A Message from Your Moderator

[LizzieAnn]

Hi, I'm Liz in Western New York. I just finished reading Frankenstein for the first time, and totally enjoyed it. I had always been reluctant to read it due to the misconceptions that have abounded for years. It was not at all what I expected and so much more intriguing than I anticipated. I couldn't put it down.

I should have listened to my son who recommended it 10 years ago when he read it in high school. He did say "I told you so." It was a compelling read and I can't wait to discuss it with everyone. It's good to see everyone back here again.

Liz

[IlanaSimons]

Thanks for joining us Liz. It looks like there's some discussion starting on "early chapters." I'll look forward to your input
Ilana

[Melissa_W Moderator]

Hello old friends and new ones,
Melissa W, here and veteran of LOTS of BNU classics groups (hi Choisya, ELee, Denise, KathyH and others!). Coincidentally, Frankenstein is also the November read for the Knit the Classics group at Blogspot (knittheclassics.blogspot.com) so I'm going to double up a bit. Not sure what I'm going to knit for the project challenge, tho - I'm a slow knitter and have multiple projects going as Christmas itmes to boot.

Happy reading!

[Choisya]

Thanks Kourt - don't remember your name, have you changed it? I hope to contribute more when I have thorough re-digested the novel AND got my head around this new syem!

Message Edited by Choisya on 10-27-200607:00 PM

[Choisya]

Hi E Lee and other friends! Yes, a challenge indeed but it seems we have a lot more options too so it may be a change for the better when we get to understand it all!

I was in the Country of Pointed Firs too but alas! was carted off to hospital at the beginning of it so contributed zilch! I am now OK but seem to be terribly behind with everything - including my reading! However, as the winter set in I will be less distracted by my garden and have more time for long, lazy days on the sofa, book in hand, cats by my side

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ELee wrote:
Hello Choisya!
How are you? The change is a bit of a challenge, isn't it? Greetings to everyone posting...I have participated in many of the groups in the "old system" at B&N. I am looking forward to discussing Frankenstein (if I can ever figure out how to navigate!!) My last group was "The Country of the Pointed Firs" by Sarah Orne Jewett, which led me to all sorts of tangents. While waiting for the new format, I read "The Pearl of Orr Island" by Harriet Beecher Stowe (which was a favorite of Jewett's - If you haven't read it, I would definitely recommend it). And then I had to reread "Uncle Tom's Cabin", which led me to "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" by Harriet Jacobs...anyway, back to Frankenstein! I hope to "see" lots of old friends!

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[Choisya]

Hi Kathy - I see you loud and clear! I am sure we will be au fait with this new system by the time the Club ends! I love the 'Email if someone replies' facility - very timesaving.


The Plea: Can folks remember to change the Message Subject and to quote the relevant post so that we all know what they are referring to. Ta ever so!

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hasenbein wrote:
I'm trying to reply to our "Over the Pond" poster but I'm not certain how this works. I'm looking forward to all our discussions.

KathyH

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Message Edited by Choisya on 10-27-200607:14 PM

[Chaser]

Hello Ilana,

On my introductory page to Frankenstein, I see 5 options that are then mirrored below (but the same 5 options just repeated in a different order). Do you know why this is?

It is a little difficult to explain. I hope you'll know what I am saying.

[Chaser]

Ilana,

Abbie again here - this is what my main page looks like. Do you know why everything would be on there twice? Actually, I see the Community Room and the "What movie is closest to the book?" is different.

THREAD REPLIES NEW VIEWS AUTHOR RATING LATEST POST
A Guide for Our Discussion 4 0 198 LitEditor 10-27-2006 07:26 PM
by Choisya
Discuss the Early Chapters 8 0 253 LitEditor 10-27-2006 09:22 PM
by LizzieAnn
Discuss the Later Chapters 0 0 77 LitEditor 10-24-2006 04:14 PM
by LitEditor
Further Reading 0 0 76 LitEditor 10-24-2006 04:30 PM
by LitEditor
A Message from Your Moderator [ 1 2 3 4 5 ] 46 0 330 IlanaSimons 10-27-2006 10:04 PM
by Chaser

Community Room 0 0 29 IlanaSimons 10-27-2006 09:17 AM
by IlanaSimons
What movie is closest to the book? 3 0 59 RobertGustavo 10-27-2006 04:06 PM
by cosmotrotter
A Message from Your Moderator [ 1 2 3 4 5 ] 46 0 330 IlanaSimons 10-27-2006 10:04 PM
by Chaser
Further Reading 0 0 76 LitEditor 10-24-2006 04:30 PM
by LitEditor
Discuss the Later Chapters 0 0 77 LitEditor 10-24-2006 04:14 PM
by LitEditor
Discuss the Early Chapters 8 0 253 LitEditor 10-27-2006 09:22 PM
by LizzieAnn
A Guide for Our Discussion 4 0 198 LitEditor 10-27-2006 07:26 PM
by Choisya

[maude40]

I was wondering how long the Frankenstein discussions will last.

[IlanaSimons]

Hi Maude
It'll last a month. Come join!
Ilana

Message Edited by IlanaSimons on 10-28-200610:40 AM

[IlanaSimons]

Hi Abbie,
I know the double view gets a little confusing. The threads above the green line are basically those threads that will stay visible up top--as the main topics--so that you can see which has new messages in it. Underneath, any threads (topics) added during the course of our discussion, and the messages within the threads, can be read. You can alter the order of your threads with the "float" command. Play around, and get back to me if you'd like?
Ilana

Message Edited by IlanaSimons on 10-28-200610:41 AM

[ARMYRANGER]

Hi, my name is Bob, and I am rereading this classic for the third time. I have participated in several B&N discussion groups in the past and am looking forward to being able to share my ideas with the group. I posted my bio amd favorites in the profile section if anybody is interested.

Best Wishes to All & Happy Rading!!!

Bob

[IlanaSimons]

Alright! A philosophical ethicist, father, and an Airborn Ranger. I'd love to know your take on Shelley's ethics of being a father, with a dash of Heidegger: what are Frankensteins duties and mistakes?

[Bibliocrates]

Thank you Ilana for directing me over here to introduce myself. I'm still trying to get the hang of this new format. Eek!

I'm a former BNU veteran and I'm very happy to see some familiar names on the board. Many of you know me as Amy Jean. I've been absent from these discussions for a while due to a hectic school schedule, but I'm back. I was shocked when I returned and discovered the change, but change is good!

I am looking forward to finally reading and discussing this book, which has been collecting dust on my bookshelf for quite some time.

[ARMYRANGER]

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IlanaSimons wrote:
Alright! A philosophical ethicist, father, and an Airborn Ranger. I'd love to know your take on Shelley's ethics of being a father, with a dash of Heidegger: what are Frankensteins duties and mistakes?

---

Thanks Ilana, I will definitely be sharing some of my thoughts on the ethics of Frankenstein. I think the best treatment of this subject is by Colin McGinn (professor of philosophy) at Rutgers in his book "Ethics, Evil, and Fiction." His analysis is wonderful, centered around what he calls the aesthetic theory of virtue, where the connection between deformity/ugliness and evil is explored. My take on McGinn is that he begins with Platonic premises in that the form of the soul is good/beautiful and argues to Aristotelian conclusions using the aesthetics of form to argue for a direct correlation between beauty and virtue. He sees Frankenstein's monster (and all monsters) as mirrors of the human soul and their ugliness is in direct correspondence to their lack of virtue. He also examines "Billy Budd," "Lolita," and "The Picture of Dorian Gray" to defend his thesis. I was in correspondence with McGinn because I had some problems with his aesthetic theory of virtue, although I think it is correct if we acknowledge some exceptions such as Quasimodo from Victor Hugo's classic.

[IlanaSimons]

That's really interesting. I haven't read McGinn, and should.
But Shelley also seems to _play_ with the formula that evil shows itself in ugliness, because the monster has good intentions in the beginning. It's precisely people's inability to _see_ the good inside the ugly that leads him to become destructive. With your interesting note, I'm now thinking that it's as if Shelley's mocking our simple formulation between exteriors and interiors.

Message Edited by IlanaSimons on 10-29-200608:19 AM

[RODespain]

I suppose the subject info may be duplicated at the left margin, but we'll see.

Read the book back at the beginning of the month and kept watching the old BNU page, hoping to see that the courses had started. Nada. Same business today but out of curiosity, I clicked the book and found a link on its page to this discussion.

So, how behind am I? I know I'd better re-read the book before getting into discussions.

I'm something of a geezer, like to see support from the text for opinons (i.e. old school English Major), and, under the old board (where you could do quite a bit with HTML), a poster of unconsidered trifles.

Got to say I like this "Check Spelling" option (although it didn't like "Nada").

[By the way, that smiley was conjured up by the software: end of a char dealie which replaced my quotation marks and my closing paren. It combined the closing semi and the paren to get the smiley]

[IlanaSimons]

ah, old school English major, join us. We're only just starting--and this is one of those books that you can talk about even when you haven't recently reread it. The ideas at the center are so darn big. See our "early chapter" topics, and give us your word
Ilana

[Captain_Curmud…]

After failing to get things to work right and after reading the help, I decided to re-register. RODespain may have made his last post.

[IlanaSimons]

Then welcome to the real Captain Curmudgeon. If you have specific questions about the set-up, feel free to ask
Ilana