“Cursed, cursed creator! Why did I live? Why, in that instant, did I not extinguish the spark of existence which you had so wantonly bestowed? I know not; despair had not yet taken possession of me; my feelings were those of rage and revenge.
Frankenstein
Frankenstein, published in 1818, tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment. Frankenstein is so horrified by his creation that he abandons the Creature, leaving it to fend for itself. The Creature, suffering from loneliness and rejection, seeks revenge against Frankenstein, leading to tragedy for both.
Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein when she was only 18, and it was published when she was 20. Shelley came up with the idea for the novel in 1816 while staying at Lord Byron's villa in Switzerland with her husband Percy Bysshe Shelley and others. The group entertained themselves by reading German ghost stories, and Byron proposed they each write their own supernatural tale. Mary Shelley had a waking dream about a scientist who created life and was horrified by what he had made, sparking the idea for Frankenstein.
Frankenstein is considered by many to be the first true science fiction novel. Unlike earlier stories with fantastical elements, Frankenstein is based in scientific realism and plausibility. The Creature is created through scientific means rather than by magic or the supernatural. This grounding of the extraordinary in real-world science and the exploration of the consequences of pushing scientific boundaries were groundbreaking at the time and set the stage for the science fiction genre. Frankenstein's themes - the ethical perils of scientific overreach, man's hubris in attempting to control nature, the human need for connection and belonging - have resonated across the centuries and continue to feel relevant today.
- 1. Frankenstein Letter 1
- 10. Frankenstein Chapter 6
- 11. Frankenstein Chapter 7
- 12. Frankenstein Vol 2 Chapter 1
- 13. Frankenstein Vol 2 Chapter 2
- 14. Frankenstein Vol 2 Chapter 3
- 15. Frankenstein Vol 2 Chapter 4
- 15. Frankenstein Vol 2 Chapter 5
- 16. Frankenstein Vol 2 Chapter 6
- 17. Frankenstein Vol 2 Chapter 7
- 18. Frankenstein Vol 2 Chapter 8
- 2. Frankenstein Letter 2
- 3. Frankenstein Letter 3
- 4. Frankenstein Letter 4
- 5. Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus: Chapter 1
- 6. Frankenstein: Chapter 2
- 7. Frankenstein Chapter 3
- 8. Frankenstein Chapter 4: It’s Alive!
- 9. Frankenstein Chapter 5
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17. Frankenstein Vol 2 Chapter 7
Such was the history of my beloved cottagers. It impressed me deeply. I learned, from the views of social life which it developed, to admire
16. Frankenstein Vol 2 Chapter 6
“Some time elapsed before I learned the history of my friends. It was one which could not fail to impress itself deeply on my mind,
15. Frankenstein Vol 2 Chapter 5
“I now hasten to the more moving part of my story. I shall relate events that impressed me with feelings which, from what I was, have made me what I am.
15. Frankenstein Vol 2 Chapter 4
I lay on my straw, but I could not sleep. I thought of the occurrences of the day. What chiefly struck me was the gentle manners of these people;
14. Frankenstein Vol 2 Chapter 3
It is with considerable difficulty that I remember the original æra of my being: all the events of that period appear confused and indistinct
13. Frankenstein Vol 2 Chapter 2
The next day, contrary to the prognostications of our guides, was fine, although clouded. We visited the source of the Arveiron,
12. Frankenstein Vol 2 Chapter 1
Nothing is more painful to the human mind, than, after the feelings have been worked up by a quick succession of events
11. Frankenstein Chapter 7
We passed a few sad hours, until eleven o’clock, when the trial was to commence. My father and the rest of the family being obliged to attend
10. Frankenstein Chapter 6
You have probably waited impatiently for a letter to fix the date of your return to us; and I
9. Frankenstein Chapter 5
I cannot describe to you the uneasiness we have all felt concerning your health.
8. Frankenstein Chapter 4: It’s Alive!
CHAPTER IV. It was on a dreary night of November, that I beheld the accomplishment of my toils. With an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet. It was already one […]
7. Frankenstein Chapter 3
From this day natural philosophy, and particularly chemistry, in the most comprehensive sense of the term, became nearly my sole occupation.
6. Frankenstein: Chapter 2
When I had attained the age of seventeen, my parents resolved that I should become a student at the university of Ingolstadt.
5. Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus: Chapter 1
Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus CHAPTER I I am by birth a Genevese; and my family is one of the most distinguished