The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
SPRING CHALLENGE 2021
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Group Reads Discussion - Frankenstein
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A great classic that will always stand the test of time
LAUREN JODIAfter attempting to read the other books selected for this challenge and being unable to get into them, I decided to re-read Frankenstein instead.
My first time reading Mary Shelley's classic was at university where the focus was on analyzing the literary elements in the story. This time I read for the pure enjoyment of the language, the descriptions, and the story of man's self-destructive tendencies.
The tale resonated with me all the more in this time of a raging pandemic as it reflects an issue that has always interested me with regard to science and morality, i.e., just because we can do something doesn't mean we should.
SarahBR I think Frankenstein hit me differently this time around after having read the book last time for University. similar to Lauren Jodi it was enjoyable not having to analyse it for a university text.
Shelley brought into view what we can see as "moral" in both ourselves and what our decisions are it will be something we see in multple ways as technologies change and adapt as the story will be viewed for years to come.
I used this challenge as an excuse to finally read Frankenstein and I am not disappointed. I thought I knew all there is to know about the story from what I had gleamed from popular culture but and I was pleasantly surprised to discover it was set in Switzerland and not England as I had assumed.
When my F2F book club read this a few years ago we had quite a stimulating discussion about how our current society "creates monsters."
Amy BHuh, well, I liked that more than I expected to, once I got past the 200 year old language. It's amazing, thinking it was a first novel for a woman then only 18 years old. The book was intriguing, well-considered and layered - instead of calling to mind Boris Karloff, I ended up thinking about what would have happened if Jesus had been ugly.
But after 200 pages, I couldn't help comparing it against the popular movie versions of the story, because you hear all the time about how different it is. The last Frankenstein movie I saw cast Robert de Niro as the monster and I winced a bit, remembering that. But then I pulled up the movie on ImdB to remember it better and was surprised at how closely it did follow the book (except the horrifying ending -- I won't wreck it for you if you haven't seen it.)
Thank you to the person who recommended it for this challenge - well done!
For some reason I didn't have to read this in school, and this task seemed a good reason to give it a try. Not my best choice this round. I can appreciate the amazingness of the author achieving a book that will be read forever at such a young age and as a woman in a largely male dominated society. I can understand the endless discussion options available to English lit teachers out there everywhere and understand why it is still relevant today.
However-- and this is probably due to my modern sensibilities -- I have never had to sped so much time with such a whiny, miserable MC who made so little attempt to actually FIX ANY of what made him miserable. I can't even express how much I disliked everything about him. And -- for obvious reasons -- the "creature" was just as bad from a drama standpoint! 8 hours (I did the audio and the reader really was pretty amazing) of my life I will never get back. Sigh.
This is one of those books that has always been on my radar but never picked up. Despite the age when it was written the message that it delivers is as true today as it was then, even more so. It makes us question our morals and whether we should do something just because we can.
Brooke TXThis is my third or fourth reading of the book, and every time I'm struck anew by how unsympathetic a character Victor Frankenstein is, and how he may have been influenced by the "genius" men of Mary Shelley's own experience (her husband Percy, the infamous Lord Byron, her father). And then I think about how many of the film/TV adaptations have grossly misrepresented the story.
But I think I'll rewatch Penny Dreadful now anyway.
Project Gutenberg books are in the public domain. You may download them in ePub or Kindle eBook format to read on an eBook reader or you can read them online. You can find links to download the Group Read book here: Frankenstein
There are a number of different editions of this book, with slight variations depending on the edition. It does not matter which one you read, so long as it is an adult, complete, edition - no graphic novel or childrens versions.You do not have to read the Project Gutenberg edition. If you read a different edition, link to the edition you read when you post your completion for task 20.10.
The requirement for task 20.10: You must participate in the book's discussion thread below with at least one post about the contents of the book or your reaction to the book after you have read the book.