Hey Sarah! I was just wondering if it's okay that I write an essay here on substack inspired by your students writing their bioethics project on Frankenstein? It really caught my attention and I would love to express my thoughts on it. I thought maybe I'd make it for paid subscribers only, but I don't actually have any of those yet, and - if I receive your blessing - I would love to share the essay with you. And I don't think that's possible if it's behind a paywall without you having to subscribe to me and all that jazz. I do have a 7-day free trial but I find that a bit fiddly so I'd rather just make it accessible for everyone. Anyway, would that be okay for me to do? The biological matter of the Creature is something I have wanted to look more closely into for a while now, and I think combining that with ethics is a great starting point. But I digress... TLDR: see first sentence :p
Gothic is my favourite literary genre, Frankenstein being my all-time favourite novel. I also really liked Dracula, and signed up for the Dracula Daily newsletter here on substack thanks to the tumblr craze (which started basically right after I had finished Dracula on my own, so I can't say I did much reading of the e-mails. But the community that grew on Tumblr was phenomenal!). I love that gothic isn't about horror, or gore, or having to be scary - I'd read horror novels if that's what I was really after. What I love is the language, the images it creates in my mind, the importance of nature and beauty and the sublime. I love the critiques it comes with, on society and religion and class. I love that it's always engaging you in the story, forcing you to imagine and think and feel. I am always deeply moved when I read Frankenstein, no matter that I've read it more than any other person would. My podcast and newsletter here on substack was even inspired by the notion to tell others about the book, to inspire someone to pick it up! Even if it isn't an easy read at times (oh, but how fitting it is how the creature speaks! His eloquence against the backdrop of his deformity; a reflection of his education; a study of his mind!), I still recommend it to any reader who wants to read a classic. Maybe I'd recommend The Picture of Dorian Gray first, another gothic story I love, as it is more approachable in its length, if not in its language. But at any point, if anyone picks up Frankenstein on the basis of my recommendation I'd be happy. Even if they don't like it, because I'd love to hear the thoughts (especially if they can articulate them well, and not just "too much nature!!! The creature is a monster!") of someone who has a different perspective of me. I don't think anything can ever make me stop loving that book. Even if I find a different novel to top it, it's like a first love to me. Forever will it lie sacred in my heart.
I love teaching Frankenstein. Right now I'm having my students do their bioethics projects of Frankenstein because I want them to see that Mary Shelley is speaking to our time as well as her own. And I also subscribed to the Dracula Daily 😊 I'm currently trying to decide if I want to order their book based on last year's publication of the whole novel.
Bioethics! Wonderful topic, very fitting for the novel. Mary was very concerned about the ethics and effects of science, I'm sure she'd be discussing it in the newspaper non-stop today if she were of our time.
I also considered buying the book from DD, but I decided against it because I already own the novel. However, reading the story in chronological form is very interesting, and I think it really helps one see how Mina and the Gang are struggling at the same time as Jonathan is. But I also really liked the suspense of what's happening to Jon when we're reading about Mina and Lucy and all that. Cause there's no way of knowing until the last third when he comes back!
I quite enjoy trying to figure out why a gothic text is scary even when it isn't ostensibly so, for example My Kinsman, Major Molineaux (Hawthorne) or Bartleby the Scrivener (Melville). I came across a great book on Gothic, called Gothic(!): https://terryfreedman.substack.com/p/review-of-gothic-an-illustrated-history
Oh interesting! I might have to check it out. Part of me wants to go back and reread The Monk and see if I have the same reaction that I did when I was 20 😊
Hey Sarah! I was just wondering if it's okay that I write an essay here on substack inspired by your students writing their bioethics project on Frankenstein? It really caught my attention and I would love to express my thoughts on it. I thought maybe I'd make it for paid subscribers only, but I don't actually have any of those yet, and - if I receive your blessing - I would love to share the essay with you. And I don't think that's possible if it's behind a paywall without you having to subscribe to me and all that jazz. I do have a 7-day free trial but I find that a bit fiddly so I'd rather just make it accessible for everyone. Anyway, would that be okay for me to do? The biological matter of the Creature is something I have wanted to look more closely into for a while now, and I think combining that with ethics is a great starting point. But I digress... TLDR: see first sentence :p
Please feel free to link to anything that you found in this piece. And let us know when and how you used it! Teaching is a collaborative act 😊
Gothic is my favourite literary genre, Frankenstein being my all-time favourite novel. I also really liked Dracula, and signed up for the Dracula Daily newsletter here on substack thanks to the tumblr craze (which started basically right after I had finished Dracula on my own, so I can't say I did much reading of the e-mails. But the community that grew on Tumblr was phenomenal!). I love that gothic isn't about horror, or gore, or having to be scary - I'd read horror novels if that's what I was really after. What I love is the language, the images it creates in my mind, the importance of nature and beauty and the sublime. I love the critiques it comes with, on society and religion and class. I love that it's always engaging you in the story, forcing you to imagine and think and feel. I am always deeply moved when I read Frankenstein, no matter that I've read it more than any other person would. My podcast and newsletter here on substack was even inspired by the notion to tell others about the book, to inspire someone to pick it up! Even if it isn't an easy read at times (oh, but how fitting it is how the creature speaks! His eloquence against the backdrop of his deformity; a reflection of his education; a study of his mind!), I still recommend it to any reader who wants to read a classic. Maybe I'd recommend The Picture of Dorian Gray first, another gothic story I love, as it is more approachable in its length, if not in its language. But at any point, if anyone picks up Frankenstein on the basis of my recommendation I'd be happy. Even if they don't like it, because I'd love to hear the thoughts (especially if they can articulate them well, and not just "too much nature!!! The creature is a monster!") of someone who has a different perspective of me. I don't think anything can ever make me stop loving that book. Even if I find a different novel to top it, it's like a first love to me. Forever will it lie sacred in my heart.
I love teaching Frankenstein. Right now I'm having my students do their bioethics projects of Frankenstein because I want them to see that Mary Shelley is speaking to our time as well as her own. And I also subscribed to the Dracula Daily 😊 I'm currently trying to decide if I want to order their book based on last year's publication of the whole novel.
Bioethics! Wonderful topic, very fitting for the novel. Mary was very concerned about the ethics and effects of science, I'm sure she'd be discussing it in the newspaper non-stop today if she were of our time.
I also considered buying the book from DD, but I decided against it because I already own the novel. However, reading the story in chronological form is very interesting, and I think it really helps one see how Mina and the Gang are struggling at the same time as Jonathan is. But I also really liked the suspense of what's happening to Jon when we're reading about Mina and Lucy and all that. Cause there's no way of knowing until the last third when he comes back!
I quite enjoy trying to figure out why a gothic text is scary even when it isn't ostensibly so, for example My Kinsman, Major Molineaux (Hawthorne) or Bartleby the Scrivener (Melville). I came across a great book on Gothic, called Gothic(!): https://terryfreedman.substack.com/p/review-of-gothic-an-illustrated-history
Oh interesting! I might have to check it out. Part of me wants to go back and reread The Monk and see if I have the same reaction that I did when I was 20 😊