Frankenstein (Pocket Classic)

A Gothic Masterpiece That Birthed Science Fiction

A stormy night in 1816 gave rise to a novel that would forever change the face of literature. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley weaves a dark, lyrical, and deeply human tale that has haunted readers for generations. Often misunderstood as a simple horror story, this is, in fact, a profound exploration of the boundaries of science, the nature of humanity, and the perilous costs of unchecked ambition.

Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist driven by an obsessive thirst for knowledge, dares to breathe life into lifeless matter. But the being he creates—intelligent, sensitive, and grotesquely misunderstood—becomes a tragic symbol of loneliness and rejection. As creator and creation spiral toward destruction, the novel questions who the real monster truly is.

Themes Explored

• The Ethics of Creation : Explore the consequences of defying nature as Victor creates life and faces its haunting aftermath.
• Isolation and Loneliness : Delve into the emotional toll of rejection as both creator and creation endure profound solitude.
• Nature vs. Nurture : Examine whether the monster is born evil—or shaped by cruelty and neglect.
• Obsession and its Fallout : Confront the dangers of unchecked ambition as Victor’s pursuit consumes everything he loves.
• Appearance vs. Reality : Uncover how a monstrous exterior can hide a deeply human soul.

Perfect For

• Classic literature enthusiasts
• Students and scholars of philosophy, ethics, and science
• Readers who enjoy psychologically complex characters and timeless storytelling
• Collectors of iconic novels that shaped literary history

 

| Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (née Godwin; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel writer, best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus (1818). She also edited and promoted the works of her husband, the Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley. Her father was the political philosopher William Godwin, and her mother was the philosopher and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft.Mary Godwin's mother died when Mary was eleven days old; afterwards, Mary and her older half-sister, Fanny Imlay, were reared by their father. When Mary was four, Godwin married his neighbour, Mary Jane Clairmont. Godwin provided his daughter with a rich, if informal, education, encouraging her to adhere to his liberal political theories. In 1814, Mary Godwin began a romantic relationship with one of her father’s political followers, the married Percy Bysshe Shelley. Together with Mary's stepsister, Claire Clairmont, they left for France and travelled through Europe; upon their return to England, Mary was pregnant with Percy's child. Over the next two years, she and Percy faced ostracism, constant debt, and the death of their prematurely born daughter. They married in late 1816 after the suicide of Percy Shelley's first wife, Harriet.In 1816, the couple famously spent a summer with Lord Byron, John William Polidori, and Claire Clairmont near Geneva, Switzerland, where Mary conceived the idea for her novel Frankenstein. The Shelleys left Britain in 1818 for Italy, where their second and third children died before Mary Shelley gave birth to her last and only surviving child, Percy Florence. In 1822, her husband drowned when his sailing boat sank during a storm near Viareggio. A year later, Mary Shelley returned to England and from then on devoted herself to the upbringing of her son and a career as a professional author. The last decade of her life was dogged by illness, probably caused by the brain tumour that was to kill her at the age of 53.Until the 1970s, Mary Shelley was known mainly for her efforts to publish Percy Shelley's works and for her novel Frankenstein, which remains widely read and has inspired many theatrical and film adaptations. Recent scholarship has yielded a more comprehensive view of Mary Shelley’s achievements. Scholars have shown increasing interest in her literary output, particularly in her novels, which include the historical novels Valperga (1823) and Perkin Warbeck (1830), the apocalyptic novel The Last Man (1826), and her final two novels, Lodore (1835) and Falkner (1837). Studies of her lesser-known works such as the travel book Rambles in Germany and Italy (1844) and the biographical articles for Dionysius Lardner's Cabinet Cyclopaedia (1829–46) support the growing view that Mary Shelley remained a political radical throughout her life. Mary Shelley's works often argue that cooperation and sympathy, particularly as practised by women in the family, were the ways to reform civil society. This view was a direct challenge to the individualistic Romantic ethos promoted by Percy Shelley and the Enlightenment political theories articulated by her father, William Godwin.