#Felix and Safie

[thedrawingduke]

Suprise! My sister got married so she took priority for the month of December. ♥️

New year, new style (?) for Fantomestein…well, different modus operandi. I am finally strong enough to admit that I shall never be a great inker. I’ve tried so hard, but I can’t fight what I am! What can I say, I’m an impressionist at heart.

@thedrawingduke on Instagram + bluesky

[the-real-dev]

my and my boyfriend assigned frankenstein characters fruits & veggies on call here's what we've deduced:

victor -> sad pathetic green apple

henry -> aesthetic red apple

adam -> deformed carrot

elizabeth -> crisp raspberry

william -> small banana

justine -> unpicked blackberry

ernest -> normal lemon

alphonse -> guacamole avocado <- according to bf

caroline -> already ripped open pomegranate

old man de lacy -> sour grape

felix -> not too lumpy potato

safie -> dark pink & cut in half dragonfruit

whatever the other de lacy's name was (the girl) -> sweet grape

[fromgallowsandgraves]

It's incredibly dangerous for Adam to still have Victor's journal, but I think he still does carry it with him... or at least, carries a coded variant.

Since my blog is mostly-musical-based, he probably also has Victor Frankenstein's last journal, where he would've talked about his plans before his death and may have mentioned his family's spirits playing a part in his epiphany about his "son".

[immediatebreakfast]

Another one for Adam's incel moments compilation.

[faithful-grigori]

”#Do you think that maybe Felix's weird attraction towards Safie would have influenced Adam?, #Of course we call Adam an incel but it would be a misstep to think that he has the same values as them, #We pull out the watsonian and the doylist explanations for this, #But I think it would be better to examine how Adam's limited environment shaped his views on ''male'' and ''female'', #I haven't read paradise lost but after your explanation and the fact that it was one of the first books he read, #Adam probably holds it as something very important”

I think it’s very easy to make parallels between Adam’s reasoning and incels, but stepping away from it a bit, I think there’s an obvious difference: while incels believe that they have been rejected by “the female population” which they claim to have a right to, Adam feels himself rejected by mankind as a whole. So why is he too demanding a female companion, specifically?

I think it is interesting because so far, the companions he has sought out haven’t been women as such. When he was seeking companionship with the De Lacey family, he wasn’t focused on Agatha or Safie in particular, no, he was focused on the family as a whole, I would almost argue that his focus was somewhat slanted towards Felix and Mr De Lacey. Likewise, his next attempt at companionship was to kidnap a boy child, William.

So again, how did he go from that to the conclusion that he wants a female companion?

After killing William, Adam sees Caroline’s picture and expresses his attraction towards her. Previously he has described people as beautiful, but iirc this is the first time he speaks of attraction. So it could be that he realises that he specifically wants a companion with whom he can have a sexual relationship, which is disturbing, since he doesn’t plan on giving his companion a choice of being with him; he already assumes that she will be, no matter her feelings.

But also, perhaps he always wanted a female companion, but until now he sought out potential companions that already exist and therefore there’s a limit to what he can expect them to be. Given the opportunity to have a companion made “from scratch”, he chooses to request a female companion.

In a way, it makes sense considering his education from Paradise Lost. Now, I haven’t read it at all, but from what I understand it’s something of a retelling of the biblical creation myth, and that one I am intimately familiar with (having both studied it closely in an academic context and translated it myself). So, when God created (the biblical) Adam, Adam tried to find a companion among the other creatures but was unsuccessful, as he wanted someone who was like him. Then God created Eve, the female companion of the male creation (I’m holding back from discussing gender in the creation myth further, because there is so much to say, but this is not the time or place). Adam (the creature) reading that would quite naturally assume that the companion created for him should be female, to “complement” his maleness.

But that made me think: how did Adam come to understand himself as male? He “grew up” completely isolated, so where would he have gotten the information? Even if he watched the De Lacey family closely and intimately enough to see a physical variation between Agatha/Safie and Felix/Mr De Lacey/himself, would he understand what that means?

Which makes me wonder if he wants a female companion specifically because of a true desire for “the female”, or simply because it is what he understands to be the natural complement to himself as male. Incels want a female companion because they see women as a subspecies which they have an inherent right to, but for all of Adam’s incel tendencies, I would say it’s rash to assume he holds the same views and values, especially considering how limited his education and life experiences are.

[theartofangirling]

part 2 of the 2023 version of this post: young adult books!

part 1: middle grade books | part 3: adult books

this is a very incomplete list, as these are only books I've read and enjoyed. not all books are going to be for all readers, so I'd recommend looking up synopses and content warnings. feel free to message me with any questions about specific representation!

list of books under the cut ⬇️

aces wild by amanda dewitt

the chandler legacies by abdi nazemian

bruised by tanya boteju

juliet takes a breath by gabby rivera

picture us in the light by kelly loy gilbert

when we were magic by sarah gailey

iron widow by xiran jay zhao

the rise of kyoshi by f.c. yee

jane unlimited by kristin cashore

summer of salt by katrina leno

the wicker king by k. ancrum

the dead and the dark by courtney gould

wilder girls by rory power

i kissed shara wheeler by casey mcquiston

her royal highness by rachel hawkins

tell me how you really feel by aminah mae safi

the weight of the stars by k. ancrum

you should see me in a crown by leah johnson

last night at the telegraph club by malinda lo

the grief keeper by alexandra villasante

crier's war by nina varela

how to excavate a heart by jake maia arlow

imogen, obviously by becky albertalli

in other lands by sarah rees brennan

carry on by rainbow rowell

cemetery boys by aiden thomas

felix ever after by kacen callendar

i wish you all the best by mason deaver

little thieves by margaret owen

technically you started it by lana wood johnson

the gentleman's guide to vice and virtue by mackenzi lee

the infinite noise by lauren shippen

bonds of brass by emily skrutskie

the darkness outside us by eliot schrefer

simon vs. the homo sapiens agenda by becky albertalli

what if it's us by becky albertalli and adam silvera

aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe by benjamin alire sáenz

like a love story by abdi nazemian

different for boys by patrick ness

history is all you left me by adam silvera

twelfth grade night by molly horton booth, stephanie kate strohm, and jamie green

across a field of starlight by blue delliquanti

heartstopper by alice oseman

check, please! by ngozi ukazu

bloom by kevin panetta and savanna ganucheau

laura dean keeps breaking up with me by mariko tamaki and rosemary valero-o'connell

the princess and the grilled cheese sandwich by deya muniz

if you'll have me by eunnie

on a sunbeam by tillie walden

the girl from the sea by molly knox ostertag

always human by ari north

rust in the root by justina ireland

dread nation by justina ireland

pet by awkwaeke emezi

the darkest part of the forest by holly black

elatsoe by darcie little badger

i was born for this by alice oseman

loveless by alice oseman

i hate everyone but you by gaby dunn and allison raskin

you know me well by nina lacour and david levithan

the black flamingo by dean atta

spinning by tillie walden

dreadnought by april daniels

a lesson in vengeance by victoria lee

all the bad apples by moira fowley-doyle

clap when you land by elizabeth acevedo

summer bird blue by akemi dawn bowman

the miseducation of cameron post by emily m. danforth

we are okay by nina lacour

radio silence by alice oseman

we used to be friends by amy spalding

a neon darkness by lauren shippen

i hope you get this message by farah naz rishi

are you listening? by tillie walden

alone in space by tillie walden

all out edited by saundra mitchell

out now edited by saundra mitchell

out there edited by saundra mitchell

[cru5h-cascades]

What We Know About Emio V3 (written 7-17-24)

Well, folks I think we just figured out who Emio is after a week of investigation! Thanks to the new interview, we now have a decent idea of who this Smiling Man is! Yay...? I guess?

Emio, full game name Emio - The Smiling Man, is the newest entry in the Famicom Detective Club series and the first new game in the series in 30 WHOLE YEARS (not counting the remakes).

The game is actually gonna release NEXT MONTH ON THE 29TH HUH WHAT. I honestly thought this was gonna come out on "the next palidrome date" like the Nitter keeps hinting at (said date being sometime next May).

Now, the golden question: WHO TF IS EMIO? Or rather, the Smiling Man. Idk. I guess the names of Emio and Smiling Man are interchangable 'cause the game's named after the dude. Anyways... the Smiling Man is an urban legend. This dude "is said to offer crying girls a paper bag with a smile drawn on it in exchange for their life". I guess this is probably where the whole suicide & cruelty aspect of the game comes in. Man this interview's making me regret using the Smiling Man as my player character for Miitopia...

The interview hints that it might not actually be Emio himself doing these murders but someone simply replicating them, in turn becoming the Smiling Man himself.

Welp. I saw this coming from a mile away. Emio's the bad guy, both in the urban legend and essentially as the murderer in the game, whoever that may be. But a few question still remain... what about the domestic violence aspect of this game? What roles will the names mentioned in the Nitter account (Corrine, Agatha, Felix, and arguably Safi) play? And why go after girls specifically?

Welp, to the guy on the Nitter account who knew that Emio was gonna be the bad guy, my hat's off to you.

Oh! While I'm at it, the Nitter account posted another bit of text a few minutes ago!

彼らは近づいてくる = They come closer

This one's probably a no-brainer: the release of Emio - The Smiling Man is coming close!

And at that, I think I can stop with the ARG stuff. Thank fuck. I'm still gonna post stuff about Emio I think, so don't worry about that!

And the animatic I've been planning... yeah now that we actually have an idea of who Emio is and stuff I dunno if I'm gonna go through with it. If I do then I'm using what I had in mind as the backstory of the urban legend. Nobody said if the actual Emio is doing these murders, after all...

[batsarebetterthanpeople]

Doesn't Frankenstein deliberately build his creature to be beautiful? Dude's already doing eugenics by selecting the most aesthetic cadaver parts.

Well yes he did and it ended up the opposite despite his best efforts but to be honest the creature is described with black hair in conjunction with the line about making him beautiful so I would say that he's building a man to his aesthetic tastes rather then attempting to make a perfect Aryan or something. Which I suppose is a kind of eugenics technically maybe depending on how you define eugenics. But I don't think it's useful to our understanding of eugenics or to our understanding of the novel to apply that lense to it. Aesthetic choices need to be made in Victor Frankenstein's build a bitch laboratory. While he might be somewhat limited in skin color by being in Germany, he can pick more or less any hair or eye color he likes any bone structure he likes and so on. The monster is by necessity intentionally designed in a way that human beings are not. So any aesthetic choices made being made differently would result in the same moral outcome. It's less selective breeding for particular traits and more like basing the face mold of your android based off somebody's porn viewing habits like in that movie ex machina with Oscar Isaac.

All that being said he was designing a monster to impress German and Swiss scientists in the 17th century of course there were eugenics involved in his reasoning on the features. But the loosely implied eugenics are not even the most racist thing about the book either. It takes time out of its day to be orientalist as fuck. When Clerval comes to school he's taking fucking oriental studies which lumps together Arab Indian and Chinese philosophy, when the monster is living in the out house of the peasants an Arab woman named Safie arrives and her whole motive for being there is that she is trying to marry Felix because in the west women are allowed to have a station in society(citation needed) and if she went back to those barbaric Muslim countries she would be forced to join a harem. And then Clerval decides his calling is to quote "aid in the European colonization of India" and that line is just glossed over, he's a completely sympathetic character, and he dies at Adam's hands before he can do it. But I don't particularly blame Mary Shelley for any of that because who was gonna tell her that that's racist? It's the background radiation on society at the time. I hope if I ever get published people reading my book in 200 years will think of me as a pioneering trans author in my genre who was low key racist because it will mean society got better on the race issue.

Anyway tl;dr maybe, but reading the creature as a stand in for marginalized people is reading way against text (I think if you're reading it as a trans allegory the against text reading could work but a racial minority reading falls apart very quickly). The book contains orientalism that is jarring to a modern audience so let's not put the cart before the horse. It like most novels written in a year that starts with a 1, is a product of its time and requires that you read it with that in mind. it's part of how you read a book

[faithful-grigori]

“#EXACTLY, #Fuck you Felix I hope Safie leaves you, #He offered to free the merchant all without charge because it was justice~ but the second Safie is in the picture is all, #''Oh what a beautiful daughter 👀'' such hypocrite”

Right at the beginning:

The injustice of his sentence was very flagrant; all Paris was indignant; and it was judged that his religion and wealth, rather than the crime alleged against him, had been the cause of his condemnation.

Oh, what an interesting observation. Perhaps this chapter won't be a huge mess of xenophobia and islamophobia.

...

Safie related, that her mother was a Christian Arab, seized and made a slave by the Turks

...

taught her to aspire to higher powers of intellect, and an independence of spirit, forbidden to the female followers of Mahomet

...

Felix soon learned that the treacherous Turk, for whom he and his family endured such unheard-of oppression, on discovering that his deliverer was thus reduced to poverty and impotence, became a traitor to good feeling and honour, and had quitted Italy with his daughter, insultingly sending Felix a pittance of money to aid him, as he said, in some plan of future maintenance.

How dare he pay me so little for something I offered to do for free. It must be because of his religion/nationality.

[pussinbootsandbountyhunter]

Once Upon a Studio (Series) Season Two; Episode Eight: Giving a Miracle

(A Special Episode)

Info: It’s Mirabel’s 18th birthday but she and Asha discover King Magnifico and Queen Amaya’s secret that they had lost long ago, so they decided to do something special

Characters that would be part of the episode: Mirabel, Julieta, Agustín, Isabela, Luisa, Bruno, Alma, Pepa, Dolores, Camilo, Felix, Antonio, Asha, Magnifico, Amaya, Star, Sabino, Valentino, Sakina, Bazeema, Dahlia, Dario, Gabo, Hal, Safi, Simon, Mickey Mouse, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Minnie Mouse, Ortensia, The Mad Doctor, Gremlin Gus, Gremlin Prescott, Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Kristoff, Yen Sid, Pinocchio, Jiminy Cricket and Blue Fairy (properly more characters since this is a special episode of season two)

Hint: This episode is inspired from ‘At All Costs: A Rewrite’ that was written by UnaRei, Mirabel’s talent has been sewing beautiful clothing for her and maybe for her parents, Magnifico has a soft spot for children while Asha finds that surprising, Amaya and Julieta have a good bond, Mickey and Mad Doc are still having a secret relationship, Winnie the Pooh helped Agustín to get honey that was a good nod from S01 E09: A Special Honey Mission and Mirabel’s birthday is the 1st of March

Note: I'm planning to do some once upon a studio series as everyone wants to see if they can lend a hand for me by likes, comments and reblogs their ideas and create arts if they want!

[fallen-down-slowed-down]

(warning: 160+ f/o’s)

💌books

Cage Lackmann – The Graves of Whitechapel

Calvin Evans – Lessons in Chemistry ( book + TV series )

Dr. Henry Jekyll – Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde ( book + musical )

Fred Weasley – Harry Potter saga ( books + films )

Jacopo Ortis (poly) – Ultime Lettere di Jacopo Ortis

💌films/series/tv shows

Agent Stepdaughter + Gretel + Hansel (poly, with agent stepdaughter & Gretel) – Secret Magic Control Agency

Alva + Jesper Johansen + Mogens (poly, with Alva & Jesper) – Klaus

Anglaigus – Astérix: le Domaine des Dieux ( film + comic )

Aziraphale + Crowley (poly) – Good Omens

B.E.N. – Treasure Planet

Ballister Blackheart (poly) – Nimona

Benjamin Dunn – Mission: Impossible saga

Betterfly – Miraculous World: Paris, les Aventures de Toxinelle et Griffe Noire

Bruno Madrigal – Encanto

Burn-E – Burn-E

Camilo + Carlos Madrigal – Encanto

Chuck – Angry Birds duology

Cinderella – Disney’s Cinderella trilogy

Clopin Trouillefou – Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Cloudy – 7 Zwerge trilogy, 💍24.01.2021

Diaval – Maleficent duology

Dr. Herbert Cockroach – Monsters vs. Aliens

Ebenezer Scrooge – Scrooge: a Christmas Carol

Eugene + Rapunzel Fitzherbert (poly) – Disney’s Tangled

Félix Fathom – Miraculous: les Aventures de Ladybug et Chat Noir

Fix-it Felix Jr. – Wreck It Ralph

Gabo + Safi + Simon – Wish

Grand duke Rainier (nnic) – Disney’s Cinderella trilogy

Griffin – Hotel Transylvania saga

Grinch – Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch (2018)

Harrison Knott – Press Play

Héctor Rivera – Coco

Hermes – Disney’s Hercules

Hickory – Trolls: World Tour

Jack + Kio + Noki + Pino – Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarves

Jaq – Disney’s Cinderella trilogy

Joe Bradley – Roman Holiday

John Watson (poly) – BBC’s Sherlock Holmes

Lieutenant Columbo – Columbo

Lumiére – The Beauty and the Beast ( films )

Major Major Major – Catch-22

Megamind – Megamind

Miles Miller – Bad Times at the El Royale

Mr. Tumnus - The Chronicles of Narnia

Mugman – The Cuphead Show!

Ned McDodd – Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!

Once-ler – Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, 💍24.07.2022

Pasunmotdeplus – Astérix aux Jeux Olympiques

Peter Graham – Hereditary

Rhett Abbott – Outer Range

Rigolin – Pil

Robert Floyd – Top Gun: Maverick

Snake – The Bad Guys

Stanley Uris – IT (2017-2019)

Stephen Meeks – Dead Poets Society

Tadashi Hamada – Big Hero 6

Tatsuhiko Shibusawa – Bungō Stray Dogs: Dead Apple ( manga + film )

Thranduil – The Hobbit trilogy

Timon – The Lion King trilogy

Tin man – Legends of Oz / Fantastic Journey to Oz (separately)

Tristain – Pil

Tulio (poly) – The Road to El Dorado

V – V for Vendetta

Victor Van Dort – Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride

Vincenzo Santorini – Atlantis: the Lost Empire

💌videogames

Aesop Carl – Identity V

Alexandre + Brandon + Frank + Ji-Yeong + Lee + Soul – Subway Surfers

Akihiko Satou – Ikemen Vampire

Anatoli – Alchemy Stars

Azul Ashengrotto, 💍06.04.2024 + Jade Leech – Twisted Wonderland ( videogame + manga )

Barbatos + Beelzebub + Lucifer – Obey Me! duology

Barton – Alchemy Stars

Charon – Alchemy Stars

Daniel Schwartz – Alchemy Stars

Dire Crowley + Rook Hunt – Twisted Wonderland ( videogame + manga )

Faust – Alchemy Stars

Florine – Alchemy Stars

Gertzurde – Alchemy Stars

Jane – Alchemy Stars

Johann Georg Faust – Ikemen Vampire

Jola – Alchemy Stars

Jomu – Alchemy Stars

Julian Devorak + Lucio Morgasson – The Arcana

Leo – Alchemy Stars

Leyn + Matthieu – Alchemy Stars

Luke – Alchemy Stars

Moon + Sun – Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach

Narrator – The Stanley Parable

Novio – Alchemy Stars

Roy – Alchemy Stars

Sariel Noir – Ikemen Prince

Steel – Speedy Ninja

Sucre + Zacharie – OFF

Trey Clover – Twisted Wonderland ( videogame + manga )

Winston – Royal Match

💌other type of source

Adam – Hellaverse

Adrien Agreste – Miraculous universe

Alastor + Vox – Hellaverse

Asmodeus + Fizzarolli (poly) – Hellaverse

ATEEZ/Black Pirates/HALATEEZ – ATEEZ ( band )

Bane – DC universe

Beetlejuice – Beetlejuice ( musical )

Caine + Jax + Kinger – The Amazing Digital Circus

Doppo Kunikida – Bungō Stray Dogs universe

Edward Nashton – DC universe

Ethan Green – Hatchetfield universe

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald – Bungō Stray Dogs universe, 💍09.06.2022

Gabriel Adrian (nnic) – Hatchetfield universe

Hank Miller – OC

Henry Hidgens – Hatchetfield universe

Howard Phillips Lovecraft + Nathaniel Hawthorne – Bungō Stray Dogs universe

Johnathon Ohnn / the Spot – Marvel universe

Joker – DC universe

Grell Sutcliff – Kuroshitsuji universe, 💍03.09.2022

Knuckles – Sonic universe

Lucifer – Hellaverse

Luigi – Nintendo universe

Luka Couffaine – Miraculous universe

Marc Anciel + Nathaniel Kurtzberg (poly) – Miraculous universe

Marcus Cubitus – Astérix universe

Mark Connor (nnic) – The Simple Plot of... ( music videos )

Millie + Moxxie Knolastname (poly) – Hellaverse

Motojirō Kajii + Ryūrō Hirotsu – Bungō Stray Dogs universe

Mountain ghoul + Swiss Army ghoul – Ghost ( band )

Nathalie Sancœur – Miraculous universe

Night Owl – Miraculous universe

Ōgai Mori, 💍01.11.2022 + Yukichi Fukuzawa (poly) – Bungō Stray Dogs universe

Patrick Waff + Peter Roghlow (poly) – @scimmy’s OCs

Sparrow – Miraculous universe

Spiderman Noir – Marvel universe

Stolas – Hellaverse

Ted Spankoffski – Hatchetfield universe

Zestial – Hellaverse

[thebibi]

The thing that's really wild is that Shelley condemns the colonization of the Americas and the genocide of indigenous people in earlier chapters. And from what I understand, Shelley also boycotted sugar as an abolitionist because it was predominantly made by slave labor. She was properly "woke" by 1810s standards. But she cannot humanise Turkish characters in a way that gives them the same sympathy.

The redeeming factor of Safie is that she was raised as secretly Christian by her mother, and as such she is afforded a happy ending. Ironically, while Shelley writes how much Safie longs to be free from the shackles of the harem, women's rights were more progressive in the the Ottoman Empire as it was in Germany. Women could divorce, own and inherit property. Her freedom of movement would be restricted only if she was middle class or rich, but as usual poor women where always expected to work. So the insistance that she can live a better life in a strange country by marrying a white man because women are freer is a total lie.

On the other hand, I cannot help but think about how Safie and Adam are both outsiders who have been abandoned by their parents (or rather, Safie abandoned her father, and Adam was abandoned by his). I wonder if Adam gains the idea of wanting a bride from hearing how Felix bargains for Safie, as if it could be that simple.

[faithful-grigori]

“#the timeline changes are apparently just to fix a slight discrepancy, #so they don't really make a big difference”

It was in the latter end of August that I departed, to pass two years of exile. Elizabeth approved of the reasons of my departure, and only regretted that she had not the same opportunities of enlarging her experience, and cultivating her understanding. She wept, however, as she bade me farewell, and entreated me to return happy and tranquil. "We all," said she, "depend upon you; and if you are miserable, what must be our feelings?"

1818

It was in the latter end of September that I again quitted my native country. My journey had been my own suggestion, and Elizabeth, therefore, acquiesced: but she was filled with disquiet at the idea of my suffering, away from her, the inroads of misery and grief. It had been her care which provided me a companion in Clerval—and yet a man is blind to a thousand minute circumstances, which call forth a woman's sedulous attention. She longed to bid me hasten my return,—a thousand conflicting emotions rendered her mute as she bade me a tearful silent farewell.

1831

One last comparison from today's chapter - and it's another 'let's remove nuance from Elizabeth to make her more of a caring/supportive woman figure' change!

In 1818, when Victor leaves, she thinks he has a good idea (remember his reasoning was to see more of the world before settling down to married life) and wishes she could do the same. A small moment, but one that ties into feminist themes regarding the difference between treatment of/expectations for men and women. This also reminds me of Safie and Felix; she was quite well traveled, but when moving about under her own power could only go straight to seek a man who would offer her refuge. She also needed to be taught by Felix, including geography which definitely struck me as pretty condescending given her background and a clunky way of ensuring the Creature would know where he was going. Finally, Elizabeth ends by crying and worrying about Victor, leaving him on a question. Not only does that emphasize the uncertainty surrounding his own actions, and even the entire narrative of the novel - it also is phrased in a way to exacerbate his feelings of responsibility towards his family. And of course, thus his failures to meet said responsibilities. If he is miserable, what must be their feelings = their feelings depend upon him, and his failure to be happy/finish things with the Creature manifestly makes life worse for them. Not that I'm saying Elizabeth is intending anything but to express concern, but the way she does so ties in well with ongoing themes and weights on Victor's mind.

In 1831, Elizabeth's reaction is changed dramatically. It might not seem so at first, given that she worries about him in both versions, but let me explain. Rather than considering his reasoning and deeming it worthwhile, this Elizabeth simply agrees to the trip because Victor chose it himself. In 1818 Victor that would have been more of a sign of him coming out of his shell and taking charge or his own life, but since 1831 Victor has already been more consistently doing so, this reaction doesn't read that way. Instead it gives a more passive "well, I trust you, dear" kind of meek wife vibe to me. Similarly, this Elizabeth doesn't spare a single thought for her own desires outside of worrying for Victor; in losing that we lose the feminist angle. She is worried about him suffering away from her, and so provides him another companion, but even then worries because Clerval as a man could never be as dedicated to Victor's needs as she is as a woman. Elizabeth has nothing on her mind but taking care of Victor. She still cried this time, but instead of asking Victor to take care of himself, she instead begs him to return to her soon. This also emphasizes the romantic relationship between them, especially given that in 1818 she doesn't seem to mind him being gone multiple years, while in 1831 she's much more concerned about a trip planned to be less than a year. Finally, by losing Elizabeth's parting question we not only lose how it ties into all those themes of family/duty/failure... she also is literally silenced. She doesn't get a speaking line at all, doesn't get to wish she could travel too, doesn't do anything but worry over Victor and hope he comes home soon.

Not huge changes to the text, but I think it's a pretty decent impact on Elizabeth's character.

[church-and-state]

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in Comparison to Modern Ideas of Amatonormativity and Isolation Caused Violence

Frankenstein is a novel that carries many themes applicable to the modern day. The traditional lens through which Frankenstein is viewed is that of an omen of scary technology to come. But here I will go into the relationships within Frankenstein, and how their themes parallel to the present.

Amatonormativity is the assumption that all human beings pursue love or romance, especially by means of a monogamous long-term relationship. There are two main instances of amatonormativity in the novel, Victor’s marriage to Elizabeth and the Creature’s want for a wife. Starting with the Creature, through chapters 10-16 he witnesses the life of a family in a cottage. During this, he watches Felix and Safie court each other. His time watching the De Laceys is the Creature’s only prolonged study of humans at this point, and Safie’s arrival notably ups the spirits of Felix and the others in the house. The message the Creature then learns is that partners, especially those of a female kind, make one happy. This is exacerbated by Safie’s “otherness,” which the Creature identifies with. She comes from a distant land, and doesn’t speak the language, but is accepted nonetheless.

Additionally, the Creature continually seeks validation of his humanity. He wants acceptance, and even more so, he wants love. Romantic love is often seen as a hallmark for one’s humanity, we perceive it as going beyond animals’ basic need for procreation. When we strip those of their humanity, we tend to strip them of their ability to love. So to gain precious humanity, the Creature asks for a mate. And the way he describes her fits perfectly within the confines of amatonormativity; saying that they will live together, never seeing another soul, until his dying breath (a long-term monogamous relationship). This idea is so fixed in his mind that he eventually kills Elizabeth and Henry over it.

A thread through Victor’s entire life is his adopted sister, and eventual wife, Elizabeth. From the beginning of his life, Victor is heavily encouraged to marry Elizabeth. His mother wishes so on her deathbed, and his father reiterates this sentiment throughout the book. Victor’s relationship with Elizabeth is very important to him, and when he is threatened or feeling adrift, he tends to invoke her name. But the way he talks about her contrasts this. He tends to use more stilted language: “I love my cousin tenderly and sincerely, I never saw any woman who excited, as Elizabeth does, my warmest admiration and affection.” Especially in comparison to how he describes his best friend, Henry Clerval: “His wild and enthusiastic imagination was chastened by the sensibility of his heart. His soul overflowed with ardent affections, and his friendship was of that devoted and wondrous nature that the worldly-minded teach us to look for only in the imagination…” This is representative of amatonormativity because even though Victor has more explicit and broader affection for his friend, he focuses his life and thoughts around Elizabeth (the person he is supposed to be in a long-term monogamous relationship with).

This correlates to modern-day amatonormativity as codified in law. Married couples get tax deductions and next-of-kin privileges. By emphasizing the importance of romantic love in Victor’s and the Creature’s lives, Shelley reinforces ideas of romantic supremacy and the undermining of open and platonic relationships.

The Creature is, despite his initial benevolence, treated with extreme cruelty that eventually results in his complete social ostracization. He is rejected by his creator, he is rejected by people he thought of as friends, and any attempt to build himself a mate is thwarted. As a result, he lashes out. After being rejected by the De Laceys, the Creature burns down their cottage. This has a startling similarity to school shooters. According to a study published, school shooters “seem to be anomic and have stopped trying to integrate into groups,” just as the Creature had. Social isolation works as a “crisis multiplier”, this is seen represented in the Creature because, at the beginning of his tale, he is already in a precarious position. He is treated with hostility, homeless, and struggles to find food, but it is not until he is rejected by the De Laceys that he turns to violence. The Creature would have never acted violently if society at the very least, amicability interacted with him. This is mirrored by mass shootings, although their perpetrators’ motivations are more complicated, they both have solutions that lie at societal and individual levels. Either more societal acceptance for those perceived as “others” and/or one person who takes it upon themself to break through the norms, and provide a meaningful relationship.

[hellsitesonlybookclub]

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Chapter XIV

"Some time elapsed before I learned the history of my friends. It was one which could not fail to impress itself deeply on my mind, unfolding as it did a number of circumstances, each interesting and wonderful to one so utterly inexperienced as I was.

"The name of the old man was De Lacey. He was descended from a good family in France, where he had lived for many years in affluence, respected by his superiors, and beloved by his equals. His son was bred in the service of his country; and Agatha had ranked with ladies of the highest distinction. A few months before my arrival, they had lived in a large and luxurious city, called Paris, surrounded by friends, and possessed of every enjoyment which virtue, refinement of intellect, or taste, accompanied by a moderate fortune, could afford.

"The father of Safie had been the cause of their ruin. He was a Turkish merchant, and had inhabited Paris for many years, when, for some reason which I could not learn, he became obnoxious to the government. He was seized and cast into prison the very day that Safie arrived from Constantinople to join him. He was tried, and condemned to death. The injustice of his sentence was very flagrant; all Paris was indignant; and it was judged that his religion and wealth, rather than the crime alleged against him, had been the cause of his condemnation.

"Felix had accidentally been present at the trial; his horror and indignation were uncontrollable, when he heard the decision of the court. He made, at that moment, a solemn vow to deliver him, and then looked around for the means. After many fruitless attempts to gain admittance to the prison, he found a strongly grated window in an unguarded part of the building, which lighted the dungeon of the unfortunate Mahometan; who, loaded with chains, waited in despair the execution of the barbarous sentence. Felix visited the grate at night, and made known to the prisoner his intentions in his favour. The Turk, amazed and delighted, endeavoured to kindle the zeal of his deliverer by promises of reward and wealth. Felix rejected his offers with contempt; yet when he saw the lovely Safie, who was allowed to visit her father, and who, by her gestures, expressed her lively gratitude, the youth could not help owning to his own mind, that the captive possessed a treasure which would fully reward his toil and hazard.

"The Turk quickly perceived the impression that his daughter had made on the heart of Felix, and endeavoured to secure him more entirely in his interests by the promise of her hand in marriage, so soon as he should be conveyed to a place of safety. Felix was too delicate to accept this offer; yet he looked forward to the probability of the event as to the consummation of his happiness.

"During the ensuing days, while the preparations were going forward for the escape of the merchant, the zeal of Felix was warmed by several letters that he received from this lovely girl, who found means to express her thoughts in the language of her lover by the aid of an old man, a servant of her father, who understood French. She thanked him in the most ardent terms for his intended services towards her parent; and at the same time she gently deplored her own fate.

"I have copies of these letters; for I found means, during my residence in the hovel, to procure the implements of writing; and the letters were often in the hands of Felix or Agatha. Before I depart, I will give them to you, they will prove the truth of my tale; but at present, as the sun is already far declined, I shall only have time to repeat the substance of them to you.

"Safie related, that her mother was a Christian Arab, seized and made a slave by the Turks; recommended by her beauty, she had won the heart of the father of Safie, who married her. The young girl spoke in high and enthusiastic terms of her mother, who, born in freedom, spurned the bondage to which she was now reduced. She instructed her daughter in the tenets of her religion, and taught her to aspire to higher powers of intellect, and an independence of spirit, forbidden to the female followers of Mahomet. This lady died; but her lessons were indelibly impressed on the mind of Safie, who sickened at the prospect of again returning to Asia, and being immured within the walls of a haram, allowed only to occupy herself with infantile amusements, ill suited to the temper of her soul, now accustomed to grand ideas and a noble emulation for virtue. The prospect of marrying a Christian, and remaining in a country where women were allowed to take a rank in society, was enchanting to her.

"The day for the execution of the Turk was fixed; but, on the night previous to it, he quitted his prison, and before morning was distant many leagues from Paris. Felix had procured passports in the name of his father, sister, and himself. He had previously communicated his plan to the former, who aided the deceit by quitting his house, under the pretence of a journey, and concealed himself, with his daughter, in an obscure part of Paris.

"Felix conducted the fugitives through France to Lyons, and across Mont Cenis to Leghorn, where the merchant had decided to wait a favourable opportunity of passing into some part of the Turkish dominions.

"Safie resolved to remain with her father until the moment of his departure, before which time the Turk renewed his promise that she should be united to his deliverer; and Felix remained with them in expectation of that event; and in the mean time he enjoyed the society of the Arabian, who exhibited towards him the simplest and tenderest affection. They conversed with one another through the means of an interpreter, and sometimes with the interpretation of looks; and Safie sang to him the divine airs of her native country.

"The Turk allowed this intimacy to take place, and encouraged the hopes of the youthful lovers, while in his heart he had formed far other plans. He loathed the idea that his daughter should be united to a Christian; but he feared the resentment of Felix, if he should appear lukewarm; for he knew that he was still in the power of his deliverer, if he should choose to betray him to the Italian state which they inhabited. He revolved a thousand plans by which he should be enabled to prolong the deceit until it might be no longer necessary, and secretly to take his daughter with him when he departed. His plans were facilitated by the news which arrived from Paris.

"The government of France were greatly enraged at the escape of their victim, and spared no pains to detect and punish his deliverer. The plot of Felix was quickly discovered, and De Lacey and Agatha were thrown into prison. The news reached Felix, and roused him from his dream of pleasure. His blind and aged father, and his gentle sister, lay in a noisome dungeon, while he enjoyed the free air, and the society of her whom he loved. This idea was torture to him. He quickly arranged with the Turks, that if the latter should find a favourable opportunity for escape before Felix could return to Italy, Safie should remain as a boarder at a convent at Leghorn; and then, quitting the lovely Arabian, he hastened to Paris, and delivered himself up to the vengeance of the law, hoping to free De Lacey and Agatha by this proceeding.

"He did not succeed. They remained confined for five months before the trial took place; the result of which deprived them of their fortune, and condemned them to a perpetual exile from their native country.

"They found a miserable asylum in the cottage in Germany, where I discovered them. Felix soon learned that the treacherous Turk, for whom he and his family endured such unheard-of oppression, on discovering that his deliverer was thus reduced to poverty and ruin, became a traitor to good feeling and honour, and had quitted Italy with his daughter, insultingly sending Felix a pittance of money, to aid him, as he said, in some plan of future maintenance.

"Such were the events that preyed on the heart of Felix, and rendered him, when I first saw him, the most miserable of his family. He could have endured poverty; and while this distress had been the meed of his virtue, he gloried in it: but the ingratitude of the Turk, and the loss of his beloved Safie, were misfortunes more bitter and irreparable. The arrival of the Arabian now infused new life into his soul.

"When the news reached Leghorn, that Felix was deprived of his wealth and rank, the merchant commanded his daughter to think no more of her lover, but to prepare to return to her native country. The generous nature of Safie was outraged by this command; she attempted to expostulate with her father, but he left her angrily, reiterating his tyrannical mandate.

"A few days after, the Turk entered his daughter's apartment, and told her hastily, that he had reason to believe that his residence at Leghorn had been divulged, and that he should speedily be delivered up to the French government; he had, consequently hired a vessel to convey him to Constantinople, for which city he should sail in a few hours. He intended to leave his daughter under the care of a confidential servant, to follow at her leisure with the greater part of his property, which had not yet arrived at Leghorn.

"When alone, Safie resolved in her own mind the plan of conduct that it would become her to pursue in this emergency. A residence in Turkey was abhorrent to her; her religion and her feelings were alike adverse to it. By some papers of her father, which fell into her hands, she heard of the exile of her lover, and learnt the name of the spot where he then resided. She hesitated some time, but at length she formed her determination. Taking with her some jewels that belonged to her, and a sum of money, she quitted Italy with an attendant, a native of Leghorn, but who understood the common language of Turkey, and departed for Germany.

"She arrived in safety at a town about twenty leagues from the cottage of De Lacey, when her attendant fell dangerously ill. Safie nursed her with the most devoted affection; but the poor girl died, and the Arabian was left alone, unacquainted with the language of the country, and utterly ignorant of the customs of the world. She fell, however, into good hands. The Italian had mentioned the name of the spot for which they were bound; and, after her death, the woman of the house in which they had lived took care that Safie should arrive in safety at the cottage of her lover."

[vickyvicarious]

She thanked him in the most ardent terms for his intended services towards her father; and at the same time deeply deplored her own fate.

1818

She thanked him in the most ardent terms for his intended services towards her parent; and at the same time gently deplored her own fate.

1831

There seem to be very few changes between editions in the Creature chapters, and so far it has only been a word or two which don't make much difference in my mind (for example, from later in this chapter, changing "puerile amusements" in 1818 to "infantile amusements" in 1831, or changing "his plans were greatly facilitated" to "his plans were facilitated").

But, while the above quote is also only a two-word change, it feels like one which definitely changes the meaning. 1818 says father as Safie deplores her fate when told she's going to be married off to a stranger. This once again emphasizes the prevalence of a strained fatherly relationship and a child sacrificing their desires to familial duties, a bit more than the shift to the less specific parent does in 1831. It's an odd change, as Safie and her father are meant to be at odds, and he in fact is villainized in some pretty cliche/racist ways throughout the rest of the chapter, so that dimension of their relationship doesn't exactly go away. But while he's still called her father later in the same sentence when she is defying him, it happens later on after he's betrayed the De Laceys. Perhaps the shift to parent is meant to show how she is dedicated to her family as a concept more than this specific man who doesn't deserve it; in a sense, more to the memory of her mother's values which align her with the De Lacey family. It's kinda muddy, though, and I'm not sure how much difference it makes here.

The main change that actually strikes me here is the difference between deeply/gently deploring her fate. In both editions, after spending time with him Safie fairly quickly decides that marrying Felix is okay, actually. And that, in fact, it's the right/desirable thing to do even to the point of running away from her father (though I think you could read it as more her following an honorable course of action/not having many other decent options rather than her necessarily loving him as well). Still, at the beginning Safie was not pleased about the idea. Literally gentling her reaction feels like minimizing her distress in anticipation of this 'he's a good guy' happy ending - meanwhile erasing a sign of Safie's intense emotions, and how they were helpless to the pressure of familial expectation. Once again, something that plays into themes of at the very least the original 1818 Frankenstein family. In this specific circumstance, it also plays into female freedom or lack thereof, and such feminist themes as well.