Blogging highlights
GROUP 1: Shared my fascination with how quickly Frankenstein distances himself from his creation in the book. Obviously, the movies sustain a very different tension between the two characters–a much slower descent into horror, as it were. I’m interested to hear everyone’s thoughts re. Shelley’s pacing over the rest of the book. What is the impact of her narrative choices as we read a long story where the monster has already been unveiled and judged abhorrent?
GROUP 2: So if it isn’t about a long reveal, what is the narrative about? I think these guys were quite right to muse about the word “friend.” (Isn’t that another famous movie line?) What do you think Shelley is setting up here in terms of our understanding of the monster? Are you ready to buy into the monster as victim, especially once we find out what Frankenstein’s creation has been up to?
GROUP 3: Much has been said in class about the letters that open up the story. Several in Group 3 had thoughts on comparing the juxtaposing characters at the beginning of the narrative. Do you think Walton’s goal and character is as horrific as Frankenstein’s? Then again, do you think Frankenstein deserves his ill-repute? What separates the two men’s quests? Anything? What is Shelley getting at (if anything)?
GROUP 4: Many groups are still wrestling with classifying Frankenstein as science fiction. Some are going so far as to say that it “falls short.” What do you think? Others are curious about the way “science” is handled in the narrative–including one inquisitive reader that looked up “Cornelius Agrippa” and found some fascinating context.
GROUP 5: Maybe you are also scratching your head over why the adaptations of the novel are so divergent from their source material. I think it’s pretty fascinating! Are the main meta-themes still there? (see “friendship” clip above). What are the biggest thematic differences that you see? Are the “messages” divergent at all?
ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS: Ever heard of the Jewish Golem myth? I wonder how much Shelley knew about it…