Reaching the end of Frankenstein made me feel more accomplished than I ever have from simply finishing a story. It took me a couple chapters before I really fell into the groove of Shelley’s writing style, particularly the vocabulary from such a long time ago. Yet once I was able to get absorbed in the story, it was so different from anything I’ve read, and I’ve since lost the anxiety for reading “classics”. Therefore, I wanted to stick with the time, and chose to read the criticism written by Shelley’s husband Percy Bysshe Shelley in 1817.
http://www.carondelet.pvt.k12.ca.us/frankenstein/MaryShelley/Second%20Page%20%28mary%20Shelly%29.htm
He is immediately enthusiastic about it. He explains the wonder (not to be confused with discrimination) that Shelley has created in the people that know her. They now wonder what could possibly have been going through her brain to come up with such unusual characters and grotesque situations when writing Frankenstein. Though unusual, he claims that the moral of the story is strongly based on simple human emotions, and a good understanding of these emotions will allow the reader to be deeply effected by the tale. He ends with declaring a doubt that any reader has ever read anything as powerful or more creative than Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
I’ve been curious about what Percy would say, considering many critics have claimed that he must have helped her considerably. After reading this I do not think that he helped her much at all. It’s as if he’s saying that he wrongly underestimated her, and hopes that no one else will make his mistake. I loved Frankenstein, and I couldn’t agree more. Shelley, as a woman, was ahead of her time. Her ability to capture readers with such literary creativity exceeds that of her fellow scholars. I will definitely be using quotes from this piece for essay #3. I don’t have the language to explain Shelley’s achievements as beautifully as Percy did!
So here is a link for ten ways to improve my vocabulary. Technically, that's the only difference right?
Hi Nikki,
ReplyDeleteI like how you made that entry somewhat personal when you talked about getting over your fear of reading classics. I understand what you are talking about and glad you feel good about reading them now. I had to read Frankenstein my senior year of high school and it took me a while to understand the way she writes, but after a few times re-reading somethings helped me get faster and reading and understanding her work. You talk about how the book is about human emotion and the roller-coaster ride they can take you on. Shelley creates such horrid creatures to make your senses and emotions mix with adds deeper effects to the horror and relationship in the book. Good job Nikki!