Frankenstein - Downstairs Office

eBook, 242 pages

Published 2020 by Rakuten Kobo.

ISBN:: 978-1-77453-051-1

“I beheld the wretch — the miserable monster whom I had created. He held up the curtain of the bed; and his eyes, if eyes they may be called, were fixed on me. His jaws opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds, while a grin wrinkled his cheeks. He might have spoken, but I did not hear; one hand was stretched out, seemingly to detain me, but I escaped and rushed downstairs.”

Grieving the sudden death of his mother, young Victor Frankenstein buries himself in his scientific experiments. Along the way he discovers a method to give life to non-living matter, and proves his theory right by creating a grotesque 8-foot tall creature from old body parts and bringing it to life. Horrified by what he has done, Frankenstein abandons his creation and sets off a chain of events that will affect everyone Victor holds dear.

A twisted …

“I beheld the wretch — the miserable monster whom I had created. He held up the curtain of the bed; and his eyes, if eyes they may be called, were fixed on me. His jaws opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds, while a grin wrinkled his cheeks. He might have spoken, but I did not hear; one hand was stretched out, seemingly to detain me, but I escaped and rushed downstairs.”

Grieving the sudden death of his mother, young Victor Frankenstein buries himself in his scientific experiments. Along the way he discovers a method to give life to non-living matter, and proves his theory right by creating a grotesque 8-foot tall creature from old body parts and bringing it to life. Horrified by what he has done, Frankenstein abandons his creation and sets off a chain of events that will affect everyone Victor holds dear.

A twisted tale of reanimation and revenge, Frankenstein explores the minds of both the creator and the creation to find out what it truly means to be human. Considered by many to be the first true science fiction novel, Mary Shelley’s Gothic masterpiece has inspired artists, writers and musicians since its publication in 1818.

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Jim Brown reviewed Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley

Things I didn't expect

No rating

I had never read this, and I was surprised by a number of things: that we get a detailed account of the monster's learning process (which had me thinking of LLMs), that the Monster is smarter and more rhetorically savvy than Victor, and that the Monster's rhetorical skill is highlighted by Shelley (we hear of the monster's "sophistry" which then had me wondering: Is this where @sophist_monster comes from?

One last thought...this book is tale of what happens when science rejects aesthetics in the name of pure efficiency and function. If Victor had cared at all about what the monster looked like, then the entire story unfolds quite differently. The monster's hideous "countenance" (Shelley's favorite word by far, btw) is why he can't have a connection with person, regardless of how much he craves that connection.

I had never read this, and I was surprised by a number of things: that we get a detailed account of the monster's learning process (which had me thinking of LLMs), that the Monster is smarter and more rhetorically savvy than Victor, and that the Monster's rhetorical skill is highlighted by Shelley (we hear of the monster's "sophistry" which then had me wondering: Is this where @sophist_monster comes from?

One last thought...this book is tale of what happens when science rejects aesthetics in the name of pure efficiency and function. If Victor had cared at all about what the monster looked like, then the entire story unfolds quite differently. The monster's hideous "countenance" (Shelley's favorite word by far, btw) is why he can't have a connection with person, regardless of how much he craves that connection.

chris b

rated it

October 26