having had years of experience interacting with these helpless creatures, I can confidently say that an abandoned animal is desperate for human affection and love. You feed it, but it doesn't even look at the food (although it's clearly hungry) - all it wants is to be petted, shown attention... It's hard to explain, as my observations are based on intuition and personal experiences. They all want love, and they get betrayed.
And that's exactly what the main character in this book did... So what did he expect after that?
There's a great quote (unfortunately, I don't know the author) that perfectly captures the essence of the book about Frankenstein:
The most ferocious beasts are made from animals that were first domesticated, shown care and affection, and then discarded. The most ruthless people are those who believed in kindness and wanted to be kind themselves, but were ultimately betrayed. A creature born with evil has a chance to change, but someone born with goodness who then encounters cruelty and has their entire worldview turned upside down will never be able to go back to being the same person. Something inside them breaks, and they can't relate to people the way they used to. Every new encounter feels like a future goodbye, and you're always waiting to be betrayed again. There's nothing sadder than betrayed kindness...
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|| Pros and Cons ||
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This book was a real eye-opener for me... For a 19th-century work, it's incredibly deep and somewhat prophetic: modern medicine can bring dead tissue back to life, grow artificial organs...
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Strengths:
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beautiful layout;easy-to-read font;deep insights into the consequences of actions;harsh yet fair moral; prophetic nature of the narrative.xa0
Weakenesses:
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Missing features.
|| Takeaways ||
I just finished reading Frankenstein, or Modern Prometheus, by Mary Shelley, and I'm blown away by how thought-provoking it is. This book makes you think about the importance of considering every consequence of your actions and desires.
I highly recommend it to anyone!
Frankenstein, or Modern Prometheus, by Mary ShelleyThanks for checking out my review! I hope you find it helpful!