Public reader discussion about Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus in the WeRead Catalog by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.
By distantFalcon79000
I’ve been seeing a ton of talk about Mary and her husband and, honestly, I kind of think he may have written it and she just got the credit. I know some people feel that way, and others think she wrote it herself, so I’m not sure what to believe. I’d really just like to hear what most people think in general. Sorry if I messed up posting this—still figuring the whole thing out.
By BBowl178
I’m really interested in picking this up, but I’m not sure which edition to go with. Are there any major differences between the two? What one do you like better, and which do you think I should buy?
By Bear-Warm7833
Our pick for January was Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is basically about Victor Frankenstein, this weird scientist guy, who makes a horrible creature in a kind of out-there experiment. (Quick confession: I never actually got to reading Frankenstein this month myself. And it’s probably been more than ten years since the last time I read it too. I’m borrowing the discussion questions from a bunch of different sites.) Discussion questions: - Did you DNF it? If so, why? - What did you think of the last showdown between Frankenstein and his monster? - What do the letters and all the written stuff do in the novel? - Dreams and nightmares keep coming up a lot — did they help the themes or kind of take away from them? - Is Frankenstein the one being wronged, or is he actually the monster? - In the book the Monster speaks really well, but most movies make him more like a grunting, barely speaking creature. Why do you think that is? - Anything else you want to talk about! Thanks for taking part this month!
By counts_button1976
I’m reading the 1831 intro and preface too, if people want to do that one. The bit about her being young and writing, plus her parents and her husband pushing her to keep at it, was interesting to me. Also kind of wild that German ghost stories were the spark, and then the dare to write their own stories is what led her to come up with this one. I’m not totally sure what to make of the way she says she got the idea and how it affected her, but it’s definitely interesting. Anything else people noticed? Looking forward to starting with Letter I tomorrow. Also good to know about the two flairs and that the 1831 version is what’s being used, since it adds more to chapter one and makes it one chapter longer than 1818.
By marginLynx1991
Okay, hear me out: I have to read this book for a summer assignment in my AP Lit class, and at first I honestly thought the writing was kind of boring and that I had to force myself through it. But now I’m starting to see how good it is, especially with the whole Frankenstein vs. the Creation conflict. Just wanted to say that.
By espressowonder2006
Do you know which edition this is? The 1818 one or the 1831 one?
By CloudCloudy84
Here’s the last discussion thread for the October pick, Frankenstein; Or the Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. We’re talking about the whole novel here, so anything goes. I got reminded this week that r/ClassicBookClub went through Frankenstein not too long ago too, and some of the questions here are based on what they talked about. If you liked this one and want even more thoughts on it, or just want to read more opinions from other book people, that’s definitely worth checking out. A few prompts to get things going, but answer whichever ones you want or just talk about whatever stood out to you: - What were your favorite parts or quotes? Anything that confused you or you wished had gone a different way? - How did Frankenstein’s view of free will shift as he got older and learned more? How did he use that idea for himself, for his creature, and for the possible mate he ended up refusing to bring to life? - What do you think Shelley wanted people to take from this story? Why do you think the book has the subtitle “Or the Modern Prometheus”? - Why are Frankenstein and the monster both so miserable in the end, with no human companionship and stuck on revenge? How are their endings alike or not alike? - Why do you think Walton turned back at the end, and how do his stated or real reasons come through to his sister and to us? - What else, by Shelley or someone else, would you suggest to someone who loved this and wants something similar? Also, next week we’re reading all of The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and discussing it on October 29th. The AMA with professor Roger Luckhurst is the day before that, on October 28th at 10am ET. And just a heads up, the November announcement thread is already up, so grab that before week one.