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Frankenstein: The 1818 Text

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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Frankenstein: The 1818 Text by Mary Shelley is a groundbreaking novel in horror and supernatural fiction. It tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a scientist who creates a sentient creature through unorthodox scientific experiments. Filled with themes of ambition, isolation, and humanity's relationship with creator and creation, the novel explores the consequences of pushing the boundaries of scientific understanding.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're fascinated by tales that explore the boundaries of scientific ambition and human morality. It delves into the chilling consequences of unchecked innovation and the haunting questions of what it means to play God, set against a backdrop of gothic horror. Fans of classic literature and those intrigued by the creation of life will find its themes timeless and thought-provoking.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

For the bicentennial of its first publication, Mary Shelley's original 1818 text, introduced by National Book Critics Circle award-winner Charlotte Gordon.

Mary Shelley's classic novel, presented in its original 1818 text, with an introduction from National Book Critics Circle award-winner Charlotte Gordon.

Nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read.

The original 1818 text of Frankenstein preserves the hard-hitting and politically-charged aspects of Shelley's original writing, as well as her unflinching wit and strong female voice. This edition also emphasizes Shelley's relationship with her mother, trailblazing feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, who penned A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, and demonstrates her commitment to carrying forward her mother's ideals, placing her in the context of a feminist legacy rather than the sole female in the company of male poets, including Percy Shelley and Lord Byron.

This edition includes a new introduction and suggestions for further reading by National Book Critics Circle award-winner and Shelley expert Charlotte Gordon, literary excerpts and reviews selected by Gordon, and a chronology and essay by preeminent Shelley scholar Charles E. Robinson.

Penguin Classics is the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world, representing a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

N. K. Jemisin from The New York Times Book Review highlights Gordon's framing as a standout element in the anniversary edition of Frankenstein and highly recommends it. Meanwhile, Genevieve Valentine from NPR discusses how Frankenstein remains a resonant reference today as it explores themes of change and development, reflecting societal shifts over two centuries within its creator's work.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780143131847

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 08 March 2018

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Classics

Contributors:

  • Introduction by Charlotte Gordon

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 20.0mm

Width: 127.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 227g

Pages: 352

About the Author

Mary Shelley was born in London in 1797, daughter of William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft, famous radical writers of the day. In 1814 she met and soon fell in love with the then-unknown Percy Bysshe Shelley. In December 1816, after Shelley's first wife committed suicide, Mary and Percy married. They lived in Italy from 1818 until 1822, when Shelley drowned, whereupon Mary returned to London to live as a professional writer of novels, stories, and essays until her death in 1851. Charlotte Gordon's previous publications include Romantic Outlaws- The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley (2015), Mistress Bradstreet- The Untold Story of America's First Poet (2005), and The Woman Who Named God- Abraham's Dilemma and the Birth of Three Faiths (2009). Romantic Outlaws was the winner of the 2016 National Book Critics Circle Award for Biography. Currently, she is the distinguished professor of the humanities at Endicott College. Charles E. Robinson, was professor of English at the University of Delaware, frequently lectured on "The Ten Texts of Frankenstein" and edited Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus- The Original Two-Volume Novel of 1816-1817 from the Bodleian Library Manuscripts, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (with Percy Bysshe Shelley) (2008), reprinted in paperback by Vintage Books (2009). His other books included Shelley and Byron- The Snake and Eagle Wreathed in Fight (1976) and an edition of Mary Shelley- Collected Tales and Short Stories, with Original Engravings (1976); The Mary Shelley Reader (1990), coedited with Betty T. Bennett; and an edition of Mary Shelley's Mythological Dramas- Proserpine and Midas (1992) as well as the two-volume Frankenstein Notebooks (1996).

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