Frankenstein & sensitive students

[H'bg julie]

Hi all
we'll be starting tapestry year 3 in our coop next year. 2 other moms have concerns re Frankenstein.
i 've not read it yet but know that its not a horror book per say. but, my daughter has nightmares easily ( ie she can't read holocaust books) has anyone had similar concerns? input?
thanks, julie, H'bg, va

[Pat]

It has been sometime since I read the novel and I didn't find much in that would be bothersome. As I recall, there was little explict detail given but the monster does kill several people that are dear to the narrator.

BUT I did not read it looking for sensitive material.

I would look at the warnings found in the TOG IG and consider reading it myself.

[Renaissance Mom]

I agree with Pat. If at all possible, you and the other moms should read it first.

I found it to be a very good, heavily abridged version of the story. It doesn't focus on the physical horror but still retains the emphasis on right and wrong, prejudice, etc. It would make an excellent guided discussion!

Having said that, my dd (age 12) asked me excplicitely not to assign that book to her. (She read the description on the back cover.) Due to some schedule rearranging that unit, I did not assign it. I had hoped to get to it before the end of the year but haven't yet.

Having pre-read all of her lit selections this year, I had significantly fewer concerns about Frankenstein than I did about a couple of others. (For example, The Hound of the Baskervilles can be a little intense. But last summer, my dd read the entire collection of Sherlock Holmes stories for fun and loved them. She didn't have the concerns I had thought she would have.)

In the end, my opinion is that the connections you can help you D kids make through the thoughtful and Scripture-based discussion guides in your year plan are well worth it. Without the saving grace from the Lord, we would be condemned by our sinful hearts, too.

Blessings,
Monica