Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote his critical response, ” On Frankenstein”, in 1817, presumably in England, shortly after Mary Shelley completed the novel. His response was published in 1832. Percy Shelley was Mary Shelley’s husband. An inference could be made that because the two were married, Percy most likely read the novel with care, and closely interpreted it. His opinion is almost certainly reliable.
Percy first writes of Mary’s accomplishment, talking about its originality and honorable writing style. He also mentions the pace of the novel, how “the interest gradually accumulates and advances towards the conclusion with the accelerated rapidity of a rock rolled down a mountain.” Next Percy writes about the reader’s emotional response to Frankenstein, saying “there is perhaps no reader who will not feel a responsive string touched in his inmost soul.” Readers also respond to the universal moral of the novel, “treat a person ill, and he will become wicked.” Next, Percy admits that the monster is a “tremendous creature” and therefore it is no wonder he was received the way he was in Mary’s story. Percy then mentions some examples of the monsters interaction with humans throughout the novel. Percy ends his response by saying that the “exhibition of intellectual and imaginative power” in the novel is something “we think the reader will acknowledge.”
I think that Percy Shelley and I read the novel similarly. I definitely felt impressed by how well the novel advanced towards the climax. It drew me in. By reading this and other critical responses, I just understand Frankenstein a little better. It’s nice to read other people’s opinions to aid in forming your own. Yes, I will most likely use portions of Percy’s response for essay #3, especially because it was a response that I could comprehend pretty well.
Here's Wikipedia on Percy Bysshe Shelley. I love wikipedia.
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