This Can't be Frankenstein!

I remember flipping channels a few years ago when the guide showed that a movie called "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein" was on HBO. I had no idea who Mary Shelley was, but I knew I liked Frankenstein so I decided to tune in. The first scene featured some creature freezing in an area that had to be either Antartica or one of the poles. I exclaimed, "This isn't Frankenstein," and I continued express how regrettable it was that these Hollywood folks keep ruining the classics. Recently, I read Shelley's actual book. Needless to say, I felt a little stupid.

It seems that the Frankenstein productions that I had seen previously were actually caricatures of the story presented by Shelley. Shelley's creature was well developed, highly intelligent, and nothing like the evil, mindless zombie that is portrayed in the popular horror films. I guess I should have expected this discrepancy. After all, Shelley would have never been regarded as a great author if her books were as shallow as those movies.