In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein many themes are introduced within the first ten chapters. One of the biggest themes I have noticed is obsession. Throughout Victor Frankenstein’s life he has been an introvert. His obsession with his studies kept him from having many friends. Even his only friend, Henry Clerval, was obsessed with studying as well. As a young person Victor’s obsession had little effect on him other than lacking friendships; however that changed, as he got older. As a man Victor becomes so obsessed with his studies that he begins to collect body parts to create a perfect human. He is enticed with his experiment to make a body of collected limbs and parts come to life. Through his enthrallment Frankenstein begins to isolate himself more than ever. He essentially locks himself away from everyone, including his family, not speaking to them for two years. Not only does his social life fade away, but so does his health during this time. Victor is no longer a healthy man, but a weak and tired one.

Victor’s obsession in his life is very unhealthy. It destroyed his relationships as well as his health, but furthermore it brought him great despair. After endless days and nights of work Victor’s hard and tedious work his creation comes to life. You would think that this would overwhelm Victor with joy and excitement, however that is not the case. Once Victor saw the “yellow dull eye” of his creation he was terrified. He was scared of his creation and disappointed in himself that he created something so horrific. Through his fear and dismay Victor runs away from his creation, which then roams into the world alone.

I think that in this novel Shelley argues that obsession is unhealthy and dangerous. Being so occupied with only one thing is detrimental to ones life. It not only takes you away from the rest of the world, but it can also cause you to neglect you health and every day needs. Furthermore, being so in love and focused on one thing in your life can set you up for failure. If you dedicate yourself to one specific thing and it doesn’t come out the way you intended, it will most likely bring you great disappointment, similar to the disappointment Victor felt after seeing his monster alive. At this point in the novel I wonder if Frankenstein will learn from this horrid experience. Will his obsession with learning dwindle? How will he overcome the happenings that his obsession has caused?

The Gutenberg Elegies by Sven Birkerts is an awakening into the transition from paperback and hard covered physical texts to computerized and technological reading. Birkerts discusses his feelings on the generation of readers moving from physical books to electronic ones and his disapproval that generates from the new trend. He feels as though the sanctity  of reading is being lost through technology.  Furthermore, he discusses his personal interactions with his literature in his life. He describes himself getting lost in the books he read saying he loved them for the “wonderful ciphering of thought and sensation” they gave him. Reading gave him joy  and a way to leave his life for a little while and live in someone else’s; it was an escape. An escape that he believes is lost when reading and writing is done electronically. He believes the sharing and discussion of works online ruins the personal experience of the reader and limits them from truly becoming one with their reading. However, Birkerts also states that the “advent of the computer and the astonishingly sophistication achieved by our electronic communications media have together turned a range of isolated changes into something systemic”. This quote really caught my attention simply because it contradicts Birkerts previous opinions. It essentially states that through media and technology we can relate to and enjoy literary works communally instead of in solitude. I completely agree with this idea. Personally, although i would rather read a physical book, I appreciate online articles and texts especially ones that allow people to express their opinions. I enjoy articles with comments because after I finish my reading I have usually formulated an opinion on it and have only thought about it from my perspective, but with comment sections there is an endless realm of different perspectives and opinions on the same article. As a reader, the interactiveness of electronic reading gives me a better way to understand certain literature. It opens my mind to a plethora of ideas and interpretations that further my knowledge on a topic and sometimes even changes my mind set on things. I believe that the technological advancements being made with literature are incredible. Not only does it allow us to share and experiment with literature, but also brings us into the minds of other people and not just the text we are reading, is that not the same if not even better than just being inside of a book?