Mary Shelley's first novel has established itself as one of modernity's most compelling and ominous myths. Frankenstein poignantly captures the spirit of the early 1800s as an age of transition tragically divided between scientific progress and religious conservatism, revolutionary reform and conformist reaction. This "Guide" encapsulates the most important critical reactions to a novel that straddles the realms of both "high" literature and popular culture. The selections shed light on "Frankenstein"'s historical and socio-political relevance, its innovative representations of science, gender, and identity, as well as its problematic cultural location between academic critique and creative production. Ranging from the first reviews in 1818 to postmodern readings of the mid-1990s, the "Guide" illuminates one of British literature's most spectacular novels.

Table of Contents

Introduction1. "It's Alive:" The Reception and Endurance of Frankenstein2. Giving Form to Dark, Shapeless Substances: Intertextuality and Ambivalence in Frankenstein3. A Dream that Haunts Literature: Consciousness, Authority, and Signification in Frankenstein4. Whose Body Does the Text Display?: Representations of Gender in Frankenstein5. Pregnant with an Idea: Discourses of Monstrosity in Frankenstein6. "I'll Be Back!": Reproducing FrankensteinNotesSelect BibliographyAcknowledgementsIndex

About the Author

Berthold Schoene-Harwood teaches at Liverpool John Moores University.