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                               Brentano
                      A d v e r t i s e m e n t
     According to its preface, the purpose of Frankenstein or The
Modern Prometheus is to involve the reader in the process of
liberating the things that matter most from the tyranny of the things
that matter less. Boundaries appear from the outset, identifying the
things that matter most and describing how those things relate to
things that matter less. For example, Mary Shelley does not believe
that it is physically possible that the “event” (animation of the
Creature?) could take place, but she chooses it as a means of
revealing some important things about being human. Several more
boundaries appear in the preface, which relate to the first. Shelley’s
preface is included at pages 144 &146.
     There is a boundary the reader should be aware of with respect
to these advertisements. The word religion has a specific meaning
whenever it is used here, one often confused with something very
different. Religion, which comes from the Latin word for retracing
or rereading, aims at the best possible outcome. Superstition comes
from the Latin word for survivor (superstites). Survival is important,
but it is not the best that humans can attain. This important difference
is really what Frankenstein is about. A friend of a regular visitor to
Mary Shelley’s childhood home, Clemens Brentano (1778-1842),
defined religion as philosophy taught through mystery. The last
boundary in Shelley’s preface has to do with philosophy and its
opposite, prejudice, which Cicero identified as the greatest source
of evil in the world. About the same time that Cicero (106-43
B.C.E.) was pointing out the difference between superstition and
religion, Lucretius (94-55 B.C.E.) was using the word religion in
the place of the word superstition. Confusion of religion and
superstition has been a problem for thousands of years. If
Frankenstein helps restore the boundary between the two,  it is
among the most valuable books and its author is deserving of the
gratitude of the human race.  ( for more about this click here )
     In his entry of September 5th, Robert Walton faces
the same problem of mutiny that Henry Hudson
encountered in the Barents Sea in 1609. Agreeing to
change course, Hudson avoided further hostility from
his crew. However, on June 22, 1612, Hudson was set
adrift in James Bay by another mutinous crew, never to
be seen again.       6     [To a Candid World Menu]
             To a Candid World  Copyright 1998,Thomas Wolfsehr