Monday, 14 January 2013

Mary's Ideal Man?

Frankenstein’s ‘creature’ is a most interesting character. Compared with the average man, he’s bigger, faster, stronger, fitter, more agile, and tolerates a much higher range of heat and cold. In cerebral terms, he’s high-minded, compassionate, emotional and highly intelligent. On the downside, rejection can turn his emotional nature dark and provoke acts of obscene and irrational vengeance.

Notwithstanding the occasional severe lapse, however, he’s a veritable demi-god compared with the wretch Victor Frankenstein. And most interestingly of all, he’s vegetarian (quote: ‘I do not destroy the lamb and the kid to glut my appetite; acorns and berries afford me sufficient nourishment.’)

This must say a lot about his real creator, Mary Shelley, mustn’t it? It must.

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