Very interesting take! It brought to mind Barbara Almond's book, 'The Monster Within,' which explores the idea of maternal ambivalence, and the strange and sometimes troubling power of our ability to create life — and the societal expectation that we should do so. She spends a good deal of time talking about Frankenstein, and the fact that it's not surprising that book came out of the mind of a woman.
Thank you so for this. It's such a perceptive take.
I've been taken with the Frankenstein story for many years. It's *so obviously* a story about motherhood. About being compelled to create, and then feeling very ambivalent at best, and ashamed and hatred toward your creation at worst.
It's not uncommon. All mothers feel it to some extent. Some can even acknowledge it.
Oh wow, Aubrey, my goodness. I'm eight months pregnant right now and I've been thinking SO much about this--the morality of creating a life and a death, the sheer madness of creation and our bodies' ability to do it with so little input from our conscious minds, the total sci fi experience that is being pregnant... Anyway, as always, thank you so much for putting words and images to ideas that I want to keep thinking about for eons <3.
Very interesting take! It brought to mind Barbara Almond's book, 'The Monster Within,' which explores the idea of maternal ambivalence, and the strange and sometimes troubling power of our ability to create life — and the societal expectation that we should do so. She spends a good deal of time talking about Frankenstein, and the fact that it's not surprising that book came out of the mind of a woman.
When my son was 7, he asked why "you made me born if I'm just going to die?"
😳
Because I wanted something to love me I guess?
That really helped reframe for me just how selfish it is to have children.
And yet, humans are also animals wired to procreate.
It's a fascinating conversation.
Thank you for your work!
I couldn’t get past the extreme heterosexual male attraction to a person with a woman’s body and child’s intellect. It made me think of Lolita.
Thank you so for this. It's such a perceptive take.
I've been taken with the Frankenstein story for many years. It's *so obviously* a story about motherhood. About being compelled to create, and then feeling very ambivalent at best, and ashamed and hatred toward your creation at worst.
It's not uncommon. All mothers feel it to some extent. Some can even acknowledge it.
Oh wow, Aubrey, my goodness. I'm eight months pregnant right now and I've been thinking SO much about this--the morality of creating a life and a death, the sheer madness of creation and our bodies' ability to do it with so little input from our conscious minds, the total sci fi experience that is being pregnant... Anyway, as always, thank you so much for putting words and images to ideas that I want to keep thinking about for eons <3.
WOW
This is fantastic
Love this!
That is a really interesting take. I'm re-visioning so much literature right now!