Saturday, March 5, 2011
Frankenstein
I'm teaching Frankenstein for like the fourth time in my teaching career. I love teaching the book because students always think they know what Frankenstein is about, and they are surprised when they start reading novel. I also love the book because of all the literary references Mary Shelley trickles throughout the novel. My dissertation director reminded me that Victor Frankenstein, who stitches together human parts to create a new life, is similar to Shelley, who stitches together literature (Paradise Lost, Ancient Mariner, to name of few). It demonstrates what the goals of this blog are - to find connections and create new ideas. So far, everyone has been making connections between classes, what they're reading on the side, and what they are writing. I wonder what connections will be made with The Awakening...
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I truly love reading The Awakening. This is my third time reading the story for a class. My first experience with the story was in my American Lit class with Dr. Walser. I will admit the first time I read the story I was left confused by what it all meant and had pretty much the same reaction as Caitlin did in class on Friday. But the more I read it, the more I am able to make small connections within my own experiences. I was in a serious relationship right away after high school. Everybody thought we were going to get married, after all, it was the normal thing to do, right? Well, I felt trapped like Edna does. I was living my life, but was it the life I truly wanted to live? I made realizations back then that have helped to change the way I feel and think. Were they the right choices? Who knows... I only know that I am able to do the things that I discover I enjoy doing now without feeling like I have to answer to anybody or like I am cheating somebody out of something. Ultimately, by the end of The Awakening, I think that is what Edna figures out, just with an unexpected result.
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