FRANKENSTEIN or The Modern Prometheus (Uncensored 1818 Edition - Wisehouse Classics)

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By Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Publisher Description

This is the Uncensored 1818 Edition FRANKENSTEIN; OR, THE MODERN PROMETHEUS, a novel written by the English author Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley about the young science student Victor Frankenstein, who creates a grotesque but sentient creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty. The first edition was published anonymously in London in 1818. Shelley's name appears on the second edition, published in France in 1823. Shelley had travelled through Europe in 1814, journeying along the river Rhine in Germany with a stop in Gernsheim which is just 17 km away from Frankenstein Castle, where, two centuries before, an alchemist was engaged in experiments. Later, she travelled in the region of Geneva (Switzerland)-where much of the story takes place-and the topic of galvanism and other similar occult ideas were themes of conversation among her companions, particularly her lover and future husband, Percy Shelley. Mary, Percy, Lord Byron, and John Polidori decided to have a competition to see who could write the best horror story. After thinking for days, Shelley dreamt about a scientist who created life and was horrified by what he had made; her dream later evolved into the novel's story.

Shelley completed her writing in May 1817, and Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus was first published on 11 March 1818 by the small London publishing house of Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones. The second edition of Frankenstein was published on 11 August 1822 in two volumes (by G. and W. B. Whittaker) following the success of the stage play Presumption; or, the Fate of Frankenstein by Richard Brinsley Peake; this edition credited Mary Shelley as the author.

On 31 October 1831, the first "popular" edition in one volume appeared, published by Henry Colburn & Richard Bentley. This edition was heavily revised by Mary Shelley, partially because of pressure to make the story more conservative, and included a new, longer preface by her, presenting a somewhat embellished version of the genesis of the story. This edition tends to be the one most widely read now, although editions containing the original 1818 text are still published. Many scholars prefer the 1818 text, arguing that it preserves the spirit of Shelley's original publication.

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12 Reviews

4.0

Victor Martinez

Created 7 months ago

Amber

Created over 4 years ago

moondertaker

Created over 4 years ago

Likhitha

Created almost 5 years ago

“Mary Wollstonecraft crafted the narration very judicially. The reader is made judge Victor's actions as much as his Creation's. Do we call his creation a monster if it's heart is inherently made for lofty and rhetoric compassion he exhibits initially and is forced by abject loneliness and misery to commit heinous actions he himself despises. Did he not seek Victor's companionship be it in form of vengeance and subsequently determines to kill self instead of leading a lonely existence? Victor does understand this reasoning and further deepens the argument to understand what a female could be capable of and as to how they might not be get-along well. The creation doesn't resort to meat unlike most humans, it doesn't perpetuate violence unnecessarily, seeks companionship like any despressed human, does rational reasoning first instead of venting out rage, do all this entail it be termed as 'A Monster'. If so, what about parts of humanity who does the same and are only salvaged by looking like humans. All this demonstrates how Mary Wollstonecraft gave the entire story a very philosophical and rational thought and this elevates the story from being a mere horror tale. I understand also as to how to make horror more profound, by rationalizing it and not letting in any ridiculous aspects to mar it. The potential of such treatment was evident to me in the same day when I finished Frankenstein and watched Raw. I wonder why Mary had such a thought of creation and made it outwardly devilish and inwardly traumatic. It's a masterful creation of the plot. A caution tale where even if your creation means no harm, it shall leave you no peace either. It's an entwined tale of the creation and it's creator, each destiny bound too closely that even death visits successively. Victor had affectionate and genuine love conferred to him and yet he chose to make a creation, of course for scientific fame, that destroyed the love in his life. I ought to re-read those initial parts to understand what reasoning Victor did for making the creation. I am very much stumped by the rationality of the entire book. We are given to understand both Victor and his creation and how tragic they were to each other. Giving the Creation a voice is itself masterful and making it persuasive and rhetorical advances my respect for Mary. Another major theme is beauty and how it determines the treatment you receive. How unfair and prejudice people are in terms of beauty is starkly seen in the blind man's treatment of the Creation. But we cannot change this in anyway, it's too evident and immersed in our evolution. I very much wish to have remembered the initial parts of the novel to analyse Victor. Maybe I will re-read for class again. Can definitely re-read for a lot of reasons.”

NatalieAllen21

Created over 5 years ago