Frankenstein

"His countenance instantly assumed an aspect of the deepest gloom;and he replied, 'to seek one who fled from me.'"

Mary Shelley 

Frankenstein

Every year, around Halloween, a new adaption of Frankenstein is released. Well over fifty movies have been based on Mary Shelley's tale, from Young Frankenstein to Rocky Horror Picture Show, and the character, the Monster, has been depicted in even more stories, from Van Helsing to Hotel Transylvania. This is a book I had never gotten around to because I assumed that I knew the story. I was wrong.

In Rebecca Solnit's book, The Faraway Nearby, the story of Frankenstein is deconstructed to examine the nature of storytelling, and the consequences of creation. The way she discussed the book was extremely interesting, and it peaked my interest. After all, this widely adapted book has been extremely influential in many different aspects of life, from literature to science. It has shaped the way we think about humanity, and it has changed our views on how humans fit in the rest of the world. 

"She never imagined that all of us could become Dr. Frankenstein, chasing and fleeing our altered creation that is the landscape all around us and its invisible contaminants everywhere, from within our bodies to the ends of the earth." 

Rebecca Solnit  The Faraway Nearby

I thought that the book would begin in the same way as most of the movies do: in a dark castle surrounded by high mountains and lightning. In opened, though, on a ship in the far north. The entire story is told through a set of letters that Robert Walton, the captain of the ship, is writing to his sister, Margaret, telling of his adventures and ambitions on his northern voyage. One day a mysterious figure appears on the ice. They pull him on board, emaciated and sick, and he proceeds to tell the captain the story of how he came to be alone on the ice. He tells the tale of his childhood, and how in his passion for his studies, he created life. He immediately feels horror for his creation and scorns it. The creature stumbles through the world, and begins to feel anger and rage  because of the scorn of his creator, Victor Frankenstein. He proceeds to take revenge on his creator.

The story was fascinating. It a Russian doll of a tale: The captain telling the tale of the doctor, who was telling the tale of the monster, who told the tale of the common people. There are so many facets to the story, so many different ways that it could be read, different story arcs to focus on. It could be a commentary on aesthetics, or on the human condition, or on the way people deal with suffering and hardship. It is a wonderful revenge story, while at the same time being a tale of forgiveness. A tale of unrequited love along side a passionate romance. A cautionary tale of the wonders of science, all at once showing the value of knowledge but warning that we should exercise caution in the application. This is a book that I think I could read a thousand times and walk away with something new every time.

Needless to say, this book was nothing like I expected. There was no Igor, the protagonist was a rational young man, not a crazed evil genius. The monster, though childlike, was rational, and, far from lumbering and slow, he moved with super human speed and grace. What I found in this story, was far beyond what I had thought I would find. During this Halloween season, I invite everyone to look back to the original, before they go to the theaters to see the latest adaptation. I don't think anyone will regret it. I sure didn't.