Frankenstein. Mary Shelley

SHELLEY

      Frankenstein

      FRANKENSTEIN

      There are probably more films of this sad and frightening story than of any other story in the world. Why do so many people like it? Is it because Frankenstein’s monster is something we all know, something from our worst dreams?

      It is an old story, and a new story – ’old’ because it was written more than 180 years ago; ’new’ because Frankenstein’s problem is the same problem that scientists have today. Science gives us many wonderful discoveries – machines, computers, weapons – but how do we use these things? Will they give us a better life, or will they destroy us in the end?

      Victor Frankenstein creates a new man, bigger and stronger than any other man – a huge and frightening monster. But even monsters need love, and when his creator turns away from him, the monster begins to destroy everything that Frankenstein loves …

Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DPOxford University Press is a department of the University of OxfordIt furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide inOxford New YorkAuckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei TorontoWith offices inArgentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine VietnamOXFORD and OXFORD ENGLISH are registered trade marks of Oxford University Press in the UK and in certain other countriesThis simplified edition © Oxford University Press 2008Database right Oxford University Press (maker)First published in Oxford Bookworms 19892 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1No unauthorized photocopyingAll rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reprographics rights organization. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the ELT Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address aboveYou must not circulate this book in any other binding or cover and you must impose this same condition on any acquirerAny websites referred to in this publication are in the public domain and their addresses are provided by Oxford University Press for information only. Oxford University Press disclaims any responsibility for the contentISBN 978 0 19 479116 8A complete recording of this Bookworms edition of Frankenstein is available on audio CD ISBN 978 0 19 479095 6ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Illustrated by: Lynd Ward, courtesy of the Bodleian Library, Oxford (Shelf mark 256 d 585; page numbers 5, 10, 11, 26, 44, 53, 70, 90, 106, 110, 114, 124, 150, 160, 162, 170, 186, 188, 200, 216, 223, 226, 232, 242)The publishers have made every effort to contact the copyright holder of the illustrations, but have been unable to do so. If the copyright holder would like to contact the publishers, the publishers would be happy to pay an appropriate reproduction feeWord count (main text): 9685 wordsFor more information on the Oxford Bookworms Library, visit www.oup.com/bookwormswww.oup.com/bookworms e-Book ISBN 978 0 19 478669 0e-Book first published 2012

      1

      ’Captain! Something is moving on the ice. Look over there!’

      The sailor stood at the top of the mast, high above the Captain. His hand pointed away from the ship, across the miles of ice that covered the sea.

      The Captain looked to the north, where the sailor was pointing. He saw something coming fast towards the ship across the ice. He put his telescope to his eye, and through it he could see the shapes of ten dogs pulling a sledge over the ice. He could also see the driver of the sledge – a huge figure, much bigger than a man.