eBook PDF Frankenstein Contexts Criticism 2nd Edition By Mary Shelley
The Norton Critical Edition of Frankenstein (Second Edition, 2012), edited by J. Paul Hunter, features the original 1818 text along with extensive contextual materials, contemporary reception, and 16 critical essays. It includes new illustrations and scholarly interpretations covering psychoanalytic, feminist, and cultural perspectives, making it a standard academic text. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Key Features of the 2nd Edition
- Text: Presents the 1818 first edition text, generally considered more raw and closer to Shelley's original vision than the 1831 revision.
- Contexts: Organized into three sections: "Circumstance, Influence, Composition, Revision," "Reception, Impact, Adaptation," and "Sources, Influences, Analogues".
- New Content: Includes cultural studies by Susan Tyler Hitchcock, William St. Clair, and Elizabeth Young, along with new analyses of film adaptations.
- Supporting Material: Features a chronology, selected bibliography, and contextual excerpts from the Bible and Milton's Paradise Lost. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Other "Second Edition" Contexts
- Broadview Literary Texts: Another prominent second edition edited by Macdonald and Scherf, which uses the 1818 text and includes a review by Percy Bysshe Shelley.
- Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism: Edited by Johanna M. Smith, this edition presents the 1831 text with essays from specific critical perspectives (Marxist, Gender, etc.). [1, 2, 3, 4]
Updated: Mon, 11 May 2026 23:05:35 +0300