Frankenstein

Mary Shelley · Gothic Horror · 30 chapters · 7h 16m · 13 voices

The mother of all science fiction. Victor Frankenstein, consumed by the ambition to create life, assembles a creature from dead flesh — and then abandons it to face a world that offers only horror and loneliness.

Three narrators, nested inside each other: Walton writing to his sister, Victor telling Walton his story, and the Creature telling Victor his. Shelley built the novel as a set of boxes, and the whole moral argument depends on the innermost voice being allowed to speak for itself. That is the case for a cast in one sentence — when the Creature's account is performed by the same voice as Victor's, his self-justification and Victor's become hard to tell apart, which is exactly the confusion the structure exists to prevent. Here they are separate people and the middle of the book changes character completely.

The voices that carry it

The Creature is cast articulate and unhurried rather than monstrous. Shelley gives him the best speeches in the book, and the horror works better when the voice making them is reasonable.

Chapter one plays without an account. Start listening to Frankenstein.

Voice cast

12 characters plus the narrator, each with their own voice. All the voices of Frankenstein.

Victor Frankenstein — A Genevan scientist of noble family, consumed by an obsessive desire to conquer death and create life. Brilliant, passionate, and ultimately destroyed by his own creation. Narrates the bulk of the novel.
The Creature — Victor's creation — eight feet tall, immensely powerful, with a hideous visage assembled from charnel materials. Self-educated through Milton, Plutarch, and Goethe. Eloquent, deeply feeling, and consumed by rage at his rejection.
Alphonse Frankenstein — Victor's father — a distinguished Genevan magistrate, dignified and caring. Writes letters to Victor and speaks with parental gravity and tenderness. Endures the deaths of William, Justine, and Elizabeth.
Elizabeth Lavenza — Victor's adopted cousin and fiancée — beautiful, gentle, and morally earnest. Speaks in Victor's chapters and writes letters. Passionately defends Justine at her trial.
Henry Clerval — Victor's closest friend from Geneva — cheerful, imaginative, and enthusiastic about Oriental literature and adventure. Accompanies Victor on travels. A foil to Victor's tortured brooding.
Justine Moritz — A servant of the Frankenstein family, wrongly accused and condemned for William's murder. Speaks calmly and with quiet dignity in her courtroom defence, maintaining her innocence.
De Lacey — An old blind French cottager, exiled from Paris with his son Felix and daughter Agatha. Kind and philosophical. The Creature attempts to befriend him, seeking sympathy from one who cannot see his form.
Felix De Lacey — De Lacey's son — courageous and passionate, who risked everything to free Safie's father from prison. Devoted to his family and to Safie. Attacks the Creature when he discovers him.
Agatha — Felix's sister, daughter of De Lacey. Gentle and sweet-natured. Helps care for her blind father. Has a few spoken lines in the cottage scenes observed by the Creature.
Safie — A Turkish-Arabian woman, Felix's beloved, who joins the De Lacey family. She speaks limited English at first but has a musical voice. Her arrival brings joy to the cottage.

Chapters

Introduction 13m
Preface 4m
Letter I 7m
Letter II 6m
Letter III 2m
Letter IV 16m
Chapter I 9m
Chapter II 11m
Chapter III 13m
Chapter IV 13m
Chapter V 12m
Chapter VI 15m
Chapter VII 19m
Chapter VIII 17m
Chapter IX 12m
Chapter X 14m
Chapter XI 19m
Chapter XII 14m
Chapter XIII 14m
Chapter XIV 12m
Chapter XV 20m
Chapter XVI 21m
Chapter XVII 11m
Chapter XVIII 14m
Chapter XIX 14m
Chapter XX 16m
Chapter XXI 20m
Chapter XXII 19m
Chapter XXIII 13m
Chapter XXIV 47m

About this recording

Is the creature in Frankenstein the monster from the films?

No. Shelley's creature is eloquent, self-taught and argues his case at length. The inarticulate figure with bolts through his neck comes from the 1931 film, and this recording follows the book.

Why does the narrator change during the book?

Frankenstein is told through three nested narrators — an Arctic explorer, Victor, and the creature. In this recording each has a different voice, so the handovers are audible rather than something you have to track.