Book Discussion: Frankenstein

[Sir William]

Our current book discussion is about Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Below is a brief synopsis of the story:

From 500 Great Books by Women
After being rescued from an iceberg, Dr. Frankenstein relates his autobiography to the ship's captain, complete with vivid descri ptions of his idyllic childhood and passionate cries of regret that not even his love for Elizabeth could control his fanatic ambition. Dr. Frankenstein has been consumed by his desire to create a fully-grown living creature. When he reaches his goal, he perceives his creation as a monster, immediately regrets his work, and promptly abandons it. We also hear the poignant voice of the monster as he describes the spurning and physical attacks he has endured because of his ugliness; his desolate pain and loneliness; how he learns to love; how he finally finds and tries, unsuccessfully, to make peace with his maker; how he learns to hate. A story within a story, Frankenstein is a subtle and ironic prophecy that raises the question of who exactly is the real monster in this story.

If you'd like to join in the discussion. You may post your thoughts or questions while you're reading or after you've finished. Enjoy the book!

DOWNLOAD THE E-BOOK (http://www.idph.com.br/conteudos/ebooks/frankenstein.pdf)

[ozma]

Thanx sir william
i'll download the book now but idon't have time to read it these days
thanx again :)

[سهاد]

I saw the movies but never read the book
so i'll be back after reading

Thanks

[Officer Bing]

Nice book Sir William

I will try to read the first chapter and i will let you know what i think about it .

[سهاد]

I tried to download it
but there's somthing wrong with the link

[Officer Bing]

I tried to download it
but there's somthing wrong with the link

the link is okay but it is a direct .pdf link so have to wait till it finish downloading then if you have adobe acrobat reader it will directly open .

[سهاد]

the link is okay but it is a direct .pdf link so have to wait till it finish downloading then if you have adobe acrobat reader it will directly open .


Thanks Officer
I'll try again

[Sir William]

Finished reading the book yesterday.

It has been a very interesting read for me. I was expecting to read the story of an old, mad scientist trying to create a monster at any cost. Was I wrong!

In some ways, it is a book ahead of its time, I guess. The issues raised by the creation of 'the Creature' can be connected to some recent discussions such as 'genetic modification'. Is it OK to play 'God' and to what degree?

On the other hand, there are also some religious issues as well. The relationship between the 'Creator' and the 'Created' is discussed very cleverly in the book, I thought. Is a Creator justified to cast away his creation because it does not turn out to be the way he desired? What are the responsibilities of a Creator? Is he not supposed to provide for and make sure that his Creation is fully equiped to deal with its environment?

Another thing: Recently I read Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and last year Dracula. All these novels, although maybe one of the first examples of the 'modern' horror genre, do not resort to gruesome detailing of 'horror' elements. There is no open violence and bloodshed even though it is implied in the books. They mostly concentrate on the psychological and social aspects, questioning the effects of such occurances on individuals. Today's horror books, on the other hand, go to any length to shock and 'scare' the reader by describing physical violence.

I am very glad that I have read this! :) and i am Still Waiting for your ideas and thoughts about it