with Other Poems, Rosalind and Helen, A Modern Eclogue - Percy Bysshe Shelley

Advantages: Timeless story, sweeping visualisation
Disadvantages: Old vernacular

...with the inevitable notion of comparing it to Stoker's Dracula. I have to say that the two books are very different albeit both lit a flame in a literary sense that still burns brightly today. With Frankenstein being so well known it's worth giving a brief introduction to its writer - Mary Shelley. Born in 1797, the daughter of William Godwin & Mary Wollstonecraft, Mary went on to become one of the world's most renowned writers. Her parents were both radical writers of their day providing something of an influence to the talented Mary. She met the then unknown, Percy Bysshe Shelley in 1814 with whom she eloped to the continent In 1816, residing on the shores of Lake Geneva, Percy suggested a ghost story competition inspiring Mary to start her original work. Subsequently finished in England, the book was initially met with mixed reviews on its... Read review

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Advantages: Amazing Plot, Well written, Makes you think!
Disadvantages: Marred by dodgy film versions

...The Author Mary Shelley, born Mary Wollstonecraft in 1797, was brought up by her father but ran away to France at the age of 16 with the poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley, whom she later married. It was whilst staying in Switzerland with Shelley and his friend Lord Byron that she began her most famous work; Frankenstein. It began life as her 'entry' in a ghost story contest instigated by Byron and is said to have been inspired by a dream. The Plot (WARNING: Plot spoilers!!) Frankenstein is a young man studying Natural Philosophy at Geneva. His research leads him to create a being from body parts, that resembles a human. Through much experimentation Frankenstein succeeds in bringing his creation to life. It has tremendous strength and inspires terror in all who encounter it, including Frankenstein who flees. However the creature... Read review

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Advantages: good diverse selection
Disadvantages: a few really terrible poems!

..., Beckett and Frost among others, and then some poets I have never heard of but probably should have done (call myself a lit student?), and then more that I may never have come across if I hadn't got this book. However, some of the more modern poems are really, comically bad! I suppose it's a matter of taste, maybe I'm being over critical but I'm left thinking, surely noone appreciates this rubbish? I guess that just shows, though, what a diverse range of poems are in this book (good thing? hmm I don't know) and everyone should be able to find a few that they like. I'd recommend this to anyone who feels in need of a little poem therapy: no miracle cures, but they might make you smile! I'll leave you with a couple of short poems from the book (not sure if I'm allowed to do this but I'm going to anyway) I Saw a Man (by Stephen Crane) I... Read review

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