Frankenstein and the Critics

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein faced a divided critical reception upon its initial release. This volume gathers those early reactions alongside the original text to provide historical context for readers interested in literary history. The collection features reviews from prominent periodicals of the era, including an anonymous critique in The Literary Panorama and National Register dated June 1, 1818, which dismissed the work as a feeble imitation. It also includes praise from Walter Scott in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine on March 20, 1818, who noted the plain and forcible English style that avoided typical hyperbolical Germanisms. The book presents Mary Shelley’s uncensored 1818 text in its unabridged entirety. This edition differs from the more traditionally popular one-volume version released in 1831. Readers seeking the original narrative structure will find this version distinct from later adaptations. The inclusion of contemporary criticism allows for a direct comparison between the initial public response and the novel itself. This compilation suits scholars and enthusiasts of Gothic romance who wish to examine the work’s reception history. It may not appeal to readers looking solely for the modernized 1831 text or those uninterested in historical literary analysis. The volume stands as a record of how Shelley’s tale was initially perceived by critics such as Scott and the anonymous reviewer.