On Spec Book Club discussion

For October, we are reading Frankenstein by Mary Shelley! We will be discussing this book in person on Thursday October 30th at 7:00pm in the meeting room of the Sharonville Branch Library, but feel free to post comments/questions/observations in this thread as well!

I won't be coming tonight. I have an awful cold and cough and don't want to infect everyone.

I really enjoyed Frankenstein a lot more than I expected to. I thought the prose would be stiff and unwieldy, but while it was verbose like the style of the times Shelley was a solid writer and kept me entranced. I can't imagine the effect this would have had on society at the time. I wonder if people fainted when reading this haha. No wonder they may her tone down later versions.

I loved Frankenstein's voice, so reasonable yet so insane, so arrogant yet naive and childish, barely holding on, the weariness and resignation coming through even while he's still entranced with what he's done. Such a great character (in terms of craft-- as a human he is vile).

And what a warning not to get so obsessed with discovery that you fail to see the repercussions of your actions. This really is a vital book not just for horror and sf, but for ethics as well. I love how the "monster" is what serves as the conscience of the story. I think this must have gotten this point across to people far more effectively than some essay would have.

BTW I found and read an ebook version of the original edition this time, which I found to be a much tighter story. The later, more popular version (1833) was really toned down and heavily embellished. I read that one years ago and didn't like it so much. I have had this experience several times where a young writer who didn't know her craft as well wrote something very vivid, and then she returns to it later when she writes better and revises it, but for all that the writing is better the liveliness is lost.

Back to Frankenstein- There are still some parts that were boring- writers of the time loved to ramble and give us asides that were meant to build character and atmosphere and some of these just bore me now (Justine's trial, for example). But when Frankenstein or his Adam are central to the action, it's electrifying. No pun intended.

I wish I could be there to talk about this book. There's so much that I found interesting about it.