Etown Literati has chosen Mary Shelley's Frankenstein as its next selection. They will be meeting during the week of January 22nd. Details to follow.
On rainy evenings before a fire, Mary Shelley, her half sister Claire, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Byron and his doctor Polidori entertained themselves by reading German/French ghost stories. Discussions between Byron and the Shelleys focused on natural philosophy--the nature of life. They spoke of the experiments of Dr. Erasmus Darwin, who preserved a piece of vermicelli in a glass case until by extraordinary means it began to move with voluntary motion! In this setting, Byron challenged his colleagues to write a horror story. Mary Shelley's work is the masterpiece arising from that challenge. Reading her work has brought forth these questions.
In an era of technological advancement such as cloning, what responsibility does a scientist have towards his/her new creation?
How are Victor and the monster similar--their relationship with nature and their desires for family, etc?
Does the monster's eloquence and persuasiveness make it easier for the reader to sympathize with him? How is the monster portrayed in the film versions of this story?
Post other questions and comments here.
Let us know what you think.
(Thanks to Amazon for the images.)
4 comments:
If you haven't seen Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the Kenneth Branagh version of the movie, add that to your viewing list. It's got some gruesome bits to get through, but it's a passionate production.
I read Frankenstein in high school and my tragic mistake was in bypassing the knowledge found in the book's introduction. I did not read it and missed the essential details it provided to the conclusion of the tail. I learned a valuable lesson there. Thatis one quick comment I have....will be making others to be sure. An excellent read!
Pardon my spelling.....read "tale" not "tail" ....TGIF.
pardon also the "aunt weeze" must change the blog name!
Certainly there is romance in Mary
Shelly's book as well as practiced science of that period. Yes the sciencetist was responsible for his creation. The sad part was the monster had nothing to do with his creation. The monster had feelings.
Ex.: The child,plants,and nature. He knew he was created by a mad man
Guided by fear of the unknown ruled
him. He did not want to harm or be harmed. Science continues to have a responsibility for its action upon mankind.
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