1.Creating Tag Clouds for three versions of Frankenstein in small groups:
I created a Tag Cloud for the 1818 edition. The key words in my Cloud were friend, friendship, interest, noble, overcome, desire, creature, believed, and confidence. This edition and the Thomas edition are more similar, sharing key words like "friend" and "friendship." The 1831 edition, however, has darker words, including words like "dark" and "despair." The emphasis upon these words shows a greater concern for human emotion and the misery that consumes Victor.
Comparing these clouds helped me to understand the textual differences between the three versions, clearly illuminating the frequency of certain words. I was thus able to see the progression from the 1818 edition to the Thomas edition to the 1831 edition, as the text moved to incorporate more words about the human condition, particularly in relation to emotions.
Tag Cloud (1818 edition)
admiration although appears art astonishing believed confidence creature desire destroyed edition flow friend friendship history hope interest leaves letter life lost manner mentioned misery noble offended overcome pass pedantry plan pleased possible powers related respecting several speaks stranger succeeded suggested sun therefore tries true trust unsocial utterly watching wise wish
Did Mary Shelley write three different novels?
No, I do not think that Shelley wrote three different novels. I believe that each version was an expansion upon the previous one, adding new ideas and dissolving ones she no longer found important.
In these passages, the stranger agrees to different things. Why do those changes matter?
In the 1818 version, the stranger agrees that friendship is desirable and possible. Since he once had a friend, he is fit to make such judgments. He also says that since he has lost everything, he has no hope and cannot begin life anew. In the Thomas edition, the stranger agrees to the same thing, that friendship is desirable and attainable. In the 1831 edition, however, the stranger agrees that we are only "half made up" and that a friend ought to be our better half. Without such a friend, he says, we will remain weak and imperfect. These changes matter because they expound upon Victor's ideas about human nature. They show us his transformation into an extremely contemplative person, a person who understands the importance of relationships.
How does digitizing these texts help us think about these versions? How does it help?
Digitizing texts helps us to visualize them in a new and different way. This allows us to formulate fresh ideas about texts we have previously read, providing new insights. Essentially, digitzing texts is just another way of reinvigorating them.
I created a Tag Cloud for the 1818 edition. The key words in my Cloud were friend, friendship, interest, noble, overcome, desire, creature, believed, and confidence. This edition and the Thomas edition are more similar, sharing key words like "friend" and "friendship." The 1831 edition, however, has darker words, including words like "dark" and "despair." The emphasis upon these words shows a greater concern for human emotion and the misery that consumes Victor.
Comparing these clouds helped me to understand the textual differences between the three versions, clearly illuminating the frequency of certain words. I was thus able to see the progression from the 1818 edition to the Thomas edition to the 1831 edition, as the text moved to incorporate more words about the human condition, particularly in relation to emotions.
Tag Cloud (1818 edition)
admiration although appears art astonishing believed confidence creature desire destroyed edition flow friend friendship history hope interest leaves letter life lost manner mentioned misery noble offended overcome pass pedantry plan pleased possible powers related respecting several speaks stranger succeeded suggested sun therefore tries true trust unsocial utterly watching wise wish
Did Mary Shelley write three different novels?
No, I do not think that Shelley wrote three different novels. I believe that each version was an expansion upon the previous one, adding new ideas and dissolving ones she no longer found important.
In these passages, the stranger agrees to different things. Why do those changes matter?
In the 1818 version, the stranger agrees that friendship is desirable and possible. Since he once had a friend, he is fit to make such judgments. He also says that since he has lost everything, he has no hope and cannot begin life anew. In the Thomas edition, the stranger agrees to the same thing, that friendship is desirable and attainable. In the 1831 edition, however, the stranger agrees that we are only "half made up" and that a friend ought to be our better half. Without such a friend, he says, we will remain weak and imperfect. These changes matter because they expound upon Victor's ideas about human nature. They show us his transformation into an extremely contemplative person, a person who understands the importance of relationships.
How does digitizing these texts help us think about these versions? How does it help?
Digitizing texts helps us to visualize them in a new and different way. This allows us to formulate fresh ideas about texts we have previously read, providing new insights. Essentially, digitzing texts is just another way of reinvigorating them.
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