Amanda Litzenberg's Reviews > Frankenstein

Sometimes I felt bogged down by the excessive descriptions of scenery and the repetitive whining of the narrator, but the issues presented in this book were fascinating and thought-provoking: what it means to be human, the ethical limits of science, hubris, parental responsibility, appearance-based prejudice, the psychology behind acts of revenge and violence, the definition of "monster," the transformation from innocence to corruption, and many other fascinating themes. This book is a masterpiece of complexity, especially in the endless parallels between Frankenstein and his creation, who by the end of the novel are so strikingly similar one could almost argue that they are, in essence, the same person.

I've realized that many of this story's themes are alluded to in other works of fiction, film, and television, from Moby Dick, The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame to Once Upon a Time and Avengers: Age of Ultron. This is proof that, even though very few adaptations of this book bear any resemblance to the source material, this novel has still had a lasting impact on literary and pop culture. It has impacted the way we explore concepts such as the human potential for evil and the dangers of arrogance in human ambition.

...In other words, WOW. I love this book - even more than I did the first time I read it.