Mary Shelley Part Two

Today’s Agenda

Mid-term

Major British Writers

For the next 20 minutes, I want you to write in response to the following prompt:

On the very first day of this course, we talked about what it means to be “LOST,” and I told you  that the authors we would be reading this semester would all be dealing with the experience of being lost in different ways. What I would like you to do over the next 20 minutes is to identify specific ways in which the readings we have been discussing might be useful to you as you undergo the experience of being lost – either physically, emotionally, spiritually or psychologically – over the course of your life.

2: Group Work

Last time, I mentioned to you that Frankenstein was a novel that is continually asking the question, “Who am I?” Let’s consider two characters, Robert and Vincent. Robert, as we see in the opening letters knows exactly who he is and exactly what he wants. And Vincent is like this too – until he creates the monster, after which he appear to become much less certain about whom he is and what he wants. So, who are you? Are you more like Robert or Vincent, and – after you answer that question – what would have to happen to you to make you MORE like the personality you are NOT (i.e. Robert or Vincent)

Class Discussion:

You may or may not find yourself moved by literature very often, but I would ask you to consider the following quote, as it is going to be very relevant today. Shortly before she is executed for the murder of William, Justine says to Elizabeth:

“Farewell, sweet lady, dearest Elizabeth, my beloved and only friend; may heaven in its bounty bless and preserve you; may this be the last misfortune that you will ever suffer. Live, and be happy, and make others so.”

I would like to suggest to you that this is the most beautiful thing we have read this semester, and I want to explain to you why that is the case. First, we have had many discussions about the power of the English language this semester, and we have seen how it is an immensely powerful language capable of imagining not only day to day activities, but also the very concept of God Himself.

Let’s consider how powerful Justine’s comments are. First, notice how basic the language is. No word here is longer than three syllables long, and many are just one syllable long. This is the language of a servant, and the uneducated. However, even though it is very basic language, I want you to consider how extraordinarily powerful it is. Justine knows that she is about to be executed – and probably in a pretty horrible way – and her thoughts here are only for Elizabeth: whom she calls her only friend. Think about that for a moment and how extraordinary that is. She blesses Elizabeth, and speaks of her own misfortune as if it were Elizabeth’s. And in her final words, she says what is most powerful I think: Live, and be happy, and make others so.

It is hard to imagine a request that better encapsulates the goals of 21^st century life for many North Americans: Live, and be Happy. And make others so. Many of us spend most of our time focused on ONE of these three things, when we might be better off focusing on all THREE. It is a goal that, when achieved, enables one to know who they are (to no longer be LOST!), and it is EXACTLY what Frankenstein is unable to do.

In terms of “life,” we know that he has no life, as he has lost it in his studies. We know that he is not happy, and that he cannot be happy, because he is aware that his actions resulted in the death of his brother. And we know that he cannot make other people happy, for if anyone knew what he had done, they would think him to be insane, which is what he tells us.  It is seems to me to be worth point out that, in Frankenstein, we have two very different kinds of people: Justine, who is simple and good – and totally ruined by the consequences of the world, and Frankenstein, whose own complicated and cowardly and also ruined by the consequences of the world.

And this brings us to a very important questions, which is how does one achieve happiness in this world of Mary Shelley’s….

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