tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8692381608294018617.post7109051963038957700..comments2023-11-05T07:27:43.837-05:00Comments on Narrative and Technology: Blog 1, Prompt 1Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16302919444091859459noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8692381608294018617.post-86737742165639383932012-01-16T07:19:02.135-05:002012-01-16T07:19:02.135-05:00I liked your short blog entry from the night befor...I liked your short blog entry from the night before a lot (obviously - I based a prompt around it), and I'm interested in the ways in which you're continuing it here. The topic is extremely interesting to me in general - I'll never get tired of reading about how gender works & is imagined in Frankenstein.<br /><br />Kira asks you to consider looking at Victor's change after his mother's death, as well as expanding the discussion of the monkey experiment by connecting it more directly to the novel, *and* the motherly role played by Elizabeth.<br /><br />While all of that might not make its way into even a revision, here's one thing I'd take away from her comments: you're working with a big, big topic, and either you need to touch on every aspect of it (which is probably too much to handle), or to find a clearer way of focusing.<br /><br />As it stands, your intention seems to be to articulate *something* about a theory of *absent* motherhood, or *nonexistent* motherhood, and its impact. But what that theory is (and whether it's your own or Shelley's, or both) is a little unclear. Certainly you are making connections between the disaster of absent mothers in Frankenstein and the rhesus monkey experiment, but it's not yet quite an argument.<br /><br />"while Frankenstein portrays the female characters as passive throughout the novel, the central problem around the monster involves him seeking out something viewed almost as something essentially feminine – a mother. "<br /><br />Unsurprisingly, your final sentence provides a way forward, but as such, it reads *almost* like the true start of the essay (and hence probably demands to have everything restructured around it). You seem to be arguing that the monster is on kind of a quest for motherhood (or femininity?) - does that mean he's on a quest for passivity (since you're arguing that the women are passive), or does that mean that part of the problem here is that the women are passive - in other words, that only an *active* model of motherhood would provide what the monster needs/seeks?<br /><br />I feel like you're very close to an interesting argument about passivity and motherhood in the novel here, but the connections aren't all made, and if you revise, this draft is probably best thought of almost as a brainstorming session, moving you closer to your final idea, than as the basis of a finished piece.Adamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16302919444091859459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8692381608294018617.post-74045193520936998222012-01-15T15:22:55.206-05:002012-01-15T15:22:55.206-05:00Hi Amy, sorry for the late feedback.
I think you ...Hi Amy, sorry for the late feedback.<br /><br />I think you bring up an excellent theory. Mother and replacement of mother is a very excellent and key element of the fundamental conflicts of the story come from.<br /><br />You have a great start but I think you definitely could expand on a few things. <br /><br />I really liked you reference of Harry Harlow's money experiment, but I think you could stand to elaborate on what the experiment was and make some more direct comparisons between the experiment and Frankenstein. <br />I really like your idea that we as humans want and need a dependency, and when one doesn't develop, we tend to act in destructive ways. I think you should continue on with this point and maybe point out why not having a mother figure leads to the demise of each character. It might be beneficial to also add a little more about Mary Shelley, as her past is quite crucial to how she wrote the novel.<br />Also, it might be a good idea to mention Victor's character shift after his mother dies in a little more detail, since that ultimately leads to his obsession of creation and all the damage that ends up doing. Maybe also mention the motherly role that Elizabeth plays and Victor's rejection of that.<br /><br />Overall, I thought this was a creative theory and you could go pretty far with it!Kira Scammellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04911668186820364330noreply@blogger.com