Frankenstein Response

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and was surprised to learn she wrote it when she was just nineteen. I found the characters of Victor, the monster, and even the father, to be well developed, whereas Elizabeth, William, Clerval, etc., all acted more as back round characters that help move along the plot. (Through their murders) I'm not a big fan of monsters who have feelings, or even personality, because I think it makes them easier to relate to and therefore less scary. In the context of Frankenstein, I liked that the monster spoke of his inner turmoil, and I think his intelligence added to his character's part in the story, but I also felt like he wasn't that scary of a monster. I think the scariest monsters are mindless killing machines like great white sharks or the aliens in the movie "Alien." In hindsight I think I actually found Victor to be the most monstrous character, because attributes such as cowardice, depression, solitude, and selfishness make for a scary human being.

My previous experience with Frankenstein had soley been in Halloween decorations and the movie "Young Frankenstein." I was surprised in the reading to find that Frankenstein committed multiple murders. However, all that strangling wasn't enough to spark any kind of fear in me. Though not scary, Frankenstein was definitely a dark, good book, and a great start to this semesters readings.