Friday, December 3, 2010

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

In a previous post, I was at a turning point in the story. The monster begins telling the scientist who created him what his experiences of life have been thus far. It is a very emotional account and comprises most of Volume II.

Volume II - Chapter 7

One night the monster finds a "portmanteau", a type of suitcase, and in it are three books which he takes back to his "hovel" to read:
"The possession of these treasures gave me extreme delight; I now continually studied and exercised my mind upon these histories, whilst my friends were employed in their ordinary occupations."
He goes on to describe the effect each book had on him. One book taught him "despondency and gloom" and made him question his own existence, another "high thoughts" of virtue and vice as recorded in the biographies of "the first founders of the ancient republics" and the third, "wonder and awe" which caused him to reflect on his painful circumstances.

Yes, "Frankenstein" is a horror story, but it is also remarkable in its philosophical views.

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Books Read 2012

1. Half-Blood Blues/Esi Edugyan(18/01/12) A gripping and heart wrenching story.

Books Read 2011

1. A Study in Scarlet /Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (04/01/11) - a Sherlock Holmes detective mystery set in London & Utah, 19th century.
2. Light Lifting/Alexander MacLeod (06/01/11) - seven wonderful stories.
3. Nature Girl/Carl Hiaasen (25/01/11) - a humorous tale set mainly in Florida.
4. Ines of My Soul/Isabel Allende (04/02/11) - 16th century South America.
5. The Sentimentalists/Johanna Skibsrud (08/02/11)
6. The Gardens of Kyoto/Kate Walbert (22/02/11)
7. The Razor's Edge/W. Somerset Maugham (13/04/11) - first person narrative.
8. Friends, Lovers, Chocolate/Alexander McCall Smith (18/04/11) - mystery featuring Isabel Dalhousie, 2nd book in a series.
9. What I Didn't See:Stories/Karen Joy Fowler (29/04/11) - I enjoyed these unusual stories.
10. The Uncommon Reader/Alan Bennett(07/05/11) - very entertaining.
11. The End of the Affair/Graham Greene(16/05/11)
12. The Hours/Michael Cunningham(30/05/11)
13. A Midsummer Night's Dream/William Shakespeare (08/06/11) - The New Folger Library edition, annotated. Great comedy.
14. Angel Wing Splash Pattern/Richard Van Camp (02/07/11) - 5th Annual Canadian Book Challenge
15. You Went Away/Timothy Findley (03/07/11) - 5th Annual Canadian Book Challenge
16. Fierce/Hannah Holborn (15/07/11) - 5th Annual Canadian Book Challenge
17. a Song for Nettie Johnson/Gloria Sawai (29/07/11) - 5th Annual Canadian Book Challenge
18. Taft/Ann Patchett (15/12/11)
19. A Wrinkle in Time/Madeleine L'Engle (31/12/11)