Every Tuesday, a member of the horror community shares what they are reading with us! This week, it’s Matt Carpenter. He writes:

Frankenstein’s monster has been an iconic figure at Universal Studios for decades now. The figure of the creature is an easily recognizable trope for memes and cartoons. But how many of you have actually read the book by Mary Shelley (probably most of you, considering the audience!)? And do you know which version of the text you have read?

This novel is a classic for many reasons, and I previously read it without commentary. But I am currently reading it in the annotated version from Leslie Klinger. The main text is the original published version, but he also extensively comments from the draft edited partly by Percy Shelley, as well as Mary Shelley’s revised text from 1831.

The whole tenor of the work changed in this version, after the author had lost two children and her husband to tragic deaths. Furthermore, Mr. Klinger provides historical context, discusses the science that inspired Ms. Shelley, and includes a very generous number of pictures of the places and people mentioned in the text.

I am deriving a great deal of pleasure from this read through. Mary Shelley’s work deserves its reputation and I cannot think of a better way to experience it.

Purchase The New Annotated Frankenstein here. Annotated by Leslie Klinger, with an introduction by Guillermo del Toro.

Read previous “What I’m Reading” posts here.

Watch The Lovecraft eZine Podcast here!