Samuel J. Umland

I have never read a Cliff's Notes book cover to cover - until now. I have always been aware of the stigma of reading one of these, and was teased a number of times while carrying this copy in public, but I felt secure enough in that I had read the book before, and shared this with the people who poked at me, only to find (with more than a little surprise) that those who were picking on me - multiple people on multiple occasions - had never actually read the book Frankenstein.

I chose to read this copy of Cliff's Notes because I was trying to take a Book Club class on edX. Unfortunately, I was unable to take the class due to too much other stuff going on. That is okay, and I chose to re-read the books anyways. I have read a number of versions and editions of Frankenstein over the years, and it is still a haunting tale, as was intended, but I was curious to see what perspective this summary would take.

The summary portion of the book is arranged into each chapter, a short summary of the chapter, then a rehash, adding a little outside perspective. Just about what you would expect to see as a grade-schooler's book report. I would have given the book three stars if this was it. Useful for a refresher, but not much else.

The real value of this book (easily upping it a full star) is the additional reference material. My favorite was the suggestions for practice projects, upping the book to the modern century by suggesting o make websites for the book. This is a project, if I had more time, I would attempt (maybe sometime in the future?). The Essays provide a starting point for writing one (or for the novice plagiarist, as I have seen in past classes, one ready-written) and the Reviews offer further insight and thought-provoking essay suggestions and questions.

As mentioned above, I had never read a Cliff's book, and was curious. Having satisfied that curiosity, I feel that the book provides added value for those who have read the book, but should not be used as a substitute or short-cut. That's what causes people to have such a disparaging image of these books, and a stigma that I'll ignore in the future.… (plus d'informations)

This work is an example of CliffsNotes at their best. Far from a simple summary of the plot and characters (like some selections in the CN series) this contribution is a scholarly appraisal that truly helps the reader understand the deeper meaning of Mary Shelley's celebrated novel.

The author Samuel Umland relates themes in the novel to historical aspects, and literary influences the naïve reader of Frankenstein would be most unlikely to appreciate. For example, one common theme that Umland makes evident is the Rousseau-ean view of humans -- that man in a state of nature is basically good, and that he becomes evil through society's influence. I now see that this theme is central to the novel, as the unnamed monster only turned cruel and murderous when he was spurned by his creator and the people he encountered. Another aspect is the Romantic literary movement, of which Shelley's novel turns out to be an excellent example. Also illustrated are ways in which this novel draws on literary works and poetry (including Percy Shelley's), and how clearly the novel exemplifies elements of the 19th century Gothic novel.

This work is organized conventionally. It begins with a "Life of the Author" and "General Plot Summary", followed by a list of characters. The bulk of this work is taken up by critical commentaries, organized by chapter. Subsequent sections discuss Mary Shelly in the context of "Romanticism" and the Gothic novel. Frankenstein aficionados will also appreciate a comprehensive filmography as well as summaries of films influential on the production of the famous 1931 movie. A bibiography of relevant written works ends the book.

I do recommend this work to the serious reader, as a supplement to the novel. It shows the novel Frankenstein to be far more than an entertaining tale, and helps the reader appreciate it as a work of literature with depth and power.… (plus d'informations)

Not bad but not great. (Hence the three stars.) Has four main parts: brief biography of Stoker; chapter summaries & commentaries; brief essay on horror films; and a list of Dracula-related movies.

Summaries are just fine, not too brief and not too detailed. The reason I read this is because I want to read a The Dracula Tape, it's been a while since I read Dracula but I don't really want to reread it at the moment but I also wanted to refresh my memory. It served that purpose admirably.

The critical commentaries are nothing special; they touch on a variety of critical themes (sex, religion, literature, and British class tensions), and develop none of them extensively (but then, this is a Cliffs Notes volume). The theme of xenophobia is not touched on at all.

The essay on horror films is too short to be of much critical interest, and the last half of it is basically just identifying personnel connections between the early American horror films and German expressionist film. The list of Dracula-related movies is OK as far as it goes, but the volume was published in 1983 so none since then are included. Also, it suggests that it is possible to view the 1920s movie "London After Midnight," but apparently the last known print was lost in a 1960s warehouse fire, so don't get your hopes up.… (plus d'informations)