CHAPTER IV - VIII
— I have no thoughts, I’m just delighted by Clerval always.
— I also watched Lisa Frankenstein in conjunction with this, which was pretty funny.
— Re: Victor’s little brother William. At the point of writing Mary had a baby boy William (nickname: Wilmouse) who died (I think?) just a little while after Frankenstein was published. He was the third child she’d lost in the early years. I: am sad.
— Annotations from teenage me. “VF is an idiot.” That’s fair.
— Justineeee
— I don’t think I gave Elizabeth nearly enough credit as a kid. I like her standing up in court. “When I see a fellow-creature about to perish through the cowardice of her pretended friends, I wish to be allowed to speak, that I may say what I know of her character.” (How much would a young Mary have wished that someone in England would stand up for her when she was alone with a reputation in tatters?? Even her father wouldn’t support her! This is actually making me think about William Godwin = Victor Frankenstein parallels more than anything. Take responsibility for your offspring sir!! Stop being a coward!)
— “The tortures of the accused did not equal mine.” <--- Ya you know when someone’s wrongly condemned to death and you feel WAY WORSE about it bc you’re guilty? OKAY DRAMA QUEEN. Maybe get fucked.
— No, he just doubles down on it.
VOL II: CHAPTER I - II
— Victor’s entering his Macbeth era, driven mad by his guilt.
— Do love the “let me float in my sailboat on the lake all night” approach to dealing with it tho xD
I wonder who Mary got this idea from
— Nature, mountains, scenery... the classic Romanticism/gothic vibe, nature that is beautiful and sublime and terrifying <3 Also Victor decides to take a hike to outrun his problems. Good luck mate.
— The verse she quotes here is her husband’s tehehe.
— “Begone, vile insect!” he’s ridiculous. Ofc the creature is the more eloquent/reasonable/sympathetic.
— THIS IS A LINE I NEVER FORGOT. “But if you refuse, I will glut the maw of death, until it be satiated with the blood of your remaining friends.” GLUT THE MAW OF DEATH. Ugh, love.
— also: “life, although it may only be an accumulation of anguish, is dear to me, and I will defend it.” <3
— Major Paradise Lost vibes.
VOL II: CHAPTER III - VII
— The monster’s story! Starting life off pitifully like an abandoned baby and talking about the “barbarity of man” until he finds the domestic scenes at the cottage. He learns about music and poverty and generosity and kindness, and finds out he’s kind/selfless/good too! He’s like their little guardian angel.
— He seeks knowledge and discovery the same way Victor does. (Godlike science/ardently desired to become acquainted with it.)
— I love the paragraphs where the monster tries to grapple with the question of human nature (“Was man, indeed, so...”) and injustice in the world.
— Seeing a lot of her mother’s influence on the cottagers’ story (Paris/Safie/imprisonments and executions/etc). Her mother lived alone in Paris through the Terror! Also parallels to the Justine storyline. Also Turks as treacherous villains - Big Byron Energy there for sure.
— The monster gets! some! books! The effects of literature to an outcast <3
— And then he finds Victor’s journal, welp.
— When he tries to seek friendship from them finally. GAH. PAAAAIN.
