Frankenstein Pt. 1 - Introduction

I don't think I have ever seen a Frankenstein movie all the way through, but I've seen enough clips and pictures to know that Frankenstein's monster is big and dumb and has an impossibly squarish head and huge electrodes in his neck. Furthermore, I know that Viktor Frankenstein is a horrifyingly mad scientist who cackles maniacally and wears big black gloves. Thank you Van Wilder. Actually, now that I've read the original story, I can say that that's pretty much all wrong. The book and the characters are much more interesting than the silly images that resurface every October, and the details I once thought were essential are either inaccurate or are liberal interpretations. So, as an introduction, here are a few facts about Frankenstein that don't get much attention:

1. The complete title is Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. 
2. Viktor Frankenstein is the scientist. The monster is his creation.
3. The monster doesn't have a name.
4. The story is written in first-person point of view of three main characters and one or two other characters. It gets pretty crazy. At one point, you have a story within a story within a story within a story. It's basically the original Inception, but with fewer guns and more 19th-century melodrama. A lot more melodrama. I'm pretty sure that half the book was Frankenstein talking about how he felt abysmally depressed, then went out into nature, then felt happy for a while, then remembered how terrible his life was. This happened at least once a page. The pages were literally dripping with Frankenstein's tears. Literally. 
5. The monster narrates a significant portion (the heart) of the story. This is the best part, in my opinion. 
6. The monster speaks just as well as, if not better than, Viktor Frankenstein.
7. The story begins and ends in the Arctic. (It's basically a chiasmus in structure - ABCBA)
8. The story happens all over the place, including Germany, Switzerland, England, Scotland, France and even Russia. People just go places when they feel like it, because everyone just had limitless finances back then and nothing to do. 
9. The story covers several years. After the monster is created, he's on his own, learning how to live life for a couple years before finding Frankenstein again. Apparently, all he needs to survive are some roots, nuts and berries. 
10. The story makes a lot of social critiques, but it really centers on Frankenstein and his monster. There's no scene of angry peasants with torches and pitchforks out to hunt the monster. It's pretty much just Frankenstein who chases him.
11. The book was first published in 1818. Mary Shelley was 20-years-old at the time.
12. The idea arose in a "Ghost Story" contest between Mary, her husband, and some other famous peeps. Somehow Mary won, even though there is no ghost in the story. Whatever. These people were too laid back and rebellious to follow those kind of rules. 

Frankenstein tackles all kinds of big ideas, including creation, science, the role of women, human nature, participation in society, repentance, and procrastination so bad that you would rather reshape your moral framework to justify your procrastination, than simply do the thing that you should have done a long time ago.

In Part 2, I'll write about creation in Frankenstein.