Frankenstein (Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism)
Worth buying if: You teach or study Mary Shelley's novel in seminar or college literature courses.
Skip it if: You want a lightweight trade paperback edition just for casual reading.
Exact edition: Edition shown · ISBN-13 9780312191269. The Amazon link uses this ISBN, so the product page should open to the edition shown here.
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Summary
This Bedford/St. Martin's edition presents Shelley's 1818 Frankenstein alongside critical essays and contextual documents that illuminate Romantic science, authorship, and ethical creation for sustained scholarly reading.
Why this book now
Revisiting Shelley’s Frankenstein through contemporary criticism foregrounds debates about bioethics, artificial life, and authorial intent that resonate with today’s science and c.
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Best for readers who...
Good fit if you want...
- You teach or study Mary Shelley's novel in seminar or college literature courses.
- You want in-depth essays on Romantic science, creation, and ethical responsibility.
- When you want emotional honesty, complex power plays and alliances shape the plot, making political maneuvering as gripping as personal drama.
- You want a lightweight trade paperback edition just for casual reading.
- You seek a modernized retelling or abridged novel without scholarly apparatus.
- When you avoid ambiguous endings, the novel revels in gray areas and avoids clear-cut heroes or villains.
Decided it fits?
Exact edition: Edition shown · ISBN-13 9780312191269
Worth buying if: You teach or study Mary Shelley's novel in seminar or college literature courses.
Skip it if: You want a lightweight trade paperback edition just for casual reading.
Check Amazon for the current price and availability of this exact edition.
Reader guide
Cues to help you decide faster.
Reading commitment
Steady Needs some room
At about 480 pages, expect to read the novel plus dense critical essays and contextual documents—suitable for several weeks of close reading or a semester syllabus.
What stands out here
This 2000 Bedford/St. Martin's case-studies edition emphasizes the 1818 text and curated critical responses, making authorial variants and scholarly debate the focal points.
Best way to approach it
Approach it as a combined primary text and reader: alternate reading Shelley’s 1818 chapters with the paired essays and contextual materials for sustained analysis and class discussion.
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Exact edition: ISBN-13 9780312191269
Check Amazon for the current price and availability of this exact edition.