"...and if my incantations were always unsuccessful, I attributed the failure rather to my own inexperience and mistake, than to a want of skill or fidelity in my instructors. An thus for a time I was occupied by exploded systems, mingling, like and unadept, a thousand contradictory theories, and floundering desperately in a very slough of multifarious knowledge, guided by an ardent imagination and childish reasoning, till an accident again changed the current of my ideas."I'm not sure if these words were more common when the novel was published, but it was tough for me to read.
The author then moves on to convey the awe the narrator has in seeing a tree destroyed by lightning. This sense of awe moves smoothly into the short passage about his guardian angel sending him ideas. However, the last sentence of chapter 2 is very dark and Gothic, changing moods dramatically: “It was a strong effort of the spirit of good; but it was ineffectual. Destiny was too potent, and her immutable laws had decreed my utter and terrible destruction.” This sentence just screams 'Gothic novel!' I just can’t wait to find out what terrible path Destiny has chosen for our main character. I like the personification of destiny, also.
I've noticed that the author is very good at conveying feelings. In most of the modern books I've read, it's written simply: "I was so pissed at ...... because ..... ," but Mary Shelley takes a different approach. Did you notice that she didn't state feelings, but created them with her writing? It almost has the feel of poetry. Do you agree?
I changed my settings so there is a pop-up for comments. I thought this would be easier than the other way I had it, so you can see my post and comment. I'm sorry the box won't show up under my posts! I can't figure it out! Please let me know if this way is worse. Thanks!
3 comments:
I also noticed Ms. Shelley's method of conveying feelings in her writing. I do agree that it is very effective; I had not considered it to be like poetry but now that you mention that I do not know how I missed it.
I liked the part where she was writing about doctor's failed experiments. To me they seemed to echo her introduction where she was talking about how many times she had tried to create a story and got nowhere with it. It's almost as though she were channeling her own frustrations when writing this section.
I also loved how Shelley conveyed feelings! One of my high school English teachers once told us that the best authors don't tell us what the characters feel, they make us understand what the character feels. That's how I felt while reading Frankenstein: it was so easy to recognize and understand Victor's maddening and consuming obsession with his creation, his horror when it came alive, and his attempt to forget about his monster by studying different languages.
I'm so glad you're talking nice about Frankenstein... I cannot stop thinking about that novel and it's been last semester since I read it!
Also, as a side note, I don't like the little word verification contraption... it makes me feel like a robot when I get it wrong.
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