Frankenstein Finishing School

Last month, I read Luisa Igloria's Facebook post which was actually Dean Young's "Romanticism 101," which you can find here. I thought about my morning's blog post (I had spent the morning having great fun writing the post that gave life lessons from Wuthering Heights) and wondered if it could be constructed as a kind of poem.

As I cut and pasted, then I thought of a series of Life Lesson poems from Romantic literature, so I decided to do the same thing for Frankenstein. 

 I pulled Frankenstein off the shelf, just to double check my memory. I had forgotten that the book is so full of such lonely people, people who are isolated even when they're with others.

I thought about Mary Shelley's life of abandonment: mother dead in giving birth to her, father preoccupied with new family, husband who will always be fascinated with others before an early death, dead babies, life on the run from creditors, . . . oh, Mary Shelley!

Since today is Mary Shelley's birthday, I'll celebrate by posting life lessons from Frankenstein:

--Some pursuits are not worth the price.

--It’s wonderful to recycle, but beware the impulse to animate.

--If you mistreat your creations, it will not end well for you.

--Name your creations, lest they be named after you.

--We’re all looking for a family.

--Do not underestimate the rage of the rejected.

--If you’re warned about someone’s destructive nature, pay attention.

--If, in an alien landscape, you see a man on a sledge, do not get sucked in.

--Yes, you’re lonely in an ice-encrusted sea.  Do not hail the stranger.

--You thought that nature would be your solace.  It may be your curse.

--Some pursuits are not worth the price.