So you don't have another post due until the 10th. Enjoy the break, but I will warn you that Frankenstein is more dense and more difficult to read than Foster, so I would suggest trying to at least read a little this week. I'll go ahead and let you know how I would like you to respond to the first set of chapters. (1-14)
Task #1) Comment on one of the following:
A) Characterization - Choose a character and discuss how he/she is developed in the text. Use textual support.
B) Setting - Describe and analyze setting. How does the time and place of the novel affect the conflicts, the characters, the plot, the symbolism?
Task #2) Comment on one of the following:
C) Romanticism - Look up the notion of British Romanticism, describe it, and discuss what elements of Romanticism you see developed in the first few chapters
D) Structure - How is this novel written and organized? Why is the structure important to what's happening? How does this type of structure affect the reader?
Task #3) Apply one of Foster's ideas to what you have read so far. Specifiy the idea you are using, describe how it's developed, and explain its significance to theme.
As always, please email me with any questions on how to proceed with the tasks above. Happy Independence Day! Be safe!
Okay, I can honestly say that the book is nothing like the movies!
ReplyDeleteThe character I chose was the main character, Frankenstein, because he starts out as a child that is loved by his parents and recognizes the beauty of the scenery and the surrounding places his parents travel. When his parents have his sister, he immediately adores her and that adoration continues to grow throughout the chapters. He always thinks of her and misses her while he is away, but his love of reading and wanting to acquire new knowledge gets the best of him and I believe that he lets his imagination run wild. When he starts going into the graves and digging up the bones, organs, and skin he needs, it makes me think of him as heartless. When he finally brings the monster to life, he runs away from it and that makes me think of him as a coward because he did all of that studying and digging to run away from his creation. Not until later does he actually talk to the monster and he sees that the monster just wants to be accepted, yet Frankenstein feels terrible because he knows that Justine didn't kill his younger brother and he never spoke up, also making me categorize him as a coward. On page 69 when he wants to tell his father he knows who the murderer is, he chickens out for fear of the rest of his family rejecting him and thinking that he has gone mad by creating the monster who killed his brother.
The British Romanticists focused on being at one with nature, thinking that it was beautiful and full of happiness, spiritual references to just about anything, and the dangers of new things being introduced to them. In the first few chapters, I noticed that nature was a major focus point in the story and throughout the chapters too. On page 49, Frankenstein describes summertime, saying, "It was a most beautiful season; mever did the fields bestow a more plentiful harvest, or the vines yield a more luxuriant vintage: but my eyes were insensible to the charms of nature." and in the beginning letters, the captain says that the sea was a dangerous journey to venture on with all of the ice. On page 106, the monster learns his sense of sight and notices how breath taking nighttime can be. He says, "...and the green banks interspersed with innumerable flowers, sweet to the scent and to the eyes, stars of pale radiance among the moonlight woods; the sun became warmer, the nights clear and balmy; and my nocturnal rambles were an extreme pleasure to me..." The Romantics thought that nature was beautiful, yet powerful, and nature had a calming affect on them.
One of Foster's ideas I used would have to be the journey that the monster has been on, trying to live and be accepted by others, yet they run in fear of him because of his stature and his looks. I think that he almost had the blind man convinced of his innocence until his son came in and started beating him. When the other villagers beat him, he ran away and thought that it was because of his appearance. He is trying to explain his journey to life and acceptance in the open world instead of hiding to Victor since Victor has quit running from him. I think the monster goes on an emotional journey because of the fact that he learns to use all of his senses and some of them bring him happiness, while others can be a burden. When the son of the blind man beats him, he tells Victor that "When night came, I quitted my retreat, and wandered in the wood; and now, no longer restrained by the fear of discovery, I gave vent to my anguish in fearful howlings. I was like a wild beast that had broken the toils; destroying the objects that had obstructed me, and ranging through the wood with a stag-like swiftness." I think that the monster had his feelings hurt after having been by that old man's cottage for a year, learning to talk and read, and live, and he still wasn't accepted, even though he had talked to the old man. The journey the monster goes on is a stormy one, and I can only hope that he will finally be accepted by others.
The character that I chose to follow was Victor Frankenstein. In the beginning of the book Victor is an innocent boy who is interested in science and learning new things. When he starts at Ingolstadt he realizes that there is so much that he hasn’t learned back in Geneva so he begins to devote all his time to studying. He becomes completely obsessed with his work and won’t even take the time to write back to his family. He doesn’t leave his apartment for long periods of time or have any interaction with other human beings. At one point he says, “I seemed to have lost all soul or sensation but for this one pursuit.” But when he finally reaches his goal and finds the secret to life he almost instantly regrets it. He is horrified at the creature he created and disappointed that his dreams were now becoming his nightmares. When Clerval comes to visit he realizes that Victor is delusional but after being together for a while he starts to get better. However, when Victor receives news that his brother William had been murdered he suspects that his creature is guilty and becomes enraged with anger when Justine is falsely accused and put to death. When the creature and he meet on the summit he confronts him with all his anger referring to him as demon many times, but after hearing the demons story for the first time he “felt what the duties of a creator to his creature were” and that he ought to render him happy before he complained of his wickedness.
ReplyDeleteThe definition of British Romanticism on Brooklyn College’s English department page is: An artistic and intellectual movement originating in Europe in the late 18th century characterized by an interest in imagination, nature, symbolism and myth, emotion, self, and individualism. I’ve seen many elements of this in the first half of the book. The biggest element I see is the connection between nature and emotion. In just about every chapter characters relate their emotions to nature and the weather. When Victor is spending his days with Clerval at Ingolstadt recovering from his sickness he attributes much of his recovery to nature. He said, “When happy, inanimate nature had the power of bestowing on me the most delightful sensations. A serene sky and verdant fields filled me with ecstasy” and “My health and spirits had long been restored, and they gained additional strength from the salubrious air I breathed.” Imagination is also a strong element within this book. When Victor first arrives at Ingolstadt he becomes extremely interested in science. He spent all his time studying and imagining its many possibilities, always with a hunger for more knowledge. I think the quote, “But in a scientific pursuit there is a continual food for discovery and wonder” shows just how connected science and imagination are. A scientist must be able to imagine new ideas and theories fist before he can research them.
I think ch 24 about illness from How to Read Literature Like a Professor relates very well to Frankenstein. Foster says that an illness is never just an illness, that it always means or leads to something more. In the beginning of the book Elizabeth caught scarlet fever and Victor’s mother risked her own health to attend to her. Elizabeth was saved but his mother caught the fever and died. As Victor and his family grieved he explained that he “Need not describe the feelings of those whose dearest ties are rent by the most irreplaceable evil.” I think this illness and death sets the whole story because death had become evil in Victor’s eyes and without its occurrence I don’t think he would have taken the same path when he arrived at Ingolstadt. There he was driven to find the secret to life because of his recent experience. This also supports the theme of knowledge being dangerous because while we could say Victor’s intentions were good, the results of his secret were not. It’s actually pretty ironic how his creature ends up bringing more death, to his brother and Justine, when it was supposed to represent life.
In this novel, one character that has left the biggest impression on me is Elizabeth. Elizabeth is described as a lovely young lady with an unforgettable presence. She holds a compassionate heart and boundless innocence that ultimately contributes to the endless love she receives from everyone she encounters. Though not related by blood, Elizabeth holds a special place in the hearts of the Frankenstein family. This is easily seen by the visible love and adoration each family member has for her. In the first chapter, Elizabeth is introduced as a small orphan girl and is described as “… a being heaven-sent, and bearing a celestial stamp in all her features” (30). As time progressed, Elizabeth evolves into a motherly figure, mainly due to the untimely passing of Caroline. Elizabeth shows selfless love and affection for all of her family members but unquestionably has a special relationship with one character in particular, Victor. According to Victor, “No word, no expression could body forth the kind of relation in which she stood to me- since till death she was to be mine only” (31). Elizabeth’s letter to Victor (found in Chapter 6) is in my opinion the best example of not only her lovely nature, but of her longing to have Victor back in her life. Victor does indeed return home, but sadly the family is devastated at this time due to the loss of Victor’s younger brother, William. Justine, a young lady overflowing with innocence in every aspect of her life is accused of murdering this benevolent child. She confesses to this crime due to the mere fact that she knows her peers will never believe her to be innocent. After Justine’s unjust death, Elizabeth is left stricken with terror and disbelief at the sight of the selfish and harsh world she lives in. The world no longer appears to her as it once did, as a place of goodness and charm. Now Elizabeth sees the world for what it truly is. Victor states, “She was no longer the happy creature, who in earlier youth wandered with me on the banks of the lake, and talked with ecstasy of our future prospects” (82). Elizabeth changes drastically over the course of only a few chapters all because of one horrible situation. But I guess that’s what happens in life. You witness things that leave you scars; that steal your innocence, which is something you can never get back.
ReplyDeleteBritish Romanticism consisted of the ideals that everything cannot be explained by mere reason or by logic. Just as American Romantics, British Romantics were not classified as rational thinkers; quite the opposite actually. British Romantics did not rely on factual information, and they wrote of things that might not exactly be considered” realistic” by many critics. A great example of this is indeed Frankenstein. In the first few chapters Victor, a man madly obsessed with sciences and exploring the unknown, creates life from constructing body parts he collects from a nearby graveyard. Now, I’m not exactly sure how possible this really is, and I’m sure many could easily fight against the possibility of this occurring, but no explanation of why or how is needed in this work. It is what it is and it is not questioned.
In Chapter 14, Foster discusses the topic of Christ-like figures in literature. In this novel thus far, each woman exemplifies at least one of the qualities listed. Number 3 on his list, “self-sacrificing,” sticks out to me the most when considering the women a part of this story. Caroline is the biggest example of this of this quality. At the beginning of Frankenstein, Elizabeth contracts scarlet fever as a young child. Her illness did not give her a promising future, and it was advised for her to stay out of contact with all others. But Caroline, the mother of the Frankenstein family, could not stand the idea of losing her pride and joy, so she tended to Elizabeth day and night and inevitably contracted scarlet fever herself. Elizabeth overcame her illness and returned to her vigorous health. Caroline was not as lucky and sadly died, leaving her family devastated, but saving the life of her young daughter. This act of selflessness, along with the apparent others of Justine and Elizabeth, are symbolic of the role given to women in this novel. In my opinion, the message being given about women in this story is that they are overlooked despite their unconditional and unwavering love, their insurmountable innocence, and ultimately their acts of kindness and of selflessness that save others in immense ways. Now, I’m not saying they are not appreciated or adored in the slightest, but they aren’t just pretty faces, they are heroic and remarkable individuals.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right about the book being denser than “How to Read Literature Like a Professor.” Frankenstein the book is nothing like the movies. It is going to take me a little while to get use to reading this book because it is so much different from all the other versions of the movies.
ReplyDeleteThe character I chose was Caroline Beaufort because she made me think about the things young girls go threw, trying to help their families by working. She developed in the text by helping her dad by working hard sewing, since he was unable to provide for them since becoming ill. Seeing as it was only she and her father, Beaufort, she had to step up and kind of become the “Man of the House” and support her father as well as her self if they wanted to survive. Mary Shelley says that she “possessed a mind of an uncommon mould; and her courage rose to support her and her adversity.” Eventually she earned enough money to support her life. Her drive and courage is why I wanted to pick her. Caroline had to attend to her father, Beaufort, while he was sick with great love. Even though Caroline did all of the hard work trying to provide enough money her father died right in her arm in October, leaving her as a beggar and a little orphan.
Caroline was placed under protection of a relation and moved to Geneva, and two years after the move she married the person who was responsible for her. She came from trying to provide for her and her daddy, to getting married and not having to worry about making money and trying to survive.
According to Goggle, the definition of the British Romanticism is artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution. It was embodied most strongly in the visual arts, music, and literature, but had a major impact on historiography, education and natural history. Basically, they wanted to be equal with nature. As I was reading the chapters in this book, the elements of Romanticisms in the book would be when Frankenstein and the monster describe nature and the things around, but in a good way. Frankenstein focuses more on summertime and all of its festivities while the monster focuses on nighttime and how sweet it was. On page 49, in Chapter 3, referring to summertime, Frankenstein says, “It was a most beautiful season.” “…But my eyes were insensible to the charms of nature.” Frankenstein was very much into nature and its beautiful things that surround it. The monster’s discovery of the sensations of light, dark, hunger, thirst, and cold puts his focus to nighttime on page 106 in chapter 13. He notices the ground, flowers, and the stars saying, “In the meanwhile also the black ground was covered with herbage, and the green banks interspersed with innumerable flowers, sweet to the scent and the eyes.” The Romantics loved nature and things that described it, even though it could be powerful and violent at times, like storms. They still enjoyed it.
One of Foster’s ideas would have to be Chapter 1 when Foster talks about going on a quest even when it is not really one. It made me think of the monster that was built by Victor Frankenstein, who wanted to go out and meet humans. However, they did not accept him because he was not like them. He was mad at Victor Frankenstein because Victor did not make him look good, instead he made him look scary so he decided to get back at him by killing the people that Victor loved. He was mad that he was not like everybody else. The monster’s journey was to make the people understand that he is just trying to be accepted.
Same as Taylor and Ali I choose Victor Frankenstein to characterize. Frankenstein started out as being an only child to two loving parents who showed him patience, charity, and many other good traits while he was growing up. He was idolized by his parents since he was their only child thus far. Until his mother comes upon a girl named Elizabeth who strikes her as being “heaven sent”. Once he meets Elizabeth he immediately loves her and throughout the chapters he talks about her and about how he misses her. But once he becomes obsessed with life and death he losses control and even uses body parts from a graveyard for his experiments which to me seems kind of evil. But once he creates a monster he seems as though he regrets it because he is disgusted by how it looks and runs away from the beast. I think that Victor is very confused about who he is as a person, and I’m excited to see how he develops throughout the novel.
ReplyDeleteBritish romanticism was based on the beauty of nature, and personal liberty in the 18th century. Both these traits were shown in the first few chapters. One example of beauty shown in the novel in chapter 1 when he describes Italy as a “land of wonders” also he says it restored his mothers weakened frame after the death of her father. Personal liberty is doing as one pleases without restrictions. An example of that is when Victor starts digging up remains from a graveyard. He saw what he was doing as right because it helped in his research.
In How to Read Literature Like a Professor I choose chapter 21, Marked for Greatness to connect to the chapter that I read in Frankenstein. Foster says that a character can be marked for greatness by their appearance. I think that’s true about Frankenstein’s creature, he seems like he’s very misunderstood and I believe by the end of the novel that he’ll become a hero in his own right.
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ReplyDeleteWell I guess most of my scholarly classmates have talked about the life and development of Frankenstein, I will discuss the development of the horrendous monster he brought to life and its development up to this point in the novel. The monster is brought to life "on a dreary night of November" with the spark of life created by Frankenstein. The monster is brought to life innocent in the world like a new-born, but immediately his appearance strikes fear in his creator's heart shown on page 42 as Frankenstein says "the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my face" and " how can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe." Although innocent and confused the monster is rejected by his creator and runs off into the wilderness to fend for himself. While in the woods he discovers for the first time hunger, thirst, and need for warmth through fire, but he also discovers dangers such as the fire burning him. He slowly develops his human nature through acts such as cooking food instead of simply eating it raw. Eventually, in search of food and shelter the monster ventures into a hut where he frightens an old man and then also goes into a village where he scares more people. This shows his innocence because while he was brought into the world having never done any harm to anyone he is constantly shunned by society simply because of his appearance. He also loses more of his innocence when he finds that taking food is causing the people in the cottage to suffer. Slowly, he learns they're language and discovers how ugly he really is. He continues to spy on the cottagers and eventually learns how to read and they're history which is where we are left with him talking to Frankenstein in the 14th chapter. Throughout the book so far it seems to me that the monster was brought into the world full of innocence like a new-born child but then as he is thrust into the real world by his malevolent father he becomes a revenge seeking murderer.
ReplyDeleteThrough tireless hours of research through my archives I found that romanticism was an artistic and intellectual movement in the late 18th century. One example of romantics compared to enlightenment thinkers that I enjoy is, if a romantic and an enlightenment thinker both looked at a sunset the thinker would talk about the gravity and science of astronomy, while the romantic would simply appreciate the beauty of God's work. One example of romanticism in this story would be when Frankenstein describes the beauty of Elizabeth and his love for her. another example would be Frankenstein's description of his view from the top of the glacier as he describes the "awful majesty", and says "My heart, which was sorrowful, now swelled with something like joy."(80)
Foster said that rain is symbolic of fertility and life so I think that this is why it was raining on the night of the monster's birth into the world. Victor also decides to travel to the summit of Montanvert on a rainy day because he is feeling depressed, another symbol of rain according to Foster. Snow is also symbolic of inhumaneness, nothingness, and death. Therefore I believe that it is no coincidence that Frankenstein is chased down by the monster that represents all of the afore mentioned traits on a snowy mountain.
So for my character I am going to analyze Victor Frankenstien. Now in the beginning it is clear that he is a happy person. For the first two chapters he explains his childhood in great detail. He is brought up in a happy home void of anger and he even says "No human being could have passed a happier childhood than myself. My parents were possessed by the very spirit of kindness and indulgence". His younger years were so comfortable that even the death of his mother only provided to be a small speed bump. It is when he goes off to school that he changes. After several years he masters his study and creates the monster. Just the meer sight of the creature causes him to temporarily lose his sanity. But with the help of his friend he gets better and is himself again. It is the death of his younger brother and justine that truly changes him, especially when he thinks it was his monster that performed the act. He becomes a broken and empty person.
ReplyDeleteSo unlike everybody else I'm going to talk about the structure of the book. I think it is interesting how it is set up. I'm not sure if everyone else read the letters at the beginning of the book but I did. And in those they follow another character who is on a boat trapped in glaciers and meets victor when he saves him from the cold. It is then that the real story begins and the sickly and imaciated Frankenstien begins telling his story. And also the real chain of events is alot different from any other version you ever hear, I was surprised at how quickly the monsster was actually created, and that the story mainly focuses on the time after he's created.
And lastly I want to apply justine to Fosters chapter about christ like figures. She was innocent of a crime she didn't commit and yet she died for it anyway. But more than that she sacrificed herself so that someone else could live, she did this unknowingly, but she did it all the same. And on a side note victor is kind of like a judas figure in a way as well he had no intention of hurting anybody like judas, but he did what he did out of selfishness and when he saw the repercussions of his actions he regretted themand even talk about killing hisself, which is also similar to judas.
The Frankenstein monster is the character that develops the most significantly throughout the text. At first the reader is exposed to an evil, repulsive creation that has no conscience and no knowledge of how life was given to him and his wretched form. Victor graphically describes the monster in such a disgusted connotation that the initial impression of the monster is that of sheer terror. Victor describes how the muscles and arteries contracted and move under the shallow layer of yellowing skin and how his lustrous black hair and pearly white teeth only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, shriveled complexion and straight black lips. Two years after the event the monster’s wicked character is reinforced again by the possibility that he is the one responsible for the murder of the innocent William and ultimately guilty for the death of Justine. Although in the next few chapters a brand new picture is painted of the Frankenstein monster when he confronts victor for the first time since his creation. Instead of dashing straight for Victor and tearing him limb from limb as would be expected from the hideous monster that he has been made out to be the monster beseeches his master to hear his story and invites him only to listen as he pleads his case. As the monster tells his story his character becomes deeper than that of a blood thirsty fiend to a being in a world where he is utterly alone desperately seeking to gain understanding and acceptance in his new surroundings. The monster’s tale shows a gentler side to his character, he scavenges off the land never taking more than he needed and only eating the vegetation of the land not killing to satisfy his hunger as a wretch of his reputation would be anticipated to do. When the monster encounters the cottage of Felix, De Lacey, and Agatha his character expands exponentially. The monster first reveals how timid he is when he observes the cottagers without showing his face for many months. The monster shows his love and adoration for the family as he gathers fire wood and clears a path through the snow every night so the toils of living would not ride as hard on the backs of the cottagers. Yet again the monster shows another attribute of his developing character as he thirst and hungers for knowledge of the world around him and to learn the vernacular of his fellow beings by listening to the reading of Felix. I believe that this is just the beginning of a very dynamic character whose persona will become even more developed as the novel continues.
ReplyDeleteThe book is written in the first person point of view but it is written as if the reader was one of Victor Frankenstein’s close friends and victor is himself sitting down by some proverbial fire place explaining the terrible misfortunes of his wretched life directly to the reader. The first person point of view of the insane Victor Frankenstein in this novel gives the story the same effect as maybe a rollercoaster ride in the dark. Mary Shelly describes Victor as one who seems to believe that he is destined for something to go wrong although he doesn’t know what it is or how it’s going to happen he is constantly anxious. Just like a roller coaster in the dark the reader is sitting on edge knowing that at some point the story will free fall without them being aware and with the turns of the story there will always be misfortune for poor Victor. Mary Shelly also fills Victors mind with all different thoughts, action, and hard decisions that he must make yet he stores up all these scenarios in his mind hoping that maybe they won’t come to pass. Just like a roller coaster in the dark the reader know the story is going to turn in some direction and it’s most likely going to be fast and violent whether it be up, down, or a loop and the best thing is the reader is never going to see it coming because the novel’s in first person and the reader along with Victor is in the dark. These writing styles and structure of the novel give an adrenaline factor to the book and since I don’t think they had roller coasters in Mary Shelley time I guess people got their rush from extreme sheep herding and reading Mary Shelley’s novels.
ReplyDeleteThe Seasons play a major role in Mary Shelley’s masterpiece. I relate the ideas of Foster in How to Read Literature like a Professor, Chapter 20 ...So Does Season. In Victor Frankenstein’s younger days the seasons are always described as being warm and beautiful representing his care free frivolous childhood of joy and happiness. The season changes to the cold bitter month of November when Victor creates his vicious monster and it seems as if Victor is cold as death at the sight of his creation just like the season of the winter. The Frankenstein monster also had his run ins with the changing seasons. He was created in November which is right before the dead of winter so it is almost as if he was born into death which makes since, since it was the death of others that gave him life. Another occurrence of the symbolic seasons comes in the monsters story of the cottagers. Felix who seemed to always be down and bear the most shame out of all the company is extremely discouraged in the winter time when the monster first observes him but with the coming of spring and new life comes his love, Safie, and it is as if all his cares and burdens seem to melt away with the passing snow and a new life is energized inside him giving him new strength to face the toils of the rest of his days.
ReplyDeleteThe character that I chose to analyze is Victor Frankenstein because I believe he develops the most over the text. Victor had a good childhood saying, “No human could have passed a happier childhood than myself.” (33) He becomes obsessed with the ideas of alchemy and natural science and travels to Ingolstadt to further his studies. He believes he is happy here, until his obsession turns to the darkness of science. He sickens himself while creating his creature. He grows pale and isolates himself from his family. After finishing the creation of the monster and bringing him to life, Victor describes his feelings by saying, “For this I had deprived myself of health and rest. I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart.” (51) After the failure of his creation, Victor is stricken with grief by the loss of his younger brother, William. He returns home, but must remain strong for his sister Emily. He often goes on the water to reflect on himself and the events on his life during this hard time. He meets up with his creation and learns how the monster survived after Victor left him. Victor believes that the monster killed his brother as an act of revenge against him.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Masterworks of British Literature, Romanticism is an intellectual orientation characterizing many works of literature, music, painting, architecture, criticism, and historical work from the late 1700s into the mid 1800s. It is a rejection of the premises of reason, calm, order, rationality and general / abstract thought that epitomized the neoclassicism (or Age of Reason) of the 1700s. Romanticism, consequently, values subjectivity, individuality, irrationality, the Imagination, the personal, the emotional, the visionary, the spontaneous and the transcendental. While reading Frankenstein, I immediately thought of what a vivid imagination Mary Shelley must have had. There aren’t many novels that bring life to a lifeless form, much less have the character rob graves for the parts to make the body. Shelley also shows the power of nature in the novel. Victor, the main character, goes against nature by creating life. His plan backfires, however, and the beautiful man that he believed to have created, turned into a monster.
In chapter 21, Foster talks about characters being marked for greatness. One point he makes in this chapter is that physical imperfections mirror psychological or emotional imperfections. In Frankenstein, the monster has many physical imperfections. Victor describes his monster by saying, “His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun-white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips.” (51) These physical imperfections mirror the emotional damage that the monster must face. In the novel, he deals with being abandoned by his creator and shunned by the rest of society. This pain and the monster’s need for revenge helps to develop the theme of revenge in the novel.
Do it for the Kids
ReplyDeleteThe character who caught my eye was Caroline, simply because she reminded me of my mother. On page 28, Shelley writes, “But Caroline Beaufort possessed a mind of uncommon mould; and her courage rose to support her in her adversity.” She put everything she had into trying to help her dad get better and supporting their necessities of life. Only to “earn a pittance scarcely sufficient to support life.” However, two years later her savior came (this part, not so much my mother) and she married him. He, unlike Caroline, had sufficient funds to support them both. Even though she was now “set” and didn’t have to worry about anything. She remained humble. On page 29, it says “Their benevolent disposition often made them enter the cottages of the poor. This, to my mother, was more than a duty; it was a necessity, a passion –remembering what she had suffered, and how she had been relieved – for her to act in her turn the guardian angel to the afflicted.” Caroline went from being afflicted herself, to relieved, to a guardian angel of the afflicted.
ReplyDeleteAccording to brighthub, romantics recognized the “Beauty of the Supernatural: British Romantics believed something existed beyond the physical world. The Spirit world, according to Romantics, had unleashed its power and inspiration to overthrow tyranny in government and in literature.” And “The Importance of Nature: The poet, according to the Romantics, is only at peace when in nature; moreover, while in nature, the poet intervened with the great Universal Mind. Romantic poets made frequent use of personification with nature, ascribing human traits to daffodils, fields, streams, and lakes. Nature, in essence, became emotionally expressive.” In letter three, Shelley writes “Thus far I have gone, tracing a secure way , over the pathless sea: the very stars themselves being witnesses and testimonies of my triumphs.” In this quote, shelley embraces both of these qualities listed above. The stars were personified by saying they were witnesses and victor found peace while on the sea under the stars.
In Fosters chapter 14, “Yes, She’s a Christ Figure , Too,” he states that “Christ Figures” are self-sacrificing and in agony. Caroline was both. Self sacrificing because first, she supported her and her dad with the little resources she had when he fell sick and second because she risked her life to help her daughter who, later, fell sick as well. And thirdly because she was in agony in both situations, people she loved were hurting and she couldn’t make it better.
I have a few posts to add from those who have emailed me, but I will go ahead and comment on what I have read here. There are several things that impress me about your posts this week.
ReplyDelete1) Textual support - you have done an excellent job using quotes from the text to support your analysis of characters. Get used to this; on the AP exam you have to reference the text in your essays to excel.
2) Understanding and identification of Romantic principles - I know that you studied American Romanticism which was of course derived from the Brits, and you all pulled a variety of elements from the principles of this genre and applied them to the book effectively. Nice!
3) Application of Foster ideas - Excellent job here. You all kind of went your own way with this and came up with some unusual and thoughtful examples (rain, Christ figures, seasons, quest, etc)
At last count, there were 37 students signed up for this class and there are not nearly that many of you on the blog, but those who are posting are doing an excellent job and I'm really excited to have you in class this year. Thanks for your hard work.
Caitlyn said....
ReplyDeleteVictor Frankenstein is a character that I thought would never change. Why? His views on natural science from the beginning of the novel were so strong that I felt like he would stick to such beliefs. However, when he meets his two new professors, one whom is criticizing of him and one who is calmly open minded, he devotes himself to learning their ways/beliefs by agreeing to study their recommended authors. By doing this, Victor became more and more self absorbed, eager to achieve the "success" he had implanted in his mind. As the monster Victor created continued to affect his life, it was soon to affect his family's life, also. Just when he thought his life was back to "normal," the death of William brought it all back to a downfall. A line on page 58 stood out to me and supports my previous statement. It says, "...and I foresaw obscurely that I was destined to become the most wretched of human beings." Although he intended on expanding his knowledge for the better, his little thought towards the consequences of his actions was soon to control his life. Due to the time period, Victor's dialect, along with the dialect of other characters, is always grammatically correct and sometimes drawn out. The reader always gets every detail of every moment whether it be about the surroundings of the characters or Victor's inner emotions and thoughts. This affects the plot because every detail is brought to attention through the text. The chapters don't vary in length, although they tend to be a little long(in my opinion). However, each chapter brings forth some sort of closing to the "subject(s)" being addressed within that chapter.I too thought of the quest Foster mentions within the first chapter of his book. I feel that this is the perfect example of a character embarking on a journey which they think is for one reason, but ends up being for a totally different reason. Victor chooses to go away for school with the intentions of expanding his knowledge on his current beliefs, yet he ends up taking the advice of new professors causing him to become completely wrapped up in building a monster. However, I feel that this example is also somewhat different because Victor returned home after some six long years...I don't know that every single "quest" ends back where it began.--
Tanae said...
ReplyDeleteThis book is definately harder than what I expected!! I had to re-read a few chapters just to get a little more clarification!! But I believe I understand. I've never seen the movie but the book isn't that bad. It isn't the best thing ever... But not bad.
The character I decided to focus on is Victor Frankenstein. He's the narrator and the reason behind the creation of the monster Frankenstein. The story starts off talking about Victor's background. He's a little boy that is interested in science, heavily. He begins his studies in Ingolstadt where he becomes so wrapped up an involved in learning that he manages to cut his family off completely. He's very anti-social and stays in his little apartment majority of the time. He meets a beautiful, young girl named Elizabeth and he rants and raves about her throughout the novel. Elizabeth is adored by Victor's mama and he seems to fall in love with her the moment he laid eyes on her. But he becomes obsessed with both life and death. He invents this hidious monster which he names Frankenstein. He starts to have regrets about his creation because of the way he looks and the effect he has on others. What really triggered his anger though is when he found out his brother, William, had been murdered. Justine is the one that is falsely accused and put to death. That's when Victor starts to regret the monster he has created.
I've decided I'll talk about the structure since everyone talked about British Romanticism and I've already jumped on the Victor bandwagon. The structure is what makes the story difficult I believe. The way the characters talk is also an addition to the difficulty. For example, Victor writes, "I wrote, and this exertion greatly fatigued me; but my convalescence had commenced, and proceeded regularly. (60)" Like, nobody talks like that!!! hahaha! Fatigued me?? Really?? hahaha! Why can't he just say made me tired?!?!?!? But it adds meaning to the novel on how well educated Victor really is. He uses big words in comfusing statements. Also the novel is very wordy... very detailed I guess is a better way to put it. And everything just seems to jump around. Each chapter doesn't start where the last left off. Doesn't work that way. We, as readers, just have to be challenged!!
I would like to compare the "Quest Chapter" to Frankenstein. The quest is Victor starting off as a child and growing on his own. With him studying in Ingolstadt and creating Victor. Because of his childhood is the reason why the monster is how he is. Victor was so obsessed with perfecting the creation that he ends up creating a horrible, unattractive thing that nobody wants to be around. His dreams became reality and he couldn't handle it at all.
Justin said...
ReplyDeleteI want to start off by saying that this book is nothing like I expected it to be. Although I’ve never seen the actual Frankenstein movies, I just didn’t think the book would be about a man who created a monster, just for him to run away from it. So I have to admit this book is not as exciting as I was hoping for. It is also a lot more challenging to read in my opinion.
I chose to do the characterization part on Victor Frankenstein. He is quite a bizarre character in my opinion and he is a very moody character throughout the first half of the book. In the beginning of the book, Frankenstein is probably one of the happiest boys on the planet. He seems like he has an absolute love and passion for learning and nature. He is raised by what he considers terrific parents. Victor also seems overjoyed when Elizabeth becomes part of his family. He loves and cherishes her like no other. Overall, Victor just seems like he has a good heart and a level headed mind. Victor knows how much potential he possesses and seems to be very happy. As the novel progresses however, we see a complete twist on Frankensteins’ behavior. He becomes more involved with studying life and death. Victor pursues trying to animate inanimate objects, or bring something to life basically. He forgets all about his family that he loves so dearly and he becomes obsessed with his creation. It somewhat reminded me of Roger from The Scarlet Letter, since Roger was SO focused on one thing, it completely changed who he was. We can see the same thing happening with Victor Frankenstein here. So we have his happy stage of life, his (what I would call) obsessed, psychotic stage of life, and then we have his tremendously fearful, regretful stage of life. Once he creates his monster, he becomes utterly terrified by it and runs away. He starts wishing he had never created such a monster. Victor becomes very unpredictable and helpless. He starts moping around his home and doesn’t reply to any of the letters from his family, until he gets word that William had been murdered. This threw him into more regret, because he knew that the monster he created was responsible for Williams’ death. And he also felt guilty because Justine died because she was wrongfully accused of being Williams’ murderer.
Justin also said...
ReplyDeleteFor the second part of my post, I decided to be the first one to post on the structure of the story. I may not be completely correct in this section, but I’m going to try my best and explain how I understand it. I think this novel is written very strange. Mary Shelly uses extremely, and I do mean extremely, long sentences all throughout the novel. Her sentences are also written using elaborate wording and phrases that make it, to me, hard to comprehend. I wasn’t sure when I first started this book, but after reading a few chapters and seeing how she wrote, I could tell that this book wasn’t written in very modern times. The wording of the novel seems very proper. I also noticed that the book seems to be written in past tense. Frankenstein is telling us the story as if it has already happened, and he is recalling all of the events throughout the book. I think overall, the structure of the book helps readers feel how Victor feels and put our minds in the correct time frame.
I chose to use Foster’s ideas from his chapter on water and baptism. In chapter 9 in Frankenstein, specifically page 93, we see Victor acting very strange. He is somewhat calm now that he is on the waters just drifting peacefully. But in the short section on this page, Victor states “I was tempted to plunge into the silent lake, that the waters might close over me and my calamities for ever”. As soon as I read this, I thought of Fosters chapter with baptism and rebirth. I saw this part of the book as Victors almost rebirth. He went to the lake for a place of serenity and peacefulness. The water could have the power to change him. When Victor mentioned jumping into the lake, of course he meant taking his own life, but even in that truth, the water would still have been an escape hatchet for him. He believed the water could take away all his worries, pain, and suffering. I think this correlates to Foster chapter on baptism in some aspects. Victor saw the water as a way to change things, get away from everything and be new.
Erica said...
ReplyDeleteAlmost all the characters in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein have changed in some way, i think the most significant change took place in Victor. Victor seemed to alway be a curious child and teenager. He always read things that seemed to other people, to be a waste of time. When one man, M. Waldman, inspired Victor to become a true scientist, his attitude went from curious, to obbsessed. Victor never gave up hope, and worked constantly to improve and widen his knowledge of science. When he started making his creature, it was more important to him than his own health. He sacrificed the things he loved, like family, friends, and his favorite season. He worked constantly, and never gave up hope. As the creature came to life, his whole attitude changed. He saw it as an ugly thing that he never wanted to see again. He then worked hard to reconnect with his family and mend relationships. Victor began to realize how much time he had lost on this man, and how valuable that time could have been. He could not believe he had made a monster that, supposedly took away people of his own family. After this, he had a change deep within himself; this change showed him how important his home and family were to him. After the death of both Justine and William, Victor says, "Thus not the tenderness of friendship, nor the beauty of earth, nor of heaven, could redeem my soul from woe.." Yes, Victor was upset, but he was forever a changed man. Elizabeth also changed after the death of those two. Victor describes her mood, "..She no longer took delight in her ordinary occupations; all pleasure seemed to her sacrilege toward the dead; eternal woe and tears she then thought was the just tribute she should pay to innocence so blasted and destroyed. She was no longer that happy creature who in earlier youth wandered with me on the banks of the lake and talked with ecstasy of our future prospects." Many people changed, but Victor, by far, did the most changing because of the battle with himself.
Erica also said...
ReplyDeleteBritish romanticism started in an era where writers went from scientific and realistic writing, to more emotional and imaginary writing. The romantics, like Mary Shelley, focused more on nature, feelings, and imagination. in the first few chapters of Frankenstein, there are several examples of romanticism. In chapter one, Victor describes his deep, concerning love for his new sibling, Elizabeth. On page 21, Victor says, "No word, no expression could body forth the kind of relation in which she stood to me-my more than sister, since till death she was to be mine." This shows how serious his feelings were and how real they were to him. In chapter two, Victor describes the scenery around his home and how he and Elizabeth felt about them. Victor says on page 22, "She busied herself with following the aerial creations of the poets; and in the majestic and wondrous scenes which surrounded our Swiss home-the sublime shapes of the mountains, the changes of the seasons, tempeswt and calm, and the silence of winter, and the life and turbulence of our Alpine summers-she found ample scope for admiration and delight." Victor also says, "the world was to me a secret which i desirede to divine. Curiosity, earnest researcto learn the hidden laws of nature, gladness akin to rapture..." Nature was obviously an interest to the characters this book because, not only are they fascinated and want to learn more, but they find comfort in it.
In chapter 10, when Victor and Frankenstein are brought together, immediately i see a relation to the bible, and Foster's chapter about the bible (chapter 7). Frankenstein begs Victor to show him love and sympathy. He does not understand why his creator would feel so much hate towards him, and wish him dead. He feels that Victor, of all people, should love him and not forget about him, since, afterall, Victor is his creator. This seems a lot like Jesus, when He was on the cross, begging God to not forsake him. God was all he had, and they only one that understood his pain. Although, in no way do the characters resemble God and Jesus, the situations still favor eachother. Victor is considered God, while Frankenstein is Jesus. This is significant to the theme because Victor finally begans to understand how his creature feels, and agrees to give him a chance to tell his story. It shows that everyone deserves a chance at love and friendship, and this occurrence is the start of theirs.
P.S. - one more thing: I also like how you are connecting what you are reading to your own personal experiences and to things you've read before. That is evidence of critical thinking, when you can make connections like that. YAY!
ReplyDeleteAnd will you please explain this "do it for the kids" thing, Moose? I don't like to feel left out of what is clearly an inside reference.
Oh, is anyone else going to see Harry Potter this week? I am SUPER excited to see it!
I was reading through some post and saw yours at the end Mrs. Hollifield. Me and my friend Morgan are going to the midnight premier of Harry Potter actually! I'm so excited for it, but sad that it's finally at its end.
ReplyDeleteI'm going as well! :) Mutual feelings Justin, I just might cry! lol
ReplyDeleteWell I will see y'all there! Actually I don't know what you look like so if you see me there, be sure to say hello! My son is coming with me. I know what you mean about mixed feelings. I don't think I've ever been so invested in a character or a series like this before.
ReplyDeleteDalton and I are going too! I don't want the series to end.
ReplyDeleteSee you there! My son wants to dress as Harry, so we're trying to scrape together a costume for him right now! How funny is that?
ReplyDelete