Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Revision: Frankenstein

So my very first post was more of a rant than anything significant to the novel. Here's a revision of Frankenstein.

Frankenstein was a great book exploring the ideas of monstrosity, creation, and feminine things in a male dominated environment. Possibly influenced by Mary Shelley's own events in her life.

Mary Shelly emphasizes the achievement of knowledge that should not be known, which results in terrible consequences. He always obsesses over forbidden arts and books no one reads, with an almost childlike curiosity, enthusiasm, and passion; albeit it is a blind and isolated search. The motif of light and fire never took on such a literal form like in the movie, it still influence young Frankenstein to pursue this knowledge that controls these things. Driven by this burning passion he is burned, as well as everyone around him. In her time, new things were being discovered, people started looking more toward science, and scientific fact than religion.

I believe she addresses child birth, abortion all from a man's perspective to revaluate her own views on what's going on in her life at the time. It is also a different way to view creation from a new perspective, where it seems godly and wrong to happen in such hands. Where he goes against nature, and God to become and create something more, something in his eyes that are perfect.

So apparently the Frankenstein monster was a vegetarian, living off of acorns and berries when he lived in the wild, alone. Which makes me happy and sad. Happy that it was mentioned in the book because I am a vegetarian. But sad that the only vegetarian was an isolated monstrosity. I know that that is not everything to it. It just gives a strange message. So apparently Shelley was interested in the Romantic vegetarian movement, and integrated it into the novel. I just wish the monster didn't kill, and went against his vegetarian beliefs for Frankenstein. Even though it's his creator. Seems somewhat sacrificial to me.

Also, this book has taught me to constantly have people critique my work, rather than intensely obsesses about it and not realize what is going on. Otherwise it would just end up hideous or not what I intended it to be.

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