I read both Frankenstein and Dracula in high school. Though Mary Shelley’s work was an assignment for my English class, I read the book as if I had picked it out myself.
Dracula was a book I had plucked off the shelf of my parents bookcase out of curiosity. I sat down and eagerly dived in to find a story that felt familiar and new at the same time; a Universal classic I knew from the movies mixed with a universal classic that had been written centuries before I was before (#nopunshame). Dracula took some time to get through due to Stoker’s stylistic choice to be a bit like Stephen King of the 19th century, however, like with Stephen King, I found Dracula to be an intriguing and stimulating read even at the age of 15.
Frankenstein on the other hand is one of my favorites! Granted, this is mostly because of the author’s writers journey and how the novel came to be, but the story itself is fantastical and unique to its time. Because the Monster’s name isn’t mentioned in the story, for it does not have one, everyone has the idea that Frankenstein is the Monster. This, however, is not true. Though the book is called Frankenstein and the Monster is the leading subject of the book, Frankenstein is, in actuality, the human maker of the Monster.
These classics have created some of the foundation for commonplace horror tropes that we have come to know well and love. Each author took a chance and followed their works-heart to share with us their characters and the world’s in which they live. I am eager to read more classics, such as H.P Lovecraft and Edgar Allen Poe, but I don’t think anything can top my love for Frankenstein. I mean, the story was created on a dark stormy night!
