Friday 56 29 July 2016
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Welcome once again to my Friday 56 post AND Book Beginnings. Each week, bloggers are asked to quote the first few lines of the book and turn
Normally, I don’t read fiction. However, my child-bride Suzanne and I are sort of on a quest to read all those old classic books we wish we had read years ago.
So far, we have read War and Peace and Dracula. We take our time with these. I read from the Kindle reader whenever we are someplace where we really cannot do anything else. It took us several years to read War and Peace.
We don’t read from these books that often, so our progress is really slow. If we find ourselves stuck in traffic or waiting on an appointment or something, I will fire up the old Kindle and read, usually only a part of a chapter at a time.
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| Book Beginnings |
To Mrs. Saville, England St. Petersburgh, Dec. 11th, 17—. You will rejoice to hear that no disaster has accompanied the commencement of an enterprise which you have regarded with such evil forebodings. I arrived here yesterday; and my first task is to assure my dear sister of my welfare, and increasing confidence in the success of my undertaking.
Readers soon learn that they are reading a letter that was written by a sea captain to his sister. He is retelling a tale as told to him by a person his crew fished out of the water.
If we flip over to 56%, we hear a part of the story as retold by Frankenstein’s creature to Dr. Frankenstein who, as you may recall, has then told to the sea captain, who is then writing it in a letter to his sister.
“At that instant the cottage door was opened, and Felix, Safie, and Agatha entered. Who can describe their horror and consternation on beholding me? Agatha fainted; and Safie, unable to attend to her friend, rushed out of the cottage. Felix darted forward, and with supernatural force tore me from his father, to whose knees I clung: in a transport of fury, he dashed me to the ground, and struck me violently with a stick. I could have torn him limb from limb, as the lion rends the antelope. But my heart sunk within me as with bitter sickness, and I refrained. I saw him on the point of repeating his blow, when, overcome by pain and anguish, I quitted the cottage, and in the general tumult escaped unperceived to my hovel.”
Here the creature is telling Dr. Frankenstein about how he hid in a hovel where he could see into a house and watch the family. The whole story is very interesting.
I had to read this book as part of an undergraduate course in British Literature way back in the early 1980s at the University of South Carolina.
All the movies seem to portray the creature as a monster. However, it is simply that this poor creation is looking desperately for love.
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Please Visit My Child-Bride Suzanne.
Other posts you may like:
http://bevbouwer.blogspot.co.
https://worthgettinginbedfor.
http://inside-dog.blogspot.
https://coffeeandcatsblog.
http://marelithalkink.
http://fuonlyknew.com/2016/07/
http://never-anyone-else.
https://worthgettinginbedfor.
http://marelithalkink.
http://fuonlyknew.com/2016/07/
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It's been so long since I've read some of these classics that I've forgotten more than I remember. I wish I had time to go back and read them again. Perhaps I should make that one of my challenges:)
ReplyDeleteMy Friday 56 from Candidate For Murder
Suzanne had to read some of the classics in high school, I did not have to read any of them. I had to read Frankenstein in college and enjoyed it. We are slow on doing this because we have to find time when neither of us is doing anything.
DeleteThis is one of my favorites! I wish the movie adaptations would do the story justice.
ReplyDeleteCheck out my Friday 56 (With Book Beginnings).
It is sad that we only see bad renditions of the classics. If a kid were to watch a movie of Frankenstein or Dracula and then write a book report on it, he would fail. The teacher would know he did not read the book.
DeleteI missed a lot of those "classic" books in my reading life too. I admire your determination to catch up. My book this week is A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteThanks. We took a long time to read War and Peace. Actually the movie, Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation inspired the reading. We enjoy reading together, but sometimes there is so much time between reading sessions that we forget what we have already read.
DeleteI've also made it my mission to read more of the classics. BUT I do find listening to them as audio books so much easier. Librivox have all the classics and it's free! The reading for Dracula was quite good and all the P.G. Wodehouse readings are excellent. I'm currently listening to Jane Eyre and enjoy it a lot! Here's my Friday Meets: http://marelithalkink.blogspot.co.za/2016/07/friday-meets-end-of-month-salticrax.html
ReplyDeleteI have a problem understanding when someone says something. I have to see the actual written word before it sinks in. However, we have enjoyed Zig Ziglar reading his books. They seem to stick well in our brains.
DeleteI must read this! Your feature has made me put it up on my list. Happy Reading!
ReplyDeleteYou can get almost all the classics free on Kindle and free from the Gutenberg project.
DeleteFrankenstein is such an interesting novel for so many reasons. The monster is misunderstood by everyone, Up to and including his creator.
ReplyDeleteHere is my Friday 56: https://coffeeandcatsblog.wordpress.com/2016/07/29/the-friday-56-7/
I actually think this can be a metaphor for how we see society today. We see things the way we see them and not from the viewpoint of others. Sometimes if we see things from another point of view, we will not judge the other person the way we did.
DeleteLovely post! Great book, that I need to get to at some point. Thanks for visiting my blog.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome. It seems that we miss a lot when we miss the classics.Thank you for stopping by.
DeleteA fantastic read!! Happy weekend!
ReplyDeleteI missed a lot when I missed the classics. It is interesting. You have a great weekend, too. Thanks for stopping by.
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