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Bezig met laden... The Memoirs of Elizabeth Frankenstein (1995)door Theodore Roszak
   Bezig met laden...
 Meld je aan bij LibraryThing om erachter te komen of je dit boek goed zult vinden. Op dit moment geen Discussie gesprekken over dit boek.  memccauley6 | May 3, 2016 |   Those were three important figures in the original novel, all killed by the Monster, and NONE of them figure in this novel... not even a single mention of their names. The author mentions Victor's other brother, but not the one that died. I found that disappointing. (  ) VincentDarlage | Jan 30, 2015 | Won the 1995 Tiptree Award. I wasn't quite sure what to expect; it's not terribly closely related to Shelley's own Frankenstein (and I'm baffled by the numerous online reviews whining that it's not a "sequel" - most of the book is set before the action of the original novel, so if anything it would be a prequel; but in reality it is an extended meditation on the character of Elizabeth Frankenstein and what might have shaped her life and Victor's to their date with destiny. It provides an unexpected background of the creation of the monster in the obsession of the senior Baroness Frankenstein with alchemy, and her manipulation of Elizabeth (who is presented as Victor's adopted sister, as well as his eventual wife) and Victor as part of her own grand plan, which inevitably grinds to a halt against Victor's interest in science rather than alchemy, though he shares the goal of creating a new form of life (and indeed is more successful). Poor Elizabeth is nastily manipulated by everyone, though I was amused by the outraged scholarly apparatus purportedly provided by an older Robert Walton (who, as everyone forgets, is the narrator of the framing story in Shelley). Inevitably one must compare with Mists of Avalon, which is the same sort of book (reframing of familiar legendary material through perspective of an alternative, more female-centred and largely fictional belief system). I think Roszak is a bit more disciplined than Bradley, but is also drawing on a smaller canvas which may make that easier. (  ) nwhyte | Jul 20, 2014 |  ) marthaearly | Jun 6, 2014 | The conceit is that the man who recorded the last words of Victor Frankenstein is presenting the memoirs of Victor's wife, Elizabeth. Elizabeth is fascinating, an Italian girl whose father gives her, after her mother's death, to the Romany midwife who delivered her. The Baroness Frankenstein adopts her to be Victor's sister, partner in the Great Work, and wife, raising Elizabeth in women's mysteries. She is to provide a stabilising influence on Victor, but his manic nature is hard to control. It's a pretty dark book, with incest, rape and murder, and I found it disruptive that at the ends of various sections the naturalist character steps in as an editor and discredits Elizabeth's experiences, dismissing them as the overwrought imaginations of a weak an intellectually inferior woman. I would have enjoyed the book a lot more without the editoralising, but I see the point of it, as it gave more context to how she was perceived in her own time and just after. ( )1  silentq | Apr 22, 2011 | geen besprekingen | voeg een bespreking toe
Prijzen
"In The Memoirs of Elizabeth Frankenstein, Theodore Roszak offers us a subversive, erotically charged counterpart to Mary Shelley's classic, Frankenstein. It is presented in the form of a secret autobiography, a soul-baring document intended for the eyes of a single reader: Elizabeth's brother, lover, and spiritual other half - Victor Frankenstein. The writings are discovered by Sir Robert Walton, the Arctic explorer who, in Mary Shelley's original novel, recorded Victor's deathbed confession. Walton becomes obsessed with learning the full story behind the mad doctor's last words. From the tattered pages of Elizabeth's journal and the scattered clues Walton finds as he re-creates her life, a compelling tale of moral horror unfolds." "In her memoirs, Elizabeth emerges as a spirited woman far ahead of her times. Rescued as a child from the Gipsies by the brilliant Lady Caroline Frankenstein, she is raised as young Victor's adopted sister. Under Lady Caroline's guidance, Elizabeth is initiated into a circle of "cunning women" - outsiders would call them witches - who are the guardians of long-forgotten pagan ceremonies and healing arts. She and Victor are schooled in ancient teachings that have been transmitted through female adepts who understand the mysteries of nature. The goal is to unite the two in the "chemical marriage," a step toward the union of all opposites that will restore the Earth to balance. The two youths pursue their education through the shadowy realms of alchemical lore and tantric sexual rites until a moment of weakness disrupts the quest. Tormented by shame and anger, Victor turns to the "unhallowed arts" that result in his misbegotten Creature, the vengeful fiend who will haunt Elizabeth's fatal wedding night."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
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 Google Books — Bezig met laden...GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde: (3.27)
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Readers of many books, for example Marion Zimmer Bradley’s “Mists of Avalon” will be familiar with the Druidic concept of “The Great Marriage”, “Marriage With the Land”, or “The Sacred Marriage” as Dan Brown calls it in “The DaVinci Code”. In this novel, Baroness Frankenstein, mother of Victor and adopted mother of Elizabeth tries to indoctrinate her pre-teen step-siblings into the Druidic mysteries / tantric sex rites / alchemical ceremonies to further “The Great Work” of “The Chymical Marriage”. So, the author describes in great detail how these two kids are encouraged and instructed in how to perform these esoteric sex acts while the adult teachers look on. Somehow this was supposed to further alchemical outcomes, like producing the philosopher’s stone, but I never understood that part.
Elizabeth’s journal tells how she was systematically brainwashed and raped over and over again at the direction of her mother. Think this description is too harsh, that it was in the name of religion and divine mysteries? Just imagine that the leader was the father instead. Not many books offend me, but this one did.
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