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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/frankenstein/frankensteincvr.jpg)
| Frankenstein
by Mary Shelley
Frankenstein is a story many of us think we know but actually don't. Very few films have followed the novel very closely. The monster of the book is intelligent and soft-spoken. The themes are timeless and full of conflict. Join us as we read this fantastic story, created by 19-year old Mary Shelley, and share your thoughts about its characters and meanings.
Post here to let us know you'll be joining us starting July 1.
"Remember that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed."
Discussion Leaders: PatH (rjhighet@earthlink.net) and marcie (MarcieI@aol.com) |
The full text is available online at literature.org (http://www.literature.org/authors/shelley-mary/frankenstein/) and Read Print (http://www.readprint.com/work-1355/Frankenstein-Mary-Wollstonecraft-Shelley) and Project Gutenberg (http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/84)
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Online version of original 1818 Edition (http://www.brian-t-murphy.com/FrankensteinV1.htm)
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Post here to let us know you'll be joining us in July to talk about this classic tale that is much more than a horror story. If you've only seen film versions, you'll find the tone of the story quite different.
All are welcome! This should be a perfect summer read!
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Yes, yes, I'll be here. Really ignorant about the real story, and the author, Mary Shelley...and what brought an 18 year old girl to this subject. Count me in!
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Great! I'm so glad you'll be joining the group, JoanP.
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I'll be here.
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Its been so long since I first read this it will be new to me now. Count me in.
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Welcome, JoanP, Frybabe, and Jackie. We're off to a good start.
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I'm glad you'll be joining us, Frybabe and mrssherlock.
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Ordered book today.
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One of my cable stations is showing Mary Shelley's Frankenstein this morning. To bad I don't like watching TV in the morning except for news and weather. I'd probably turn it off after a half hour. I need to do a little yard work this morning before it gets too hot.
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I don't see it, Fry, but wonder if it's really Mary Shelley's Frank...
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Yep, that was the name. I think it started at 8am. I don't remember what station. Gotta run. Need to do some yard clean up before the rain (and heat).
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Wikipedia's entry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein only tantalizes me more. Mention of a new edition, with the original text and Percy Bysse Shelley's additions is available:
On 1 October 2008, the Bodleian published a new edition of Frankenstein which contains comparisons of Mary Shelley's original text with Percy Shelley's additions and interventions alongside. The new edition is edited by Charles E. Robinson: The Original Frankenstein
see at Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/originalfrankenstein
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The 1994 movie, directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh, was titled "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein". It's a lot closer to the book than most, and at times seems to have the spirit of the original, but it's also so incredibly, unnecessarily, viciously bloody and gruesome that I would hesitate to recommend it.
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As a rule, I don't care for horror films. Especially the newer ones. I do like the really old ones like Bela Lagosi's Dracula. They weren't into showing blood and gore back then. I've seen most of Vincent Price's films. The comedies are good, like "Young Frankenstein" with Gene Wilder, et.al. and "Dead and Loving It" (I think) with Leslie Neilson.
I like SciFi but not so much the SciFi/Horror blends.
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Please count me in for this discussion. I watched a program about Mary Shelley on either the History Channel, or the International History Channel. It was quite interesting. I learned that she wrote several books after "Frankenstein". However, they didn't sell well, until her name was removed from them. Instead of her name, the author was shown as "by the author of "Frankenstein". Seems that women were not concidered worth reading. So, I am looking forward to our discussion.
Sheila
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Great, Sheila, it's good to have you.
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Mary Shelley was quite a gal, from what I've read about her. I was a bit put off to read of her husband, the great poet, Percy Shelley's additions to his wife's work, Jackie. I know he wrote the Preface to at least one of the editions, trying to sound like her - which she was not happy about. I'm hoping that's all the doctoring that he did to her work.
Has anyone read any of Mary's other novels? I imagine they are out of print. Did you know that "Frankenstein" has never been out of print since that first addition? Amazing, isn't it?
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We are forming a great group. Kidsal and sheila, it's wonderful that you'll be joining us. We'll probably want to talk about the various film versions that everyone might have seen at the end of the discussion.
Sheila, that's interesting that Mary Shelly's subsequent books didn't sell as well with just her name but needed "author of Frankenstein." Hopefully, it wasn't primarily a negative reaction to a woman writer but more lack of name recognition.
JoanP, that is amazing that Frankenstein has never been out of print. I wonder how many other books have also continued in print? Is that true for most "classics"? I tried to look it up but didn't find any info.
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Has anyone read any of Mary's other novels? I imagine they are out of print.
They're not ALL out of print. Her post-apocalyptic fantasy of the end of civilization "The Last Man" has been in a TBR pile on my coffee table for a year. (JoanP, it was in that pile you were staring at when you visited me.)
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What a great group is gathering here! Will we be terrified or amused?
I'm going to read the book before I comment for sure, but I'll try to join in. Several days of volunteering and travel may cut into my time in July, but I'll try to fit this in.
Do have a great read, everyone!
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Welcome, Mippy, it's good to have you with us.
And Kidsal, I somehow missed welcoming you.
What a good group we're getting.
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Great, Mippy. I'm glad you'll be with us.
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I am brand new to the group and will lurk if not actually post during the Frankenstein discussion. I just ordered it (free) from Amazon for my Kindle.
Elaine (Alexandria VA)
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That's great, Elaine, but please comment whenever you feel like it. It's good to have you here.
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Hi Elaine. We have a great bunch of people here and great discussions. So, Welcome!
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Elaine, welcome to SeniorLearn and to our discussion of Frankenstein. I hope you'll post your thoughts when we start the actual discussion of the book in July.
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Thank you for welcoming me. I will comment. I am in the beginning of the book now. I have been reading more current literature recently and the difference in writing is immediately apparent. I had noticed that before when I moved from Agatha Christie to current cozies, and from Somerset Maugham to current fiction. There is something grand and eloquent about the older books that is also sometimes difficult to wade through. It is not available in most of the newer books even though you often hear comments about the prose. I think Shelley will teach us it definitely was another time for authors.
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Thanks, Elaine, for sharing your experience reading from different periods. It will make us aware of a different perspective as we each delve into this book.
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I received a copy of Frankenstein that I order a couple of weeks ago and it was the children's version so I have ordered the following:
Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus: The 1818 Text (Oxford World's Classics) by Mary Shelley and Marilyn Butler (Paperback - May 1, 2009)
According to the reveiwers there is quite a difference between the 1818 and the 1831 version.
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There is something grand and eloquent about the older books that is also sometimes difficult to wade through.
Your remark reminds me of something I was going to say:
Warning for everyone: In my edition at least (1831) the book starts out in a rather awkward, clunky style. Don't be discouraged; this only lasts a few pages, through the first few letters, and then she settles down to a smoother style, which, as you point out, Elaine, is grand but demanding of the reader.
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According to the reveiwers there is quite a difference between the 1818 and the 1831 version.
I'm glad you pointed that out, Kidsal, we'll have to watch for differences. I have the 1831 edition.
Which version does everyone have?
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PatH, my library copy should be here any day now. As soon as it comes, I'll answer the question.
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I have no clue which edition I have. The book is a QPB 1991 Book Club edition. It has the a preface dated "Marlowe, September,1817", and a preface that says "Preface to the last London edition" which appears to have been written by Mary Shelley. So we shall see.
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I have the Bantam Classic edition, 1991. I believe it's based on the 1818 text.
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Yesterday I downloaded the $2..98 digital edition of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein offered by B&N. I plan to read it on my desktop Dell for participation in your July discussion. This will be my first participation in a book discussion without a hard copy. We'll see how it works?
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Harold, that sounds like a great experiment. How wonderful that you'll be joining us.
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Harold, I'll be interested to hear whether your Kindle version has a Preface. My library copy is the the Modern Library copy. In the beginning it says the text is that of the third edition, revised and corrected by the author in London, 1831. That would be Mary Shelley.
The reason I'm so interested in this - is that the great author and poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mary's husband, wrote the Preface to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein in September 1817. The Preface he wrote in 1817 is included in the copy I have, following the Introduction by Mary written in 1831.
The first edition is not attributed to Mary Shelley, but the Preface written by her husband is made to sound like the author of the book.
The second edition that was published in 1823 is credited to Mary. In 1831 the revised edition came out. In the Introduction to this edition, Mary writes that she has made several changes to this version - added a longer Introduction, and she says her alterations are principally those of style. She has "mended the language of the first volume."
I wonder how much influence Percy Shelley had on his young wife.
Here is the frontispiece that appeared in the 1831 edition -
(http://www.asanegracomics.net/loja/images/frankenstein.jpg)
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Based on what Joan just wrote, I checked my book and the "Author's Introduction" is dated 1836 so it looks like I have that edited version of the novel. Thanks for the interesting information, Joan. None of the covers are lovely :-(
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Indeed, I think Marcie chose the least obnoxious one for the heading. Mine is even worse.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/frankenstein/frankensteincvr.jpg)
| Frankenstein
by Mary Shelley
Frankenstein is a story many of us think we know but actually don't. Very few films have followed the novel very closely. The monster of the book is intelligent and soft-spoken. The themes are timeless and full of conflict. Join us as we read this fantastic story, created by 19-year old Mary Shelley, and share your thoughts about its characters and meanings.
Post here to let us know you'll be joining us starting July 1.
"Remember that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed."
Discussion Leaders: PatH (rjhighet@earthlink.net) and marcie (MarcieI@aol.com) |
The full text is available online at literature.org (http://www.literature.org/authors/shelley-mary/frankenstein/) and Read Print (http://www.readprint.com/work-1355/Frankenstein-Mary-Wollstonecraft-Shelley) and Project Gutenberg (http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/84)
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Online version of original 1818 Edition (http://www.brian-t-murphy.com/FrankensteinV1.htm)
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It is also available as a download from project Gutenberg. http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/84 Not sure yet which version that is. I read Frankenstein years a go in High School for an oral book report my freshman year. When it was my turn to give my report everyone groaned, the knew I had just watched the movie. But when I began pointing out things in the book not in the movie I got a really easy A.
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Thanks, Bookjunky. We'll add the link to gutenberg in our heading. Since you got an "A" on your report, you'll be our resident expert ;-)
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Sadly Amazon has no copies of the edition I found in Wikipedia, with the additions by her husband, so I found it at Alibris.
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Eons ago, and I'm not sure how long ago an eon is, but it's a very lovely word, I saw the movie. Today I picked up the book which has an Introduction by Wendy Steiner. Mary's own life is unbelievably horrible, how she lived through such tragedies and horrors is beyond me. She carried Shelly's heart in her purse for the rest of her life, OH, NO!
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Ella. I agree, Mary's life was nearly as unbelievable as her fiction! I was interested to read that she is said had an affair with Washington Irving - Ichobad Crane - the headless horseman.
I just have to say that I think the creature of the 1831 Frontispiece looks far more like something a young experimental might fashion out of "spare parts" in his lab (sort of like a scarecrow) , than the Adonis on the bookcover seen here in the heading. ;D I have to admit, the creature has touched my heart - to the point of tears. I mustn't talk about it yet, though.
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Ella, it's great that you'll be joining us. In keeping with the grotesque atmosphere of the book, I am wondering how Mary kept Percy Bysshe Shelley's heart?
Traude, I missed your post some days back. I am so glad you're going to be with us for the discussion.
Joan, yes I do picture Frankenstein's creation as being "pieced" together. The cover in the heading is more like the muscular Adam in the Sistine Chapel: http://www.katapi.org.uk/Art/CreationOfAdam.html
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I'll be joining you, and have to order the book. I admit I'm confused by the different editions, and am wondering which one to try and get. Any suggestions?
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JoanK, I'm very glad you'll be with us. Speaking for myself, I am not sure that it matters which edition you have for purposes of our discussion. I believe that most of us will have a book based on the edits made by Mary Shelley in 1831.
Wikipedia says: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein#Publication
On 31 October 1831, the first "popular" edition in one volume appeared, published by Henry Colburn & Richard Bentley. This edition was quite heavily revised by Mary Shelley, and included a new, longer preface by her, presenting a somewhat embellished version of the genesis of the story. This edition tends to be the one most widely read now, although editions containing the original 1818 text are still being published. In fact, many scholars prefer the 1818 edition. They argue that it preserves the spirit of Shelley's original publication (see Anne K. Mellor's "Choosing a Text of Frankenstein to Teach" in the W.W. Norton Critical edition).
I found the text of the 1818 edition online at http://www.brian-t-murphy.com/FrankensteinV1.htm. The author of the site says that he recommends the following edition: Hunter, J. Paul, ed. Frankenstein: A Norton Critical Edition. New York: W. W. Norton, 1996. He says: "Originally this project was intended to be expanded to include both published editions, with annotations, as well as a collation of all of the texts, including Mary Shelley’s original manuscript and fair copy as well as her annotations in the Thomas copy of the 1818 edition at the Pierpont Morgan Library, New York. However, J. Paul Hunter’s edition renders these further developments unnecessary, and is highly recommended."
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I'd like to join!
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My book is the Modern Library Series; there is an introduction by Wendy Steiner who is/was the chair of the English department at the University of PA; then there is the Author's Introduction written in London, October 15, 1831 followed by a Preface written by Marlow, September, 1817. (who is he?)
The book begins with LETTERS which are very interesting!
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Ella, I'm thinking that Marlow is not a person, but a place? Not sure though.
I'm glad you mentioned those letters at the start. I admit to being puzzled by them, and only after getting into them did I realize their significance to the story...
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I ordered it from Amazon. I couldn't tell which edition I'm getting, but a review recommended the 1994 "Peabody" edition, so that's what I got.
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Welcome, Roxania, both to Seniorlearn and this discussion! We're delighted to see you here.
For you and Elainetm, the other newcomer to these discussions, I'll summarize how they work. In the pre-discussion, people sign up, get acquainted, and talk about relevant background--different versions, author's life, the atmosphere of the time, whatever. Some participants don't bother coming in to this after they sign up, but most do.
When the actual discussion starts, July 1 in this case, we divide the book up into chunks, and talk about one at a time; it's usually 1/4 of the book each week. A schedule will be posted, but we'll probably start with the first 6 chapters. We try not to talk ahead of the schedule no matter how far we've read individually, but earlier sections are fair game. Questions are posted as a starting point, but are often ignored.
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Hi Roxania. It is so wonderful to have you on board.
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Welcome, Roxania! We're very pleased to have you join this discussion.
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WELCOME ROXANIA! I love the spelling of your name!
Yes, I see, JOANP. Marlow is a place, Switzerland?
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Marlow seems to be a town in Buckinghamshire where Mary and Percy lived for a while.
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I got that bit of information from the Wikipedia article, which is pretty copious.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Shelley (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Shelley)
As Ella points out, she had a tragic, colorful life.
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Regarding my B&N digital edition of Frankenstein. Like a DVD of a modern movie the package includes additional material relative to the works. I am sorry for my delay an answering JoanP's question relative to the Percy Shelly authored preface. The following is my Table Of Content that will answer Joan's question and provide a bit more information on other inclusions with the B&N digital package. In addition I have the capability of accessing included annotations and footnotes:
From The Pages of Frankenstein
Copyright Page (From the 1st Ed)
Mary Shelly (a bio sketch)
The World of Mary Shelley (a modern social commentary on Regency England)_
Introduction (apparently a modern commentary written by a Karen Karbiener a PhD Professor at N.Y, University)
Praise
Dedication (the author’s dedication statement dedicating the work to her father, William Godwin)
Author’s Introduction ( by Mary Shelly)
Preface (Written by Percy Shelly in his wife’s voice. This is followed by 4 Letters From a Robert Walton to his sisters These letters are the frame around which the novel is based. Click the following for more information on this fictional Robert Walton and these letters. http://www.enotes.com/frankenstein/robert-walton )
Chapters ! Through 24
End Notes
Inspired By Frankenstein
Comments & Questions
For Further Reading
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Harold, it sounds like you will be well equipped to fill us in on stuff we miss. I couldn't get very far on your link without registering, which I was reluctant to do, but it mentioned the concept of a "frame narrative", which I think we will want to notice when we start. WARNING--even the bit I read has plot spoilers.
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Wow, Harold. It does sound like you'll have a wealth of information to share. I look forward to the discussion.
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FRAME NARRATIVE: A story within a story, within sometimes yet another story, as in, for example, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. As in Mary Shelley's work, the form echoes in structure the thematic search in the story for something deep, dark, and secret at the heart of the narrative. The form thus also resembles the psychoanalytic process of uncovering the unconscious behind various levels of repressive, obfuscating narratives put in place by the conscious mind. As is often the case (and Shelley's work is no exception), a different individual often narrates the events of a story in each frame. This structure of course also leads us to question the reasons behind each of the narrations since, unlike an omnicient narrative perspective, the teller of the story becomes an actual character with concomitant shortcomings, limitations, prejudices, and motives. The process of transmission is also highlighted since we often have a sequence of embedded readers or audiences, A famous example in film of such a structure is Orson Welles' Citizen Kane.
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Gosh, KIDSAL! That explanation would scare many from reading the book. Good thing we have PATH and MARCIE to help us understand this frame narrative!
I promise not to bring up a place (such as Marlow) again in this discussion, hahahahaaa!
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I had never heard the term "frame narrative" before--thanks for the enlightenment, Harold and Kidsal--but one sees the thing itself a lot. As it plays out in Frankenstein, more than one frame, it's not formidable at all.
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Hi, everyone! I just got my book from Amazon - the 1818 text! (That's the publication date - she began to write it in 1816 - with a 6 month old baby!!)
I borrowed Frankenstein from our library but it is the 1831 edition which has an afterword by Harold Bloom so I'll hang onto it as well. I prefer to read the text that Mary Shelley wrote FIRST even if she may have "improved" it later. It's like keeping your kids' gradeschool art even though their later efforts are "better" - not that there is that extreme a comparison here!!
My new book is a Norton Critical Edition so it is probably chock-a-block full of helpful comment.
I see a chronology of Mary Shelley in the back of the book and notice that she wrote "Mathilda" in 1819 but it wasn't published until 1959.
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Yikes. I agree, Ella, that some of the descriptions of "frame narrative" make it sound more complex than it has to be. It sounds like it describes a technique for a story within a story with a "framing" story setting the stage for other stories. One example from Frankenstein is the beginning framing story of someone writing letters to his sister describing a story told to him by Victor Frankenstein. I don't think that gives too much away before we start talking about the content of the book on July 1.
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PatH and Marcie : I'd love to be part of this discussion but am afraid I will only be able to lurk most of the time. I have a copy of the book - the 1831 version and will use that but am rather envious of JoanK who has the Norton Critical Edition - they always have such pertinent commentaries.
The frame story or frame narrative has been with us forever and we've all read some of them - they're really just a story or stories within a story - some get quite complex and one wonders whose story is being told at any one time - but Frankenstein is fairly straightforward in that respect.
Classic frame narratives include - Ovid's Metamorphoses - Scheherazade's Thousand and One Nights - Boccaccio's Decameron - Chaucer's Canterbury Tales etc. And then there's Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights and Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness - plus heaps of others...
So my guess is that we're all familiar with the form of the frame narrative even if the literary term is unfamiliar and I must say that Shelley's Frankenstein is a doddle compared with some of those I mentioned.
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I finally realized I hadn't come in here to say I'll be joining you for 'Trankenstein". I'm looking forward to discovering what the book
was really about, after all the weird Hollywood versions.
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Oh, good, Gumtree and Babi. Two more friends. Welcome.
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Yes, we're very glad that you'll be joining the group, Gumtree and Babi!
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I've starting reading 'Frankenstein'. The language is so fulsome and formal that
it seems stiff to me. I'm taking breaks from reading this one by turning to an old
favorite, Elizabeth Goudge's "Blue Hills", the perfect contrast.
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It's stiffest at the very beginning, though it never becomes casual.
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After reading the first 10 pages, I've decided to wait and read on June 29th or so ... to avoid having to re-read, which is my usual modus operandus in book groups.
I had had no idea about the frame term, but it sure has been used by a lot of 19th century authors. I like it much better than all this postmodern stuff people keep suggesting.
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I got lucky today and found an audio version to download from Clevenet, (library download). These days I do most of my reading in an audio format. I have never recovered from the death of my trusty palm as a text reading device and the newer smart phones just don't do the job. One day I hope to get an Etaco jetbook to replace my beloved pda.
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Bookjunky, I'm glad that you found an audio version to enable you to participate.
Everyone, Look at these amazing photos of lightning striking twice at the same time in Chicago. They remind me of (at least the film versions) of Frankenstein's experiments !!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1289162/Lightning-strikes-Willis-Tower-Trump-Tower-Chicago.html
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Amazing picture!
It's not me that has the Norton Critical Edition. I have the "Pennyroyal Edition" (don't ask me what that means): the 1818 edition done in beautiful print, with many pictures, and no supplementary information at all.
At first I was very disappointed. but reading it, I find it really makes a difference reading a book where an effort has been made to make it visably beautiful!
But I may go and get the Norton critical edition, too.
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At last--only two more days until we start. I've worked out a discussion schedule, but unfortunately, the chapters are divided up differently in the different editions :(. My book and the online versions from literature.org and readprint.com are one way, JoanK's book and the 1818 online version another. For all I know there may even be a third. So I'll resort to the trick that JoanK and Babi used in War and Peace, and give the last line of the section too.
We'll start with: July 1-6: Letters, Chapters 1-5 (1818) or 1-6 (1831)
Last sentence: "My own spirits were high, and I bounded along with feelings of unbridled joy and hilarity."
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I got my book and it doesn't correspond to either of the two you referenced so I'll read mine and follow online with the Gutenberg version.
http://tinyurl.com/37nlno7
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PS: The link above is for the Random House PB; Alibris had the Bodleian Library HB, the one I got.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/frankenstein/frankensteincvr.jpg)
| Frankenstein
by Mary Shelley
Frankenstein is a story many of us think we know but actually don't. Very few films have followed the novel very closely. The monster of the book is intelligent and soft-spoken. The themes are timeless and full of conflict. Join us as we read this fantastic story, created by 19-year old Mary Shelley, and share your thoughts about its characters and meanings.
Post here to let us know you'll be joining us starting July 1.
"Remember that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed."
Discussion Leaders: PatH (rjhighet@earthlink.net) and marcie (MarcieI@aol.com) |
The full text is available online at literature.org (http://www.literature.org/authors/shelley-mary/frankenstein/) and Read Print (http://www.readprint.com/work-1355/Frankenstein-Mary-Wollstonecraft-Shelley) and Project Gutenberg (http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/84)
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Online version of original 1818 Edition (http://www.brian-t-murphy.com/FrankensteinV1.htm)
Sorry to be dense, but what are PB and HB?
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Back at last as promised.
Pat, the library copy is a Large Print edition published by G.K. Hall & Co., USA
and by Chivers Press, England.
Originally published in 1831 and is now in Public Domain in the
United States and the United Kingdom.
The Preface dated Marlow, September 1817 is followed by Letters I to IV, then (undivided) Chapters I through VI. Chapter VI ends in the sentence you quoted.
The letters all have a day and month but only 17- for the year.
The letters as well as the chapters have Roman numerals.
But the Year 1818 is nowhere mentioned in either the letters or in Chapters I to VI. Would this make a difference ?
There may be a personal problem, though: July is shaping up to be busier than I had foreseen (or planned), which may limit the time I have to participate.
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straudetwo, it looks like you have the 1831 edition, so don't worry about 1818. I hope you'll come in when you can, read as you have time, whether or not you post.
JoanK, PaperBack and HardBack.
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Jackie, the edition you posted a link to isn't either the 1818 or the 1831. It's two versions, from still existing manuscripts--Mary Shelley's original, and one written in both Mary's and Percy's handwriting, printed in different fonts. I suspect your Bodleian edition is one or both of these. If you want to bother, we can sort it out by email.
I found some of our online links easier to read than others.
The publishers are sure doing what they can to confuse us.
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It's two versions, from still existing manuscripts--Mary Shelley's original, and one written in both Mary's and Percy's handwriting, printed in different fonts.
Well, that fascinates me. I keep imagining this 18 year old girl writing this imaginative story, with a much older (how much older?) poet/writer husband putting in his two cents. I'm going to have to come back and spend some time looking at the link Jackie has provided. Does it really show Percy's additions, edits - in his own handwriting?
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I thought you'd be interested, JoanP. Jackie's link is to an ad for the book, which is available at some local Barnes and Nobles.
Percy was 5 years older than Mary. He died at age 30, in a sailing mishap.
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I hope all this talk about different versions isn't going to discourage anyone. They are all of them really good reading.
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Yes, I think we'll have a great discussion and everyone can participate no matter what version you have.
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Joakk: PB = paperback, HB = hard back. The online version I prefer is the literature.org since Gutenberg is a download and I prefer to read the screen without crowding my HD.
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Hello, everyone. Let's move to a new discussion to start talking about the book. We'll all start new at http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=1513.0. See you over there!