Frankenstein (with Audio & Text)

Mary Shelley

Jun 2021 · CLASSICS OF THE WESTERN WORLD Book 16 · East West Studio

About this eBook

Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel written by the British author Mary Shelley. The first edition was published anonymously in London in 1818, and Shelley's name appeared on the revised third edition, published in 1831.

The title of the novel refers to the scientist, Victor Frankenstein, who learns how to create life and creates a being in the likeness of man, but larger than average and more powerful. In modern popular culture, people have tended to refer to the Creature as "Frankenstein" (especially in films since 1931), despite this being the name of the scientist, and the creature being unnamed in the book itself.

Frankenstein is a novel infused with elements of the Gothic novel and the Romantic movement. It was also a warning against the "over-reaching" of modern man and the Industrial Revolution, alluded to in the novel's subtitle, The Modern Prometheus. The story has had an influence across literature and popular culture and spawned a complete genre of horror stories and films. It is arguably considered the first fully-realised science fiction novel and raises many issues still relevant to today's society.

About the author

Mary Shelley: Mary was the daughter of political radical William Godwin and feminist philosopher Mary Wollstonecraft and was left motherless at ten days old. After running away at seventeen with her married lover, famous poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, she was cast out of society and rejected by her family. At the age of nineteen, this gifted storyteller poured her early life filled with tragic loss into one of the greatest gothic novels ever written. Michelle M. White has always loved reading classic novels and history books while raising her kids and working as a book designer. When her youngest son finished homeschool and started college, she too went back to school and earned degrees in History and English, focusing on nineteenth century culture and literature. She put her passion for books and history to work in her dream job by publishing Annotated Keynote Classics. Her favorite part is researching the authors and their times in history, putting it into context with their work, and discovering the clues that will help readers and students to get more enjoyment from the books. Michelle lives in South Florida with her husband, son, and their dog and cat. In addition to reading, she enjoys beach time, travel, and spending time with her grandchildren.