Currently Reading - Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Hey everyone,

So, what has this bookworm been reading these past few weeks? I'm reading Mary Shelley's Frankeinstein, which has long been overdue on my part. It had been sitting on my shelf, neglected ever since I got it as part of a free book promotion. So, me being a Sci-Fi fan, and with Mary Shelley oft-considered to be the mother of Sci-Fi, naturally I was curious.

Now, before I get into the book itself, I'll paint a picture. Apparently the black and white classic that's been so far ingrained into our culture and is a staple of every halloween, is actually quite far removed from the book. From what I've read, the movie doesn't follow the book very closely and only resembles it in name. Hard to believe since it's been considered such a classic. I think anything like that today would end up being called a hack job.

Now, there's a more recent version of Frankenstein which came out in 1994 starring Robert DeNiro, and apparently this one follows the book more closely. Mind you, I haven't seen either, but I'll be watching both, the original to see the history behind it, and the recent one to experience the story the way it was meant to be.

Frankenstein is more than just a story about a monster on a rampage. It's about a man and his ambition towards a goal and the realization of his mistake; a story about the human condition. And this is quite clearly shown throughout the book, and so far I've been impressed and how well it's held up. The classic movie tends to only show the horror and focuses more on the creature rather than Frankenstein himself, leaving out the human condition. I can see why it's become a classic, but I would have been more interested if it followed the story more closely.

So, after I'm done reading, I'll make it a point to watch both and compare, but I think I'll end up liking the one released in 1994 more, which should have been the way to do it in the first place.