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Frankenstein too disturbing?


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I'm reading Frankenstein, and once I got past the initial "letters" I have loved it. I just finished the death of the wife though, and I'm wondering if it might be too disturbing for 7th-12th grade?

 

I'm thinking of teaching this next yr, and I wonder if some (parents or students) may find it too much.

Would you object as a parent to your child reading this?

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I'm reading Frankenstein, and once I got past the initial "letters" I have loved it. I just finished the death of the wife though, and I'm wondering if it might be too disturbing for 7th-12th grade?

 

I'm thinking of teaching this next yr, and I wonder if some (parents or students) may find it too much.

Would you object as a parent to your child reading this?

 

Not at all. My dd said it wasn't disturbing to her. None of the students/parents in my lit class complained.

Holly

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I think the majority of kids 7-12th grades would be fine with it. I'm sure there are some very sensitive kids out there who might have problems with it, but overall it's a great book for literature/worldview study. My oldest 2 have read it, and my younger 2 will read it next year.

 

We did have fun watching an old version of the movie after finishing the book. It was interesting to hear the kids' comments on whether or not the movie stayed true to the book, and which was better - the movie or book.

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I thought my son would like it, but he said it was quite boring, and that the characters were too whiny/wimpy. After a while, he started counting the times the author used certain words, though all I can remember is "countenance". He claims she used it at least three times per page. It was a quick read for him, and nothing at all objectionable. I think he got more out of it after watching different versions of the movie, too.

I remember thinking it was incredibly boring too, and DH read it last year and just hated it, for much the same reasons as your DS.

 

DS might read it this year as part of the monster story trilogy (LOL) -- he's reading Dracula and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but I'm not requiring it.

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I thought my son would like it, but he said it was quite boring, and that the characters were too whiny/wimpy. After a while, he started counting the times the author used certain words, though all I can remember is "countenance".
Too funny, countenance does come up often now that you mention it. The romantics often used setting and description as foreshadowing. The book would've gotten on my nerves if I hadn't known that. Now every time I get to a description of the land or the weather, I perk up to see if the moods changing.

 

I don't think it's particularly scary, but one night I had pursuit and chase dreams over and over again, which I attributed to too much Frankenstein. The death of the wife just gave me the creeps.

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Ds read it. We compared the idea of the Noble Savage across several books--Pro NS books were Frankenstein, Moby Dick, and Huck Finn. Anti-NS books were Lord of The Flies and one other--can't remember. It was just a reoccuring theme for the year. He wasn't bothered by Frank at all.

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Anti-NS books were Lord of The Flies and one other--can't remember.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, maybe?

 

I've appreciated this thread. TOG has an abridged version of Frankenstein scheduled for this year, and I'd been weighing whether or not to have him read the unabridged version. I'd been leaning toward unabridged, and I think this has finally tipped the scale all the way. Thanks for the insight.

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Ds read it. We compared the idea of the Noble Savage across several books--Pro NS books were Frankenstein, Moby Dick, and Huck Finn. Anti-NS books were Lord of The Flies and one other--can't remember. It was just a reoccuring theme for the year. He wasn't bothered by Frank at all.

 

That's interesting. I was thinking about using Jeff Baldwin's "The Deadliest Monster" to read Frankenstein and Jekyll/Hyde and compare world view, but a few reviews of that book has made me hesitant. I might like this approach better. Were you using a lit program/guide, or did you put this together yourself? I'm curious where you got the idea.

 

Thanks.

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DS might read it this year as part of the monster story trilogy (LOL) -- he's reading Dracula and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but I'm not requiring it.

 

My teen read, and enjoyed, Frankenstein when I required it of her in 9th grade. She read the other two books you mentioned above for her own pleasure. She also read Renfield: Slave of Dracula by Barbara Hambly.

 

Regards,

Kareni

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I last read the book almost 30 years ago and to this day I'm creeped out by the initial description of the monster. But it's OK to be creeped out or repulsed or horrified, because some things and ideas out there are horrifying.

 

"How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavoured to form? His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun-white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips."

 

I occasionally see a person whose skin seems too tight, and I flashback to the rest of the imagery in the above paragraph.

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