Frankenstein

Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley, 324 pages

Rereading Frankenstein this month really drove home the fact that many stories I love owe large parts of their plots to Mary Shelley’s monster story.  Lilo and Stitch?  Not only is it one of my favorite Disney movies, but it’s totally a Frankenstein retelling (with a happier ending).  Ex Machina?  Yep.  Frankenstein.  I’d argue that almost any movie/story where an intelligent non-human creation ends up at odds with its cold, egotistical, human creator can be traced back to Frankenstein.  

For those who have only experienced the cinematic/pop-culture version of Frankenstein's monster*, Shelley's book will be a bit of a shock.  Even though I'd read the book before, I was struck by how graceful, intelligent, and sympathetic the monster is (despite his hideous outward appearance).  It's amazing how all those images of a shambling, non-speaking beast stick in your mind's eye.  For my modern YA-reading sensibilities, the book's 200 year-old plot is not exactly fast moving but was engaging nonetheless. 

*But he really doesn't mind if you just call him Frankenstein: