Book –Frankenstein (essay part)

Book –Frankenstein 

Author :  Mary Shelley 

Score: 8/10

Year: (1818) original ; revised text (1831) ; 2000  (this edition)

Publisher:  Bedford/ St. Martin's 
Series : Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism

ISBN 0-333-91438-4

Pages 470 (essay, appart for pages 28-189 which are the novel) 

Language: English

This edition of Mary Shelley's famous Frankenstein is a volume in the case studies in contemporary criticism, which is a series introducing college students to current critical and theoretical germent in literary studies. More precisely, it is the second edition, expanding greatly upon its first. 

As I reviewed my initial thoughts on Frankenstein, I now turn to the essay, critical part of this book.


This book's divided into 2 main parts

1. The complete text in cultural context (3-231)
2. A case study in contemporary criticism (237-450)

Part I: 

• In pages iii-  vii, Joanna M. Smith (University of Tewas at Arlington), this book's editor, discuss the general aims of this critical series and then, this current volume.

• The table of content is pages viii-x, followed by and Introduction: biographical and Historical contexts (p. 3-17), discussing Mary Shelley, her parents, their sociopolitical contexts and views, and how it may have influenced Frankenstein. This portion, like others, ends with a list of works cited (p.17-18). 

• Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus, starts at p. 19 with Mary Shelley's own introduction, from 15th of October, 1831, published in the third edition of Frankenstein. 
• On p. 26-27, Percy Shelley (= Mary's husband) original preface, written in September 1817 for the first edition.

I find Mary even more eloquant than Percy, and far more detailed, as can be expected from the main author, who discusses her third edition. 

• [The novel is from p. 28-189].

Then, still in part I, but post-novel, comes the contextual documents portion. 

p.190-192 editor's note followed by excerpts 

• p. 193-197  William Godwin's Things as they are, or the adventure of Caleb Williams (dating 1794). 
• p.197-200 Mary Wollstonecraft's, Maria, or the wrongs of woman (dating 1798). 

These are exacted from Mary Shelley's parents' writings ; if you've read Frankenstein, you'll notice similarities in linguistic styles as well as precursors of Shelley's content, which at times may discredit her for copying, but in my opinion, isn't mere repetition of words, as she has her own spin and specifics. However, these may constitue spoilers, if you intended to actually read M. Shelley's parents. I may wish to do so, but shall wait long enough to forget what I read here. 

Then, a portion of Paracelesus, On creation (p. 201-204) ; Paracelesus is mentioned as part of Victor Frankenstein's work in creating his monster. I personally only parused this as I was familiar with some of this work before reading Frankenstein.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Emile, or on Education, (p.205-211) is an important piece about approach of education in the decades leaading to Mary Shelley. 

As chemistry is also mentioned as part of V.F's work in creating his monster, we can read (p.211-221). Humphry Davy's A discourse, introductory to a course of lectures on chemistry, from 1802.

J.W. Von Goethe's excerpt follows (p.222-223), form The Sorrows of Young Werther (1774).  Here you can see elements of the sorrows both Victor & his monster express. 

P. 224-231 end this part I, with black & white photos from Frankenstein adaptations and influences. 

Part II - Frankenstein : a case study in contemporary critisicm 

p.237 A criticial history of Frankenstein summarizes various critical apparoches over the decades. It's interesting, but cannot be complete. For those wishing to get the fuller images, you'll have to read parts or all of the works cited, as listed p. 250-261 ( that long!). 
p 262. Psychoanalytic critisism. P262-274 is an essay by Ross C. Murfin, discussing what psychoanalytic critisism is, followed by works cited (p.274-279, in categories which he approached in general terms, from Freudian to Lancanian), followed by David Collings' The monster and the maternal thing: Mary Shelley's critique of Ideology (280-294) and its own works cited (294-295). 

I have to return the book to the library and decided that for the time being, I don't wish to read Collings' essay, because I don't adhere to psychoanysis so much and that I'm quite aware of its approach the topic. I didn't learn anything new from Murfin's segment either, because of my many previous readings on the topics. 

The rest of this book's second part includes essays about :

• Feminist criticisms & Frankenstein (296-305), its selected bibliography (305-313) ; 
• A feminist perpective, by Johanna M. Smith : "Cooped up" with "Sad trash": Domesticity and the sciences in Frankenstein (313-331) and works cited (331-333)
• Gender criticism and Frankenstein (334-345) ; selected bibliogr. (345-349)
• A gender perpecctive, by Frann Michel : Lesbian Panic and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (349-366) ; works cited (366-367)
• Marxist criticism and Frankenstein (by Ross C. Murfin) (368-380) ; selected bibliogr. (381-383)
• A Marxist perspective, by Warren Montag : The "Workshop of filthy creation" (384-395) ; works cited (395).
• Cultural criticism and Frankenstein  (by Ross C. Murfin) (396-409) ; selected bibliogr. (410-415)
• A cultural perspective, by Bouriana Zakharieva : Frankenstein of the Nineties : the composite body (416-430) ; works cited (430-431)
• Combining perspective on Frankenstein (432-435) by Ross C. Murfin ; followed by Fred Botting's Reflections of excess : Frankenstei, the French revolution, and monstrosity (435-448) and its works cited (448-449)

As you can see, the book offers a LOT of variety, not getting stuck in a rut of any singular view ; it presents one approach in general terms and then an example, each time with a small or large bibliography, or at least lists the works it cites. 

It then tries to combine, also with an example. 

After ALL of that, one may need a glossary of critical and theoretical terms (p. 450-468) and an about the contributors (469-470). 

All in all, it's a very dense, but sometimes dry read. It took me much longer than I anticipated to get as far as I did, and may take this volume again at a later date. For now, I must return it to the library, at about 60%, and resume my December activities as well as reading Tolkien's History of Middle Earth series, my current, biggest reading project.