Being a comic Book reader and a long time science fiction fan, I always wanted to read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Yes many of us saw the movie(s) but one should always read the book before watching the movie adaptation of it. Not to say that the book is always better than its movie adaptation, but at least by reading the original medium of the story, you get some sort of authenticity. Or a sense of getting to know what the original plot was, without the cinematic changes that movies tend to have.
In the case of Shelley's Frankenstein, you MUST read the book before watching anything else, because the book itself is different in so many ways than any other medium that the Monster appeared in. A perfect example that always comes to my mind is the the fact that in the movies and TV shows, the monster is actually called Frankenstein, while in the book, the monster is never given an actual name, but called the monster or the thing.
There are many important elements that a reader should understand when reading Frankenstein. Shelley is known for being the bridge between two important literary periods. Her story has many aspects of both a Romantic novel and also a Victorian one too. Frankenstein is a story that challenges science and in a way attacks it, but at the same time, a moral code is found and forced by both the characters and the writer herself. Although I prefer reading a true Victorian novel, tackling a Romantic novel once a while is not a bad idea. And with Frankenstein, you get both.
Symbolism is one of the most used concepts in Shelley's story. Having this monster that could represent every negative element of her society or even ours, could be what Shelley wanted her readers to think about. Shelley wants us to examine how people or the masses, in her story, reacted to this monster and reflect this reaction on ourselves and how we view curtain people that may be somewhat different than us.
A wonderful story, a classic indeed. One that will force you to think and examine the way to look at things or people in your own life. Great books tend to have this effect on you.
