Frankenstein"I saw the pale student of unhallowed arts kneeling beside the thing he had put together. I saw the hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, and then, on the working of some powerful engine, show signs of life and stir with an uneasy, half-vital motion." A summer evening's ghost stories, lonely insomnia in a moonlit Alpine's room, and a runaway imagination--fired by philosophical discussions with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley about science, galvanism, and the origins of life--conspired to produce for Marry Shelley this haunting night specter. By morning, it had become the germ of her Romantic masterpiece, "Frankenstein." Written in 1816 when she was only nineteen, Mary Shelley's novel of "The Modern Prometheus" chillingly dramatized the dangerous potential of life begotten upon a laboratory table. A frightening creation myth for our own time, "Frankenstein" remains one of the greatest horror stories ever written and is an undisputed classic of its kind. |
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Page 132
... I saw him on the point of repeating his blow , when , overcome by pain and anguish , I quitted the cottage , and in the general tumult escaped unperceived to my hovel . CHAPTER XVI " Cursed , cursed creator ! Why did 132.
... I saw him on the point of repeating his blow , when , overcome by pain and anguish , I quitted the cottage , and in the general tumult escaped unperceived to my hovel . CHAPTER XVI " Cursed , cursed creator ! Why did 132.
Page 133
... quitted my retreat , and wandered in the wood ; and now , no longer restrained by the fear of discovery , I gave vent to my anguish in fearful howlings . I was like a wild beast that had broken the toils ; destroying the objects that ...
... quitted my retreat , and wandered in the wood ; and now , no longer restrained by the fear of discovery , I gave vent to my anguish in fearful howlings . I was like a wild beast that had broken the toils ; destroying the objects that ...
Page 185
... quitted Geneva . This winter has been passed most miserably , tortured as I have been by anxious suspense ; yet I hope to see peace in your countenance , and to find that your heart is not totally void of comfort and tranquillity ...
... quitted Geneva . This winter has been passed most miserably , tortured as I have been by anxious suspense ; yet I hope to see peace in your countenance , and to find that your heart is not totally void of comfort and tranquillity ...
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Common terms and phrases
affection Agatha agony Albertus Magnus anguish appeared arrived beautiful became beheld beloved bestow Clerval companion consolation cottage countenance cousin creature crime dæmon dared dark dear death delight desire despair destroyed discovered dream earth Elizabeth endeavoured endured entered expressed eyes father fear feelings Felix felt Frankenstein Geneva gentle grief hands happiness heard heart heavens hope horror human idea imagination Ingolstadt innocent John Polidori journey Justine kind Krempe labours lake lived looked Lord Byron manner marriage Mary Shelley Mary Wollstonecraft mind miserable misfortune monster Mont Blanc morning mountains murderer natural philosophy nature never night Pandæmonium Paracelsus Paradise Lost passed passion peace perceived Percy Shelley pleasure poor possessed reflect remained resolved revenge Safie scene sensations smiles sometimes soon sorrow soul spirit strange suffered Switzerland tale tears thought university of Ingolstadt Victor voice wind wish wonder wood words wretched