Cruel

Already being a language lover, I found myself easily being drawn to a Latin based word. Based on what I already know about Latin based English words, I can infer that “cruel” appeared in English during the time of French Occupation on England. I am fascinated by all Romantic languages and their history. Therefore, I want to look further into the history of the word “cruel” and find out how such an extremely Latin word managed to change very little upon entering the English language. Of course, I wonder if such a strong word had ever any alternative meanings. Also, I have been pondering upon the previous masculinity or femininity of "cruel." I am so interested in this aspect of Old English that has since been lost. All in all, I am pretty excited to see where my search will take me.

The Lady and the Monster ...

When comparing the first edition of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, which showed her desire to accommodate the novel more to the liking of her husband Percy, to the later revised Frankenstein, Shelley’s “adolescence” and “initial ambivalence” is clear.

First time critics were quick to call out the “anonymous” writer’s novel as unorthodox in that it had no “conduct, manners, and morality.” Yet, if one were to compare Frankenstein to contemporary Promethean Imaginative works, it actually happens to be more conservative.

To the “young scholar,” it is pretty easy to miss Victor’s egotism and ambition, which can come off as being “curious.” EX: Victor’s desire to create a being with life can seem “selfless,” but his true wishes are clear when he states that he “deserves greater gratitude from his creation than a son gives his father.”

Other examples of his ambition are his habits he undertakes in creating the monster. He seems like a mad-scientist locked away from society, putting all his energy in creating this being. His “self-obsession” is clear when even he states that he wishes that his cares and affections towards his family were to completely subside until his creation is complete.