The Book Club: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley with Gina Bontempo | The Book Club 

Human and animal cloning will become a reality soon and we might think that this kind of science are not immorral and evil. The future is quite scary. 😱

Relatable

Thanks for this review. I read this while in elementary or junior high school. It has been decades since I last revisited it. It is possibly the first modern science fiction novel.

@Papa F Jose there is a lot to why I think its an amazing story. Where do I even begin? I think I would have to start by saying that it is much more than just an adventure novel about a man that gets screwed, and then goes on a quest of revenge. The subject of revenge is turned into more than just why is revenge bad. It begins with revenge yes, but than over a period of time it transforms into something much deeper. Questions of revenge turn into questions about the limits of human justice, and the limits and weaknesses of the legal justice system itself. I saw this in the relationship between the Count, and Monsieur Villefort. One other thing I found interesting in the story was the shift in the main character. The Count turns into the antagonist. There are several ways where this is evident but, but one I found very interesting was his use of the Bible to excuse his decisions. He uses the Exodus 20:5 "... for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;" But then he completely neglects other scripture such as Deuteronomy 24:16 "The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin." or Ezekiel 18:20 "The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. He uses these verses to justify not only getting revenge on Fernand, and Mercedes, Danglars, and Villefort, but there families that never had anything to do with what happened twenty years ago to the count. There is much more to the book than just that, but its hard to summarize, which is why I think it needs to be discussed more often. I do really want to read the original French. I hope this makes sense and answers your question, and thanks for asking.

@Papa F Jose Yes, I love that quote! And I did know this about Dumas. It's very interesting. Have you ever read the Black Count, Thomas Reiss? It's like biography about Dumas father. It is very sad what's going on now. I think that a lot of people are waking up though, and I hope we get back on track. I know it is still possible. Quick question what did you think about the book's ending, when the Count ends up with Haydee?

I love this book! Still have it in my little library, adding it to my stack to read again! Great choice!🙋‍♀️

@@tappychef1098 only read it once last year for the first time. Not very useful for quarantine when you can't get out and talk about it to anyone about it😊

@Papa F Jose I haven't read the Black Count but I have wondered if it was any good. I wasn't quite sure, but I was afraid of people using the fact that Dumas was of mixed race as propaganda. I'm not sure if this is still happening, ( because the Rona) but recently I saw an article about a new film adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo, and they were going to cast a black man as the Count. I don't know how this would work. I have nothing against black actors, but if your only casting someone for the color of their skin and not for there skill or even understanding of their character, then your missing the point. Something that really aggravates me is when people in the entertainment and art industry use race as a tool instead of creating good art, and things that are beautiful and complex. Or perhaps one of the worst, changing a well loved and appreciated story and changing it to fit the progressive slot so that the left will be happy. That sort of adaptation is not needed. I have not seen one decent adaptation of this story and I would love to, but I wish someone would focus on making an adaptation that would do the original story justice by looking at the artistic and philosophical value of it instead of shaping it for their own narrative.

😂

Good one! Best Movie! 🤣

I can fix that hump...

@@terrykrall What hump?

Is it...Fr-O-drick?

And Marvel’s Vision and Ultron at least the movie versions

Stan Lee actually stated that he was inspired by both the stories of Frankenstein and the curious case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, when he was creating the Hulk.

Don't forget about organ donation

And a cholera outbreak in India from the ashes of said volcano!

@@somedandy7694 I refuse to blame a volcano for a disease that is almost 100% preventable by good hygiene and boiling your potable water--and also by not pooping and throwing your dead in it!

Thankyou!

Yes. For instance, the term "ignominy." I, also, was not impressed with the writing itself. The value is in the ideas.

It was the 1800s. People talked differently back then. Personally, I love the prose.

The overcoat the monster takes has Victor's papers in the pocket, giving both his identity and his work in creating the monster.

@@cedk144 ahhh

Because calling one of the greatest poets to ever live a "degenerate" does not make you seem like a movie villain in the slightest.

I absoultley do not have to admit that, the movies were fine in their own right but an utter butchering of the original book.

I mean, Death of the Author and all that. No one can tell you how to interpret a work of fiction. That being said, no. This is not an abortion allegory. I know this because the first European country to legalize abortion was Germany, in *1972.*

@@firetarrasque4667 Thank you ;)

it is a very realistc fear, scifi novels and movies have expressed that fear in many interesting ways

I heard him also say...fear of an all powerful AI overlord, and he reluctantly said...better to merge with AI than to be subjugated by it

@Ian Westby Elon doesn't scare me. Bad people with powerful weapons do scare me.

That's not Frankenstein, you're talking about Terminator. 🤖

I strongly agree. The overall tragedy of his mere existence is riddled with blight, dispair, and loneliness, of which are all further illustrated through Shelley's themes of belonging and utter loneliness. The matter of which can also be particularly true during the few chapters where the 'nameless fiend' relays his secret life with the cottage dwellers to Frankenstein.

I can say from experience, you are exactly right. I am a fatherless child, having never known my creator I identified wholeheartedly with the wretch. When I first read this book it was like the book was pieced together from my own inner thoughts and emotions about being abandoned by my father. Am I a wretch? What is wrong with me that I could be so easily discarded? Rage filled my youth and I wandered aimlessly looking for companionship in much the same way the wretch does in the story. I've grown out of despair over the years however there is a lingering ambition to chase and torment the man who gave me the spark of life and ran from it. I treasure this book.

This can all be related even much further back to the story of illegitimate creation in the book of Enoch where the Watchers took it upon themselves to disobey God and father children with mortal human women creating the Nephilim as alluded to in the old Testament Genesis 6.

This really triggered you, didn’t it? That’s so sad. Please indulge me in a thought: you may not know your earthly father, but please know that we all have a Heavenly Father. (I don’t know if you are a believer, but please don’t dismiss this.). Please know that God our father would not want you to hunt down your earthly father, but to turn to him and allow him (God) to stand in the stead of your earthly father. It is so sad that we treat life so cheaply, but you have not been cheaply made - you have been fearfully and wonderfully made. Don’t allow your life to be cheap. Make it what God made it - a life worth living and living well. Be well. You have so much healing to do. Go and be well.

@@mrsjobo6458 I don't know if you're talking to me, but God has been an even more absentee father than my actual DNA blood related father. Even my birth father has at least had to pay child support, God has never actually done anything for me not even a damn thing.

Fyodor Dostoevsky would be rolling in his grave if a conservative or a socialist reviews his books, especially if both make everything extremely political about his books.

@Domagoj Čović Never said that. I just said he'll be rolling, as I made an assumption about him (since he didn't like defenders of capitalism neither did he like socialists) also I think his interpretation and his own words about his books trumps everyone else's, since he has a greater understanding of what he's writing. If you wish to expand on the idea while sticking to the subject that is perfectly okay. Yet all I said was having both people he doesn't like (as he literally stopped being friends with people with such beliefs or non beliefs) review his books to make it extremely political is disgusting and close minded. Especially if it's from a capitalist point of view (since capitalism with tsars is what made his people poor).

@Domagoj Čović A word of advice, proofread and edit your comments so they'll at least be comprehensible. We're talking about a man who brought a lot to the table of literature and here you are fumbling with writing a sentence and, with other comments you made, used ad hominems. Also I doubt your a real account anyway, due to you being 2 months old and making short, simple, and redpilled bot comments.

@Domagoj Čović Crime and Punishment talks about poverty and criminality, both being caused by a state and government. It is political, psychological, and philosophical. Most of Russia's greats works deal with philosophy and politics, yet people like conservatives and socialists tend to review these works for political purposes to support their side. It's pathetic. Also I highly doubt someone invited to PragerU to review a book would give a sound review due to the underlying agreements between channel and guest upon political beliefs. PragerU gives vague and easily digestible words and simple agreeable subjects to lure in people, because it eases the viewer and makes them hear out the ridiculous tirade of nonsense. It's propganda.

@@MiloTheCrotonian, what system did he want if he had a strong dislike for both capitalism and socialism? Personally, I'd rather see something on The Brothers Karamazov than Crime and Punishment. Both are amazing, classic works, but I got a lot more out of The Brothers Karamazov.

Wdym?

@@kevinchan4911 just watched the movie Mary Shelley, staring Elle Fanning in a moving performance, but even better, just finished the Audible version of The Truth and the Beauty by Andrew Klavan, which includes her story. My next listen- Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin Shelley's Frankenstein. I cannot wait to begin it, after listening to this video.

Wrong!!! The combination of letters Ein” in Stein (stone) is pronounced in German exactly like Michael Knowles does. And Frankenstein IS a German name.

You are making reference to the Mel Brooks movie “Young Frankenstein,” aren’t you?

@@dlee645 ayessssss.

Yes. It's more tragedy than horror.

That was not even vaguely the point Literally the entire reason things in the book go sour is that people *fail* to be compassionate to the Creation. I do not understand how you could possibly take away "Unconditional Compassion... Bad." from this story.

Yes. It anticipates future warfare and Iron Man's technology. It is also one of Robert A. Heinlein's thought experiments in societal structure. It eliminates Military conscription and attempts to link rights and responsibilities.

And also Dune and I forgot the name of that author. And now it inspired on a sci-fi film. 😁

It’s FRAHNKensteen!

The #2 is somewhat similar to The Law of equivalent exchange from Full Metal Alchemist anime and manga series.