With a new introduction by Francine Prose and stunning original
artwork by Eko, the Restless Classics edition of Frankenstein brings
Mary Shelley's paragon of horror vividly back to life--published to
coincide with the two-hundredth anniversary of the infamous night of its
creation.
A towering masterpiece of gothic fiction, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein:
or, the Modern Prometheus birthed the horror and science-fiction genres
and spawned countless cultural offspring. Amid the pervasive images of
Boris Karloff's flat-headed, bolt-necked monster, it's easy to forget
how radical, insightful--and, yes, terrifying--the book is on its own
terms.
The would-be Prometheus of the book's title is the brilliant Swiss
scientist Victor Frankenstein, whose studies in natural philosophy and
chemistry (fields much brooded over in Shelley's day) lead him to become
obsessed with building a being out of dead body parts and bringing it to
life. But when he is miraculously successful, Victor is horrified at his
creation, and the monster escapes into the night. Given life and enough
reason to deduce his own terrible loneliness, Frankenstein's creation
turns to violence and, soon enough, vengeance upon his creator.
Frankenstein is the second book in the Restless Classics series:
interactive encounters with great books and inspired teachers. Find out
more at www.restlessbooks.com/classics.
