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Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus

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Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus

By: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Narrated by: Simon Vance
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About this listen

 Mary Shelley began writing Frankenstein when she was only 18. 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 best seller 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?

Public Domain (P)2008 Tantor Classics Fantasy Fiction Horror Scary Magic Science Fiction Modern British Fiction

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Critic reviews

"A novel which excites new reflections and untried sources of emotion." (Walter Scott, Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine)
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The classic science fiction novel, a gothic tale of science run amok. The book tells the tale of the life of Victor Frankenstein, and how he discovers the secrets of life. Filled with scientific fervour, he works to create life in his laboratory, and only pauses to contemplate the ramifications of his creation after it is loose. Terrible events follow.

This is so much more than a cautionary tale of what happens when science is untempered by morality. Rather, we gain an insight into the minds of all involved, including the scientist in his thirst of knowledge and respect, and his creature in its lonesome intelligence. Shelley contemplates what makes a human - and it is not just body parts.

The language of the book, while somewhat floral by today's standards, is easy to understand and very pleasurable.

The book is expertly read by Simon Vance. ?Subtle variations in pitch and intonation differentiate the characters without being irritating, giving the title a slight feeling of dramatisation. The reading is suitably expressive.

An essential and exciting classic, expertly read.

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Like most people I thought I knew the story of Frankenstein and his monster. This book had a lot more than I expected, It is beautifully written and well read and is different enough from all the films/movie tropes to keep me entertained.

Not what I was expecting

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Well narrated. Good to have the record set straight on this book. Nice to hear the way language was written and spoken. Not impenetrable like Shakespeare, much closer to the current version of the language we use today.

Accessible

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A cautionary tale of an incredibly irresponsible and infuriatingly self-indulgent and mawkish scientist who creates the 'Monster' and then spends the rest of the book running away from it feeling sorry for himself. Maybe in 1818 when the book was first published, peoples sensitivities would bring them down on the side of the 'tortured' scientist, but listening to in today, I just felt sorry for the monster and cheered him on all the way.

I found myself not giving two hoots for Frankenstein or his fast-diminishing family and felt the scientist at least got everything he deserved. An interesting book that I enjoyed listening to as a 'classic', but in it's own right it was quite frustrating, with it's deeper historical context being sidelined somewhat by my desire to throttle the scientist and insist he grow a back-bone and deal with his creation.

Frustrating

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Fantastic performance by Simon Vance of a deserved classic. The is the Godfather of them all - written by a 18-20 year old young woman. (Took her two years). Stunning and poetic and still disturbing and socially politically astute. What took me so long?

Wow. It's a classic alright

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I have read most of the 'movie' classic horror stories but I had never gotten around to this one. Glad I did as it was quite different from what I expected. Not my favourite of these stories but worth a listen.

Surprisingly different from the films.

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I don't want to struggle on any longer. The style of writing is so long -winded, and over-dramatic.
Really not entertaining enough for me.

Tedious

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Nicely read.
It was enlightening to hear the creature's portrayal in the story vs cinema.
My only criticism is that the book waffles a lot. So much of it seems to be a travelog and not a particularly good travelog at that.

a lot of waffle

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A gothic tale of vengeance and anguished self-analysis. The narrator captures the passion driving the behaviours of both Frankenstein and his creation. I shed a few tears at the end and was left wondering why it provoked such a response considering the actions that took place throughout the book. Very good story and performance.

A classic tale narrated with passion

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While the concepts that the book discusses are very valid today and interesting, I'm afraid I found the style of writing too decorative without adding anything to the tale. This made the story a chore to wade through. I found myself using the dead time in the novel (during overly flowery descriptions of a persons many good qualities) to pick holes in the plot: "yea, I get it, your sister is the most saintly of people, whom you love to distraction... but not enough to write her a letter to stop her worrying about your health".

I also failed to find any of the characters particularly likeable - I'm sure taking to your bed for 2 months after a shock was all the rage back then, but it served to lower my enjoyment even further.

The narration was fine, but I'm not sure the Genevois accent sounds so similar to the Transylvanian one I remember from old horror films.

All in all, I would have preferred to have read a synopsis and left it at that.

Hasn't aged well

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