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    Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus
    Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus
    Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus
    Audiobook8 hours

    Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus

    Written by Mary Shelley

    Narrated by Simon Vance

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    About this audiobook

    Mary Shelley began writing Frankenstein when she was only eighteen. At once a Gothic thriller, a passionate romance, and a cautionary tale about the dangers of science, Frankenstein tells the story of committed science student Victor Frankenstein. Obsessed with discovering "the cause of generation and life" and "bestowing animation upon lifeless matter," Frankenstein assembles a human being from stolen body parts. However, upon bringing it to life, he recoils in horror at the creature's hideousness. Tormented by isolation and loneliness, the once-innocent creature turns to evil and unleashes a campaign of murderous revenge against his creator, Frankenstein.

    Frankenstein, an instant bestseller and an important ancestor of both the horror and science fiction genres, not only tells a terrifying story but also raises profound, disturbing questions about the very nature of life and the place of humankind within the cosmos: What does it mean to be human? What responsibilities do we have to each other? And how far can we go in tampering with Nature?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateMar 14, 2008
    ISBN9781400176342
    Author

    Mary Shelley

    Mary Shelley (1797–1851) was the only daughter of the political philosopher William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft, celebrated author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. At the age of sixteen, Shelley (then Mary Godwin) scandalized English society by eloping with the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, who was married. Best known for the genre-defining Frankenstein (1818), she was a prolific writer of fiction, travelogues, and biographies during her lifetime, and was instrumental in securing the literary reputation of Percy Shelley after his tragic death.

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    Reviews for Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus

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    395 ratings340 reviews

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    • 5/5
      It's a wonderful, intense and superbly written novel.Don't be afraid to read it even if you don't like the genre.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Despite its 19th century style and vocabulary this story still horrifies, partly because the gruesome details are left to the imagination. Victor Frankenstein does not reveal how he reanimates the creature. Stephen King would have spent several bloody chapters arranging the guts and brains and eyeballs. The motion picture image of the creature is only supported by Shelley’s description of the watery yellow eyes and the straight black lips. The pearly white teeth, lustrous flowing black hair, limbs in proportion, and beautiful features give a more godlike aspect to the monster. The violence is barely described. A dead body with finger prints on its throat. An execution. Some screams and sticks and stones to drive the creature out of a cottage. Even the death of Victor’s fiancee is but a muffled scream in a distant bedroom and a body on the bed. The true horror is symbolic, mythical, ethical, and metaphysical. Mary Shelley describes the consequences of hubris in prose while her husband gives a similar image poetically in Ozymandias. “Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair.”

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Frankenstein is one of my all-time favorite books, but it's important to understand why people like my enjoy it. If you haven't read the book, it may not be what you think.I love Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. To be clear, she is not the best author ever. Some aspects of her writing are a little juvenile and at times ever downright boring. Even though she herself was a woman, her female characters tend to be somewhat shallow and idealistic. Nevertheless, Shelley has a unique and gifted mind that is almost even prophetic in character. Her novel "The Last Man," for example, is one of the first to imagine the extinction of the human race, which is now a real possibility and an important area of thought. Similarly, Frankenstein is not altogether novel, since it builds heavily on earlier Romantic language, concepts, and images especially from Goethe and Mary's husband Percy Shelley. Nevertheless, she outdoes them by imagining in a prophetic way what the technological creation of new life could mean for the human person.With this in mind, let's be clear that Frankenstein is NOT a scary book, NOT about some dim-witted or pathetic monster, and NOT a source of cheap chills and thrills. It is first and foremost about the scientist who creates the monster. He does so out of a genius that unites both modern science and premodern thinking. Specifically how he makes the monster is beside the point; Shelley is secretive on this matter so that we do not get lost. It is not evident, for example, that he makes it from corpses; he uses corpses for study, but he seems to fashion the monster directly.The principle point of the book, therefore, is the emotion of Frankenstein as he comes to terms with his own creation. That which he fashioned to be beautiful, wonderful, superior to humanity turns out in fact to be hideous, ugly, and terrifying. The monster is superior to his maker in intelligence and power but not morality, and this forces Frankenstein to face his own unworthiness as a creator.Thus while Frankenstein the book is born out of Romantic ideas about the genius, the excellence of humanity, and the transcendence of the Promethean man--the one who dares to challenge the gods by taking upon himself the act of creation--it also profoundly serves as a counterpoint to the same Romantic spirit. This new Prometheus turns out to be a mere, weak man, who cannot quite come to terms with what he has created. Thus like her book "The Last Man," Shelley poses a vital question: Is humanity really still the gem of creation, or will the transcending force of nature ultimately leave us behind in the dust from whence we came?Frankenstein is thus a book that every reader of English should engage at some time. It would help, however, to have some familiarity with Romanticism (see an encyclopedia) and to spend some time reading some poems by other Romantic writers such as Percy Shelley. A brief look into Mary Wollstonecraft's Shelley biography might help as well, since I would argue that she is deeply shaped by the continual tragedies of her life, including the loss of her mother at an early age and a complex relationship with her father.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      I'm sorry, but I don't understand how on earth this book could be considered boring. I had to read it in school and I finished it before the rest of my class and then I went and bought my own copy. She clearly shows the character's pain that he felt with playing God. It tore him apart the fact that he created this poor creature and he didn't consider how it would survive, if it needed companionship, and especially how society would accept him. Frankenstein's ambition for knowledge ruined his life when he created the monster, and he was made to suffer when he lost his cousin. For me, these elements cannot be considered boring or a let down.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      A chilling tale! I read this in high school, which was a while ago, but even thinking about it now gives me the creeps.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Considered by many to be the first science fiction novel.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Beware; for I am fearless, and therefore powerful.
      I have to admit, I was somewhat weary of this book. Despite its short page count, it is very wordy and has long, large paragraphs, and that made the prospect of reading this rather daunting. However, I swallowed my pride and did it, and was greatly rewarded.

      I do know that for the sympathy of one living being, I would make peace with all. I have love in me the likes of which you can scarcely imagine and rage the likes of which you would not believe. If I cannot satisfy the one, I will indulge the other.
      Frankenstein and his creature are both so interesting and complex; they're also both so pitiful. So much of their anguish and sorrow could have been avoided if not for human pride. They are both agents of horror and destruction in both action and inaction, and that made for a really interesting story.

      Besides that, it's extremely quotable.

      Life, although it may only be an accumulation of anguish, is dear to me, and I will defend it.
      I was amazed at how Hollywood has continuously gotten the story wrong, so much so that this book felt entirely unique and the twists were effective. I don't know whether I should scorn or love Hollywood for their utter failure to accurately adapt this book into a faithful film. On one hand, this book deserves a great movie. On the other, the plot integrity of a very old book was maintained. The television show Penny Dreadful had a Frankenstein story line that was remarkably close to the source material considering, and the few big changes it made were justified in the larger story.

      I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend. Make me happy, and I shall again be virtuous.
      The themes in this were amazing! I love complex characters and dark, ambiguous morality in my literature. To be completely honest, I sympathized with Frankenstein way more than the monster, which I hadn't thought I would going into it. I loved both characters though.

      Overall, it's a great book with an awesome story, and everyone should read it.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      A thoughtful book, not at all the sort of thing I had expected. I had always associated the name 'Frankenstein' with a monster made from bits sewn together, like a really bad patchwork quilt, but of course it's actually the name of the scientist who creates him. The novel raises some profound questions, and it borders on edge-of-the-seat at times, which isn't bad for a book of this age. The main problem I had with it was the way the monster manages to achieve such a high standard of English within such a short space of time. Totally unrealistic!
    • 3/5
      A bit disappointed with this book not as good as I thought it would be. Lack of time given to the monster. However the way Mary wrote about human emotions was poignant.
    • 5/5
      I am glad I had a chance to reread Frankenstein. Such a great book! Victor Frankenstein is a student impatient with a classical education. He becomes fascinated with science and the engineering of humans. Left alone with his "research" Frankenstein creates a man more powerful in strength and size than average, and because his methods are crude, so ugly it is deemed a "monster." Upon creation Frankenstein immediately regrets his man-made monster and is relieved when it runs away. Frankenstein is a cautionary lesson in the dangers of messing with science. It is also a commentary on assumptions and misunderstandings. When Frankenstein's monster starts killing Victor's loved ones Frankenstein misunderstands the message and makes assumptions about the violence. It is a tragedy that doesn't end well for anyone.
    • 5/5
      This book is fantastic. Shelley brings the emotions of betrayal, grief, joy, love, hatred, loneliness, companionship, and so much more to center stage. It's less of a horror, and more of a tragedy. She draws parallels of God and Adam, man and creation, Satan and abandonment. For a book that is over 200 years old, it is very much relevant today.
    • 5/5
      Quite different from the classic movie... The monster is actually fairly articulate and, despite his horrible deeds, a tragic figure (IMO more so than Dr. Frankenstein).
    • 4/5
      Upon rereading, was really horrified by Frankenstein himself, creating something so heinous and then trying to distract himself, or falling ill, every time he might have been doing something responsible about his creation. This, I suppose, makes it a tragedy as well as a horror story, because his own hubris not only led him to the creation of the monster who would destroy him, but to the neglect of the problem which caused so many unnecessary deaths.
    • 4/5
      It has taken me decades, but I finally read this classic horror novel. I have no excuse for the procrastination, but it turned out to be a nice surprise because it is much different from the movies, we are so familiar with. The films and vampire lore surrounding Dracula, seem to have followed closely to that novel, but Shelley's Frankenstein is a much more philosophical exploration, asking big questions about nature, mankind and our different responsibilities to each. This is even more impressive if you consider that the author was only eighteen when she wrote it. If you are still perched on a fence, over this one, reconsider, and give it a try. It also worked very well as an audiobook.
    • 5/5
      This was actually quite a surprise really, as all I knew about Frankenstein came from half-watched films in my childhood. This is beautifully written, with poetic prose and an elegant story with an a story (sometimes within a story) narrative.Without wanting to spoil things, the original Frankenstein's monster turns out to be extremely eloquent and agile, not a lumbering, grunting Boris Karloff, and story still feels modern now.
    • 5/5
      Reading this whole book i never felt anytime boring.It is a great and must read book i think.
    • 4/5
      A good story really about the cruelty of man. The horror story about the big bad monster isn't really what I consider this book. The creation of Frankenstein is a horrid sight that he regretted instantly, but could have been a perfectly happy, respectable "human being" had he been given the chance. The pain and destruction that man causes is far more overwhelming than that of Frankenstein's creation, and it is easily seen in the book. A good read, gets slow at times, especially the end... but a pretty good read non-the-less.
    • 3/5
      I really didn't think much of this the first time, but I think that's partly due to the way culture prepares us for the figure of Frankenstein's monster. He's taken hold of the imagination almost as much as Dracula, but while the two stories share elements of the gothic, and form some basis for the horror genre, I think Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is quite different. It's a work often full of the poetry of the landscape, of nature, and the central questions are philosophical ones. There is no question in the reader's mind about Dracula's monstrosity; but Frankenstein's monster, on the other hand...I'm still not an immense fan of this, but I definitely appreciated it more this time. Considering Mary Shelley's mother, you'd have expected more significant female roles in this, but they're all the ministering angel type. It's interesting to think about why that should be, and if that in itself is actually significant to the story. What could have happened, if Victor had treated Elizabeth as an equal and told her the full story? Perhaps she could find a way to deal with the monster, or find it in her heart to befriend him...I think I know what my essay (for my Coursera SF/F class) will be about, at least. There are so many parallels with Biblical stories, with Milton's Paradise Lost; I think I've noticed one people talk less about.
    • 4/5
      Victor Frankenstein is a precocious kid. In his library he comes across many Greek authors and their works which in the 18th century is obsolete. With these ideas in his mind when he goes to university, he proceeds to create a living thing in the image of man. When this creature comes to life Victor is frightened by its ugliness and abandons it. The story proceed henceforward depicting the struggle between the creature and it's creator and ends in their demise.The beauty of the book is that we come to understand and sympathize with both of them. The antihero is born!
    • 5/5
      Nearly 200 years ago, Mary Shelley described how Victor Frankenstein achieved the seemingly impossible in creating life and how afterwards both he and his creation hurtled into a downward spiral. “Frankenstein” was the first piece of literature that would later become part of the science fiction genre through its protagonist’s use of science, but it is also the ethical and moral issues in the said use as well.The central moment story is well-known thanks to films and other popular adaptations, though the details are different. Victor Frankenstein, the supreme student of science, forms a creature over two years through obsessive work but only upon bringing it to life does he realize how monstrous he has formed it. The shock of his actions cause his health to fail him and he never truly recovers as his creation ever continues to plague both his mental and physical health until he dies of exhaustion. Yet, Frankenstein’s creature is equal shocked, first at his own existence and then with the realization that he is not human and monstrously so.The unnamed creature’s struggle towards humanity, achieving language and in-depth thought, is rendered in the end useless without the added element of social involvement with a humanity that shuns him including his own creator. Without the connection to humanity, the creature turns against it and begins taking his revenge the members of the human race most treasured by his creature. After Frankenstein’s rejection to give his creature a female counterpart to share his life, the creature deprives his creator of his new wife. Yet after the death of his creator, the creature seems to realize how human he had become with his utter disregard for life that many real people achieve on their own.While the book is from a different time and standard of literature that make it strange when compared to current books, “Frankenstein” has an element that keeps it as relevant today as it did back when Mary Shelley wrote it. The ethical and moral dilemmas that not only science but everyday life presents to us can take us down many different paths that include the flawed creator or a monster amongst them.
    • 2/5
      A highly overrated gothic horror story which has all too often been interpreted as a deep philosophical work. Despite that belief, and the catchy subtitle, it isn't. The characters are not developed and their motivations, especially Victor Frankenstein's, rarely make sense - other than to advance the plot. This book is all about plot, even though the ingredients necessary to move the plot are so often lacking. Which doesn't make for bad gothic horror. It's actually somewhat entertaining if you don't try to think too hard about it, and probably better than a lot of the contemporary horror fiction, though E. A. Poe it is not. But it isn't good philosophy. Read it for the thrills, but don't expect too much else.
    • 5/5
      Another book that I read my senior year. As I recall, I pretty much bombed the essay I had to write, but it didn't matter. I am in love with this book...and the myth that Shelley had a dream that operated as the catalyst for it just makes it that much better. And all the ethics and morals that Dr. Frankenstein and the author must struggle with help increase the sharp tension that characterizes the novel: Will he follow the creature's demands, or will he attempt to take control of the creation that he most likely should not have attempted to bring to life? A disquieting read, one that futurists should take heed of.
    • 4/5
      In "Frankenstein", Victor Frankenstein, a student who attended a science university, discovers how to animate dead flesh. After many months of Victor's tedious work, his monster opens its hideous, yellow eyes. It sickens Victor, who then flees to his home town, Geneva. The creature, noticing he had been abandoned by his creator, seeks revenge by destroying everything that Frankenstein loves. The creature killed Victor's brother, William. A friend,Justine, is convicted for the murder and is executed. The creature being abhorred by everyone, needs a partner to love. He finds Victor and tells him to create another one. He agrees. After starting the gruesome work, he can no longer take it. The monster coming to this knowledge, confronts and tells him and that he will be with him on his wedding night. On the night of his marriage, in a villa by the lake, Victor hears a shill then a dreadful scream, rushing to Elizabeth, he finds her dead and a disfigured human form running on the shore. Victor followed this menace into the Arctic where it was spring and the ice was fragile. Both having a sled and dogs, tread onto the frozen ocean. The heavy monster fell through the ice which was cracked due to an earthquake, but he survived. Victor died on a boat going to England. The demon killed himself when Frankenstein died. This book was interesting and "terroriffic". I would call it historical fiction. I liked this book because I can connect to the places I've been to that were mentioned in this book. I have always wanted to read this book because people said the movie wasn't the same. I liked the way the author gave human emotions to the creature. On the other hand, it was a little bit too long and drawn out. I would recommend this to someone that likes to read suspenseful books.
    • 4/5
      I'm not sure how I went this long without reading Frankenstein (or Dracula, which is still on my TBR list). Of course I'd heard about the story, and thought that I knew the basics of it (apparently I knew more about the movies than the book), and since it's October and Halloween is fast approaching, I thought that I'd find a creepy read.Instead, I found myself getting weepy over Frankenstein's creation. Frankenstein is a total dick, and I find it impossible to really feel anything for him except a vague disgust. Frankenstein spends years crafting his creation, and as SOON as his creation is animated, he is repulsed by him. Having brought this creation to life, with him knowing nothing about life or humans or anything, completely dependent on his creator for care, Frankenstein abandons him - FOR TWO YEARS. TWO FREAKING YEARS. Meanwhile, this poor creation is thrust into a world he does not and cannot possibly understand. He doesn't even understand hunger or thirst, much less how to speak or express his needs. All the creation longs for is acceptance; instead, he finds only horror. Every time he tries to help people in an attempt to win their favor, he's shot or beaten or hated. Is it any wonder that he becomes full of rage and turns that against his creator, whom he blames for bringing him to "life" and then abandoning him in a cruel world? I do feel sorry for the characters that are hurt because of their association with Frankenstein, but Frankenstein himself? Meh. In spite of never being formally educated, the creation is quite smart (having taught himself language and reason by observing, studying his neighbors circumspectly, and reading a few books he found abandoned) and totally calls out Frankenstein for his dickish behavior, and I enjoyed this part the most. And I hated how remorseful the creation was when Frankenstein dies, because I really wanted him to just say "fuck this hoe" and leave. Altogether, this wasn't what I expected it to be - and I'm glad for that. Three stars because I still feel we're suppose to sympathize a bit with Frankenstein, and I just can't. CANNOT.
    • 5/5
      A classic isn't a called a classic because it's a run-of-the-mill type of book. It's a groundbreaking novel/movie/song that inspires people and stays with you forever, and it's likely that it won't be topped in one, two or sometimes three generations. A classic is a classic because it's unique, and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is definitely a classic. The prose is beautiful, the story is gripping and the book itself is absolutely breathtaking. As far as horror is concerned, this is one of those must-have classics that you can revisit every couple of years.

      But we all know the story about Frankenstein and the monster he creates out of body parts. We all know who Igor is and what happens in the end, I mean, if you haven't read the book then you've probably watched one of the movies, right? So, instead of going on and on about the plot we all know about, I'm going to talk about the beautiful book. Seriously, this is one super pretty book. It's in Penguin Books' horror series, recently brought out for horror fans that includes five other fantastic titles (American Supernatural Tales was one of them). This is one pretty edition for one creepy tale ... in other words, you'll freaking love it if you have a thing for horror books. Also, I'm pretty sure it'll be a collectors edition in the not-so-distant future.


      If that doesn't appeal to you, and you need a little something extra, rest assured that I can sweeten the pot for those folks on the edge. Guillermo Del Toro is the series' editor and there's a nice little introduction by him. Yes, he's not all movies all the time, sometimes this horror director makes time for books too!


      So, yes it's pretty, yes it's a great edition and yes, the editing is great. As far as I'm concerned you can donate your other editions of Frankenstein to the less fortunate, because this one just looks so much better on a bookshelf.

    • 5/5
      A true classic that can be read over and over and never gets boring.I really love Shelley's descriptive style and her philosophical approach to the topic. Instead of just writing a simple horror story, the story goes much deeper than that and shows a sensitivity that is usually lacking in stories about monsters. We get to know the 'monster' as a sensitive being that feels mistreated by the world and abandoned by his creator, and feels forced into gruesome deeds. Frankenstein is a selfish person that is unwilling to bear the consequences of his actions, until these consequences - literally - hunt him down.A novel that teaches us to have sympathy with the monsters and be accepting of creatures that are different from ourselves. At the same time, a commentary on the progress of science, and the selfishness of the masters in our society. Truly a novel that can be read in many different ways and is able to give you something to think about.
    • 5/5
      This book is about a man who becomes a monster, and a monster who becomes a man. The book details a large part of Victor Frankenstein's life and how he came to create "the creature." I have a new respect and profound sympathy for "the creature" who was abandoned and forgotten. There is so much truth about human nature in this book, about how people aren't inherently evil but many circumstances can contribute to someone's hate. It is really a beautiful and short book about love, compassion, hate, and obsession. I think everyone should read this book at least once.
    • 2/5
      The tale of Victor Frankenstein may be nearly two hundred years old, but as science continues to advance, its material only becomes more relevant. As a biblical and philosophical thought experiment, the essence of this novel makes for fascinating reading. What better way to experience it than to return to the original text? If only the writing lived up to the material . . .Shelley opens in epistolary format; a sure-fire way to begin a plot-driven novel on the back foot. The letters from Walton to his sister require a not-inconsiderable measure of padding to maintain their authenticity, which nonetheless remains punctured by unrealistic exposition of obvious information. Readers should be able to plough through to the start of the real story without too much trouble, and will be relieved to find the plot moving along more quickly – until the idyllic perfection of Frankenstein’s childhood begins to wear irritatingly thin. The writing style, while always eloquent, is incredibly overblown, and careers without rest from nauseating utopia to risible melodrama.It is in the dialogue of the creature itself that the novel reveals its strongest writing; not only thought provoking, but deliciously quotable as well. When the book switches to the creature’s point of view, we dare to hope that his more tempered narration may do his fascinating and emotive tale justice – and for a while, it does. Before long, however, Shelley’s melodramatic routine is re-established: one paragraph of substance is followed by three paragraphs of Victor’s feelings about it, and perhaps a description or two of the weather, which, infuriatingly, commands enough attention to be considered a minor character. Since there are only so many ways one can feel morose or woebegone or depressed, we find ourselves treading the same ground over and over, while the parts of the story that might make for the most interesting narrative meat – the creature’s construction, the saving of a drowning girl, Victor and Elizabeth’s wedding – are reduced to a few lines each. The realism, though thin in places, manages to stay intact, until Victor, out of the blue, decides to take a nap in his sailboat four miles off the Scottish coast at three in the morning when the breeze is rising, and winds up in Ireland.Why has this story been adapted so endlessly? Because if you unwrap the essence of Frankenstein and throw away the prose, you are left with something truly special. In its original form, however, this story is bearable at best. Read at your own peril.
    • 4/5
      So much more compelling and complex than I expected! This is a well crafted horror novel, but it is also a commentary on the effects of violence and ad hoc "progress." The themes of scientific progression for its own sake, alienation, what we would now call PTSD are still as bracingly relevant today.
    • 4/5
      The ispiration for many bad horror movies is actually far better than anything it inspired. As DNA research ushers us into an age of innovation on par with the time of the writing of 'Frankenstein,' Ms. Shelley's investigation into the human psyche and our ability manipulate life are as timely as ever.