8. “What may not be expected in a country of eternal light?” (1)
“I was like an Arabian who had been buried with the dead and found a passage to life, aided only by one glimmering and seemingly ineffectual light.” (31)
The pursuit of knowledge is a big theme in Frankenstein, and almost everything that happens is a result of this. Shelley uses light as a symbol of knowledge, or at least what is perceived to be knowledge. In this first quote, Walton speaks of the cold land he is in as a “country of eternal light,” and this is where he travels to seek knowledge. When Victor finally succeeds in animating lifeless matter, he compares himself to the Arabian, from The Fourth Voyage of Sinbad, in which he is trapped in a tomb underground but is eventually led to safety by a “glimmering light” (although is was actually an animal). And so it is the light of knowledge that has rescued Victor from his obsessive search.
(18), Us. "Arabian Nights: The Fourth Voyage of Sinbad the Sailor - Candlelight Stories." Candlelight Stories - Fiction, Movies, Games, Audio, Books and News for All Ages. Web. 04 Oct. 2011. <http://www.candlelightstories.com/2009/03/27/arabian-nights-the-fourth-voyage-of-sinbad-the-sailor/>.
"big" -- strongest langauge? in fact, that whole first line feels rather.. toss away.. . compared to the rest of this entry; how can you strengthen that opening line?
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ReplyDeleteThe pursuit of knowledge is a significant theme in Frankenstein, and almost every occurrence is a result of this. Shelley uses light as a symbol of knowledge, or at least what is perceived to be knowledge. In this first quote, Walton speaks of the cold land he is in as a “country of eternal light,” and this is where he travels to seek knowledge. When Victor finally succeeds in animating lifeless matter, he compares himself to the Arabian, from The Fourth Voyage of Sinbad, in which he is trapped in a tomb underground but is eventually led to safety by a “glimmering light” (although is was actually an animal). And so it is the light of knowledge that has rescued Victor from his obsessive search.
I like significant -- that's more effect language -- almost occurrence of.. ANYTHING.. that now feels vague to me. What if this entry were just about light as a symbol of knowledge? Is that a big enough idea unto itself? Could you bring it around to the bigger idea at the end and perhaps spare yourself the more vague language?
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