“You are my creator, but I am your master;—obey!”

This past January marked 200 years since Mary Shelley first published Frankenstein. I read the novel for the first time in my senior year of high school, and it has been one of my favorite classics ever since. Funnily enough, I read the novel twice last semester for two separate courses. Needless to say, the novel continues to fascinate and entertain me. I’ve seen this particular video before, but I just came across it again a few days ago on Facebook. I thought I might steer a bit away from my usual blog posts about class content and reflect on this Ted-Ed video and the story of Frankenstein in general. There are so many things I could say about the novel, but I think I will just express a few thoughts about what the novel does for its readers. (I’ll justify my vagueness and simplicity by claiming that by doing so, no spoilers will be revealed 😊).

I think the video provides concise, yet essential information for the background of the story, Mary Shelley’s personal life, and the Romantic Period to introduce a first-time reader to the novel. The animations are fun, eerie, and relevant. I always enjoy watching this video because of how well the colors, text, characters, and details of the animations align with the novel itself. The narrator speaks at a consistent speed and volume. Her tone slightly changes throughout the video to appropriately reflect the particular topic being discussed. Overall, I find the video very entertaining and informative.

Frankenstein has fascinated, terrified, and enlightened its readers since its first publication.  No story like Shelley’s had existed before its time, and no retelling could ever come close to the original. The complex characters, engaging plot, and incredible language create a unique experience for readers. The novel reflects many thoughts and themes of the Romantics and Romantic Period, such as the role of nature, the emphasis on emotion, and exploring the eerie and mysterious. Upon finishing the novel, readers are left with the ultimate tasks of deciphering who the novel’s real monster is, questioning the true boundaries of science, and analyzing the human relationship to nature, among other ideas.

As a side note: The title of this post is an actual quote from the novel, one that I find to be so powerful and even a little terrifying.

Gillespie, Iseult. “Everything you need to know to read ‘Frankenstein-Iseult Gillespie.” YouTube, uploaded by Ted-Ed, 23 Feb. 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDgu25Dsv34.