The Original Frankenstein: Or, the Modern Prometheus: The Original Two-Volume Novel of 1816-1817 from the Bodleian Library Manuscripts (Vintage Classics) Book

Working from the earliest surviving draft of Frankenstein, Charles E. Robinson presents two versions of the classic novelâ??as Mary Shelley originally wrote it and a subsequent version clearly indicating Percy Shelleyâ??s amendments and contributions.

For the first time we can hear Maryâ??s sole voice, which is colloquial, fast-paced, and sounds more modern to a contemporary reader. We can also see for the first time the extent of Percy Shelleyâ??s contributionâ??some 5,000 words out of 72,000â??and his stylistic and thematic changes. His occassionally florid prose is in marked contrast to the directness of Maryâ??s writing. Interesting, too, are Percyâ??s suggestions, which humanize the monster, thus shaping many of the major themes of the novel as we read it today. In these two versions of Frankenstein we have an exciting new view of one of literatureâ??s greatest works.