Frankenstein Readers

Liann said:
Just wanted to chime in that this is one of my all time favorite books. It's not just a horror story, it's really a commentary on humanity in general. Loved it, and had to giggle about the Koontz question. I can only imagine what his book was about. ;)

Jainie - You should google Mary Shelley. Her life was almost as interesting as her book. :) And the story of how she wrote it is kind of neat too.
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Liann, Thanks for the heads up, I'll google Mary Shelley. It sounds so interesting.

Janie
 
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rjroubi said:
Now that I think about it I should have used the word fascinating. ;) It's not at all what I expected, but I do mean that in a good and surprising way. I still have a long way to go so I'm not going to say too much now. :) I'm working this weekend so I won't be able to really hit the book until next week. It will also give Janiejoey time to get her book. ;)
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Robin! FASCINATING! My sentiments exactly!
 
OK I'm about 80 pages in & thoroughly enjoying this book! Boy that lady could write..........yes, interesting commentary on humanity & the dangers of scientific advances that are still relevant today (can you say "North Korea & nucular weapons?" :eek:). And very sad & touching too.

Certainly very different from what we've seen in the movies. No real mention of electricity bringing the monster to life, although there seemed to be an allusion to it AND Ben Franklin early in the book, no Igor, no Abby Normal's brain! :D;):p

I must say though, what a moron that Victor was! He's horrified by what he creates, so he just walks away from it. How incredibly irresponsible--did he think it would just disappear into thin air? A scientist should know better...........:rolleyes:
 
But the point is that is frequently what men do when they create -- how many fathers have deserted their children? Victor is a typical weak father -- confounded by his offspring he chooses to depart because he feels he does not have the skills to cope. Remember, the whole book can be viewed as a metaphor for parenthood and the passion to reproduce.
 
tobermory said:
But the point is that is frequently what men do when they create -- how many fathers have deserted their children? Victor is a typical weak father -- confounded by his offspring he chooses to depart because he feels he does not have the skills to cope. Remember, the whole book can be viewed as a metaphor for parenthood and the passion to reproduce.
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I understand--the story is a metaphor for many things. Still think Victor's a dumbass though. ;)
 
I love how she gets to the core of Victors emotion. I think what's great is how she paints how he went down a dangerous path without considering the consequences (does that ever sound familiar?). Then he can't face what he's done.
 
Runcrazy said:
I love how she gets to the core of Victors emotion. I think what's great is how she paints how he went down a dangerous path without considering the consequences (does that ever sound familiar?). Then he can't face what he's done.
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Yes, it's very child-like. Which I think is another point of the book--Victor is very young himself, still in college (or "university" or whatever it was called in England then). So it's almost like the monster is his toy--something he created to play with, then seriously regretted it. Like a child created a child, neither of which could care for itself, much less each other.
 
OK, I have about 50 pages left in the book. Now that I'm past the monster, his story, & his demands, I realized the point of the book is most definitely NOT that Victor is the monster's father. It is most definitely paternalistic, but not as Victor as father, more Victor as God. The parallels betw. Adam & Eve are incredibly obvious.

I wonder if Shelley is questioning God, & also wondering if God felt the same way after he "created man"--like, it was too late & holy crap was that a huge mistake! :eek:

And then there's the science/Darwin connection. Shelley was writing what, about 50 years after Darwin made his travels & wrote his book? I think there's some implication there that evolution combined w/science is a recipe for disaster.
 
Thanks for posting this thread--I picked up the book at the library today and have read a little of it. It is fascinating, and I love the way she writes. The writers of old were so much more eloquent, in my opinion, than most of today's authors. I've decided to read a few classics this summer that I never read in school, and Frankenstein will be the first. This discussion will be very interesting! Thanks for letting me join in, too!
 
I am way still behind on reading this novel, but all I can say at this point is my skin is beginning to crawl. Seriously. I am actually getting spooked by her words. Anyone else feel this way? Geez.

Anyway, I still have a long way to go, but I want to keep this thread alive while I read. I should have more time to read this Friday. ;)
 
It's creepy, but it's very sad at the same time. The monster sort of reminds me of how a disabled person may have been treated during that time--he started w/a good heart, but the cruelty of our society is what made him a monster.

P.S. no offense to the disabled, but I'll probably get flamed anyway.
 
All right, I have a confession, I got the book from the library, read the introduction and first couple pages. All I understood in my head was "blah, blah, blah". So, now, I feel I should go get it again and retry. Melissa
 
Melissa,

I agree it's a slow start, but it really does start to pick up. I still have a bit of a way to go too. ;)
 
Yep, it is a slow start but it's better now. I still am plugging away- glad I'm not the only one not finished. :)
 
orphylea said:
Yep, it is a slow start but it's better now. I still am plugging away- glad I'm not the only one not finished. :)
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You are certainly not. ;) I do hope to get to it tomorrow for sure!!! I hope to chat about it on Saturday or Sunday depending on how far I actually get.
 
I finally finished. I'm not sure I enjoyed it...hmm. Creepy is definitely a good word to describe it, Lauramax. Sadness and loneliness are also major themes.

Did Jo pick out the next book yet or did I happen to miss that thread too. I seem to be running a little behind this week....lol.
 
I'm probably a little late in checking back in--we've been out of town--so forgive me if you have wrapped up the discussion on Frankenstein. I have to say I loved reading the book and couldn't put it down (after I got through the first few pages). It was different from what I had thought it would be. I expected many pages devoted to the process by which Frankenstein created his monster, but that was a minor part in the novel. Thanks for bringing this book to mind--I'm glad I read it! Are you guys going to pick another book to discuss?
Have a great day.:)
 
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