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    Frankenstein
    Frankenstein
    Frankenstein
    Ebook298 pages6 hours

    Frankenstein

    By Mary Shelley

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    Introduzione di Riccardo Reim
    Traduzione di Paolo Bussagli
    Edizione integrale

    Frutto perverso degli esperimenti di uno scienziato “apprendista stregone”, espressione di una visione apocalittica della scienza, la creatura di Frankenstein è tuttora la raffigurazione del “mostro” per eccellenza, materializzazione vivente delle nostre paure. Mary Shelley, cresciuta in un ambiente intellettuale di prim’ordine (nell’Inghilterra tra Sette e Ottocento), scrive – ispirandosi ai miti di Faust e Prometeo – uno dei più famosi bestseller di ogni tempo, che fin dal suo apparire (1818) suscita grandissima impressione e scandalo, guadagnandosi migliaia di lettori e rendendo di colpo famoso il nome della sua autrice. Oggi Frankenstein fa ormai parte (grazie anche alle numerosissime trasposizioni cinematografiche, fra cui ultimamente quella di Kenneth Branagh, con Robert De Niro, prodotta da Francis Ford Coppola) dell’immaginario collettivo: una “porta oscura” della nostra mente dietro la quale – come ebbe a scrivere J. Sheridan Le Fanu – «il mortale e l’immortale fanno prematura conoscenza».

    «Avevo lavorato duro per quasi due anni, con il solo fine di infondere la vita in un corpo inanimato. Per questo mi ero privato della salute e del riposo. Lo avevo desiderato con un ardore che andava al di là di ogni moderazione; ma ora che avevo finito, la bellezza del sogno scompariva, e un orrore e un disgusto affannoso mi riempivano il cuore.»


    Mary Shelley
    nacque a Somers Town (Londra) il 30 agosto 1797 da Mary Wollstonecraft, autrice della prima dichiarazione dei diritti della donna, e da William Godwin, filosofo. A sedici anni conosce Percy Bysshe Shelley, infelicemente sposato, e fugge con lui trasferendosi dopo qualche tempo in Italia. Nel 1822, alla morte del marito, Mary fa ritorno in Inghilterra dove si dedicherà alla pubblicazione delle opere postume del poeta. Morì a Londra nel 1851.


    Introduzione di Riccardo Reim
    scrittore, regista, attore, ha pubblicato nel 2008 il suo ultimo romanzo Il tango delle fate e nel 2009 il saggio Il cuore oscuro dell’Ottocento. Per la Newton Compton ha curato numerose traduzioni di classici francesi, inglesi e americani, di La sonata a Kreutzer di Tolstoj, nonché la fortunata antologia I grandi romanzi gotici.
    LanguageItaliano
    PublisherNewton Compton Editori
    Release dateDec 16, 2013
    ISBN9788854128804
    Author

    Mary Shelley

    Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin was born in 1797, the daughter of two of the leading radical writers of the age. Her mother died just days after her birth and she was educated at home by her father and encouraged in literary pursuits. She eloped with and subsequently married the Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, but their life together was full of hardship. The couple were ruined by disapproving parents and Mary lost three of her four children. Although its subject matter was extremely dark, her first novel Frankenstein (1818) was an instant sensation. Subsequent works such as Mathilda (1819), Valperga (1823) and The Last Man (1826) were less successful but are now finally receiving the critical acclaim that they deserve.

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    Reviews for Frankenstein

    4/5

    9,338 ratings320 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Summary: Driven guy takes things a bit too far and ends up creating something that destroys everything:

      Things I liked.

      Introducing the main protaganist through the eyes of a secondary category. This reminded me a bit of Gatsby and Nick.

      Good questions/ideas: The 'Other', obsession, what is human etc. Good fodder for thinking/rethinking about what you believe.

      Things I thought could be improved:

      Main character is pretty whiney, and doesn't really take a lot of responsbility for his actions. It makes him hard to relate to a bit unlikeable. Given most of the story is told through his eyes that's a problem. I'd probably recommend giving him a bit more self-awareness at the end, preserving his stupidity in the main story, to increase the sense of empathy and connection with his tale.

      Some of the plotting is a bit far fetched and obviously contrived to drive the story. In particular I remember when he decides to reveal his secret to Elizabeth but only 'after' their fateful wedding day. If he was going to be truthful with her wouldn't he/she do it immediately. .

      Highlight:

      Probably when the 'other' spoke for the first time. Hollywood had taught me to expect one thing. I was pretty taken aback and appreciated the variation.

      Lessons Learned:

      Chill out in life or you might find the object of your obsession ends up wrecking all the good things you have in your life.
    • 5/5
      Brilliant and timeless for generations.
    • 2/5
      Two stars for the fact that this author was a product of her time. Long, long, long book. Interesting use of first person...with three different narrators.Actually like the old movie version better.But that's just me.I actually feel sorry for the kids who have to read this as a school assignment. I would have died. Or read the SparkNotes instead.
    • 5/5
      I can't believe I waited so long to read this book. I've read Dracula three times. I recently watched the film, Mary Shelley. I immediately picked this up to read. While somewhat more wordy than Dracula, in my opinion (I enjoy Dracula's epistolary format), I liked its insight and observations on mankind. How we so often have difficulty looking beyond the physical appearance to what the person is like inside. How we judge and underestimate on appearances alone. I would even go so far to say that Shelley's "monster" was symbolic of women and how they were treated in her time. Judged by gender/outward appearance; believed not capable of anything beyond typical womanly tasks. Certainly not capable of writing a novel such as Frankenstein!

      I will definitely reread at some point. I bet there is a great audio version available.
    • 3/5
      The story is well-known, but differs from the movies. The story is mostly about Dr. Frankenstein’s reaction to his creation, it is verbose but well-written.The first parts of the book seemed long and slow, it gets bogged down in long Victorian dialogs. I almost gave up on it. But once the monster is created, the story improved dramatically.It is all about the relationship between the monster and Dr. Frankenstein. It is a love-hate relationship on part of the monster, and repulsion from Dr. Frankenstein. This gave me some problems as Frankenstein started as a scientist with a purely rational approach to the work. Once the monster is created he became immediately repulsed without getting to know or understand the monster, he is completely driven and consumed by his emotions. It felt out of character given the first part of the book.Unlike the movies, the monster is very intelligent and capable. He learns to survive on his own, then teaches himself language. Driven by the cruelty of man, his one goal is to find love. I found the monster much more interesting than Frankenstein. He eloquently tells his tale and wins he heart of the reader, but not of Frankenstein who continues his revulsion to the monster.It is an interesting read. Like many books of the day, in my opinion, it would do well with an update to the characters and dialog. But it is worth the read.
    • 3/5
      I hate to say it, but I didn't enjoy the writing style. I wasn't expecting the 'letter' format (where the story is told via a series of letters sent between various characters) so that threw me off from the beginning, and while eventually I was able to get into it and get past that annoyance, I found the story lagged a bit because of it. It's a product of its time.

      This is a classic that anyone remotely into horror should probably try to read, the story is excellent, but unfortunately, at least for me, the writing hasn't aged well.
    • 3/5
      So this book is brilliant, but I loathe one of the characters.

      It's a gothic story with beautiful prose and wonderful metaphors and these short, sharp lines that take my breath away.

      Sometimes, it's a little wordy, a little too fancy, a little too lengthy. I feel as if that's Percy Shelley's influence creeping in through her prose - would that I could read her work unedited.

      The premise for the story is fantastic.

      ... and then we get to one of the characters. Victor Frankenstein.

      Victor, Victor, Victor.

      If anything prevented me from reading this book in one sitting, it was him. As a literary device - he's perfect. His flaws illustrate the creature's compassion and ask us what it means to be human.

      But I don't like him. He's a hypocritical coward and his passages are basically just 18th century man-splaining. If anything will prevent me from returning to or recommending this book, it's Victor Frankenstein.

      Am I supposed to be this abhorred by him, and react this way? Probably.

      ... but I wish I read more from the creature's perspective. I think I would've loved this story a whole lot more if I had.
    • 4/5
      I read it because my son was reading it for high school English. It was much better than I remembered it. It really isn't a horror story as much as a story about how people judge things and make assumptions about things.
    • 4/5
      Wow! Mary Shelly wrote this book when she was 19! When I was 19 I was getting drunk and struggling to get myself up to go to work every day.This book is truly amazing. I expected, considering it was written in the 1800's, to be a challenging read, but it wasn't at all. She writes with such beauty, and creates such empathy and humanness in the 'wretch'. I became extremely bored with Victor's constant self-pity, and more connected and sympathetic with his creation than him.A beautiful story, heartbreaking and interesting to the end.
    • 5/5
      I'm a horror movie fan, and Boris Karloff has always been one of my greatest cinematic heroes. But if you haven't read this book, then you have no idea what Frankenstein is really about. Despite its very 19th century English style, it is an adventure story that moves, and at the same time it poses moral and ethical dilemmas that are as relevant today as when the book was written. There's a reason this one is a classic.And the great Simon Vance narration is wonderful as always.
    • 5/5
      This is a great version of the classic. It is so much better written than the classic Dracula. Victor Frankenstein creates a hideous being from corpses. This monster, after failing to receive acceptance because of his appearance, kills those beloved by its creator. His demand is that Frankenstein build a mate for him. Frankenstein refuses and the monster then destroys everything the Dr. loves. He also destroys Frankenstein’s sanity. It’s obvious that the author was well-educated because her choice of words was superior to most other writers that one reads.
    • 5/5
      This edition has a version that has been "translated" into modern English and it is so much more readable than the original (which is here too in an appendix). The plot and everything is the same. There's also a scholarly essay.
    • 4/5
      Sandy bought an extra copy of this for her Sci-fi Literature course by accident, and I'd been feeling nostalgic for my Gothic Literature college course (plus, I needed a book for the "Book from the 1800s for book bingo), so I snatched this up when she offered it on Books, Beer, and Pizza night.

      All I'd forgotten since the last reading! Entirely forgotten was the framing story, with its Victorian polar expedition (qualifies it for a place on my polar fiction shelf, in my opinion!), many other details becoming familiar only as I re-read them.

      All the ways Valtat's New Venice series was influenced by this classic are impossible to elucidate. I also feel compelled now to re-read Alasdair Gray's Poor Things.

      A ghost story, to be sure, but also a story that will leave you pondering how the self is defined by the perceptions and judgements of others. Among other things...
    • 3/5
      I wanted to like this book more than I did. The story of Frankenstein is in pop-culture enough that I knew pretty well what the book was about. What I didn't expect was how pathetic Frankenstein is, whining about everything and taking almost no responsibility for his own thoughts and actions. He gets awfully dramatic about his early education, as if he could really blame one conversation in his youth for his entire adult obsession over making his monster. Similarly, the monster seems incapable of taking responsibility for his choices and actions, even after he has become the articulate, intelligent creature he is when he starts killing people. I suppose if Frankenstein is a restrained sociopath, and Frankenstein is an expression of his repressed fantasies, maybe it makes some sense, but since Frankenstein narrates most of the story (in his whining style) I found this book to be a slow and not-so enjoyable read.
    • 4/5
      probably a 3 for pure enjoyment, but the meta fascination of how it has fit into our culture and shaped our storytelling is a huge bonus.plus she was like 18 when she wrote things because they were bored at a house party.
    • 5/5
      It's taken me 70 years to read this classic. Ironically enough, I started reading it because I was reading a children's version of this book to my four-year-old grandson, and I did not want his book to put spoilers into my own classic story which I started reading simultaneously.Wow! What a novel! I never knew the "real" story of Frankenstein, nor did I know that Frankenstein was the name of the doctor who created the monster rather than the monster himself.This novel was written in 1818 by a nineteen-year-old. Another "Wow!" needs to be inserted here. The story is magnificently written. I never much in the past liked to read nineteenth-century novels, but I did learn to appreciate them more with tutored reads of selected older novels provided so kindly to me by a fellow member of LibraryThing. What I learned to do with those novels was to take notes on the story, the characters, and keep a running vocabulary. This bailed me out quite a few times during the reading of this novel as I simply cannot keep all this information in my head.What I found exceptional in this novel was the dense storyline which in some places was truly beautiful despite the grim nature of the story. This was a book about friendship (or the lack thereof) and of courage (in many different forms).I especially liked this quote from late in the story:Even where the affections are not strongly moved by any superior excellence, the companions of our childhood always possess a certain power over our minds which hardly any later friend can obtain.Although people associate [Frankenstein] with horror, I will only now associate that word and the novel with sadness. It is a sad world in which we live in where some of us judge others by appearance rather than by inner motive. This novel only serves to accentuate that kind of sadness (and wrongness) and puts the face of a monster we call "Frankenstein" to that kind of sentiment.
    • 3/5
      I must say that reading classics often leads to a surprising plot. Stories such as Frankenstein have been re-imagined to death, revived and then re-imagined again so many times that the original story is completely lost, and one's imagination has already been influenced. Nonetheless, the morality of the sciences, when considered in its proper historical context, means that this work is extraordinary no matter how one analyses its significance. Is Shelley really trying to critique the overly task-focused masculine role in child-rearing and the consequences of a lack of nurturing? Or is it simply a case of the morality of the sciences meddling with the unknown, or a critique of the grotesque practice of body-snatching before the introduction of the Anatomy Act of 1832, Shelley's revision of the text and subsequent introduction in 1831 were at the very least contemporaneous. To put it simply, the story addresses multiple issues and provides numerous launching points for discussions that go far beyond the mere plot. As for the plot itself, I couldn't help thinking that Frankenstein was a wimpy complainer who whinged and whined endlessly, even in the re-telling of his tale it is surprising he didn't collapse and die of shame before making it to the ice. I found it unnecessary for Shelley to belittle the Turkish businessman and revitalise the Crusades simply to enable Frankenstein's creation to learn to speak, read and write, but I am often surprised by seemingly intelligent people who are racist and ignorant to the core. Other than that, the higher-level super-plot issues make it worth the effort.
    • 4/5
      It was good:)
    • 4/5
      Halloween re-read. Pure love.
    • 3/5
      This is the first time I read the classic Frankenstein. I've seen movies and read variations. They always make the monster seem so relatable. However, after reading the original story, I find the monster to be malevolent and detestable. It wasn't his fault that Victor gave him life and made him hideous. I understand him being angry and lonely and lost. I get that he is looking for someone to understand him and accept him for who he is. And I get that he blames Victor, with good cause. But he kills innocents. I enjoyed the story and felt awful for Victor. He made a huge mistake and he paid dearly for it.
    • 5/5
      Why did I wait so long to read this? An excellent novel and highly recommended. Wonderful.
    • 4/5
      Not at all what I was expecting. Have seen many movie adaptations and the book is far better. Loved it.
    • 4/5
      A classic.
    • 2/5
      I have read Frankenstein twice now and it just doesn't do it for me. Very imaginative ideas but the story just doesn't go deep enough for me.
    • 5/5
      This book isn't scary so much as it is sad, so definitely keep a box of tissues nearby when you read this.

      While I feel badly for all the characters involved, and while I don't condone the actions of the "Monster," I do definitely feel the need to mention that Victor Frankenstein is an extraordinarily oblivious and self-centered person. At least that was my perception of him.

      The book itself wasn't difficult to read and was extremely engaging, despite the fact that it was first published in the 1800's and you could really tell by the writing style. At first it was a little difficult, but not much, and I got used to it pretty quickly and soon found it to be almost lyrical. Not quite, but almost. There were times when it seemed to edge a bit on purple prose, but it wasn't in an irritating way.

      I found this book to be extremely engaging and I had a hard time putting it down from the start. It makes you think and engages your emotions as well as your reasoning. I would definitely recommend this book, even to people who don't usually like sci-fi or older books.
    • 4/5
      Much better plot than the movies. Monster created by the meddling hands of man (the modern Prometheus of the subtitle) yet made evil by man's lack of compassion. Victor spends years studying how to create life and when he does so he immediately runs away. He is not the most robust of men. He swoons, holidays for months and runs away throughout the book. Frankenstein is a bit of an idiot really and his creation has more substance. The conversations between the two were highlights.

      At times it was slightly surreal (aside from the basic plot). The monster stalking Victor like his nemesis all over Europe and indeed to the Arctic. When he appears suddenly on a remote Orkney island where Victor is trying to create a female version for the monster was almost farcical. I was almost laughing out loud at this point.

      I enjoyed this but the style was a bit flowery and bloated and some perseverance is required. Worth it though.
    • 5/5
      Reading this whole book i never felt anytime boring.It is a great and must read book i think.
    • 2/5
      Okay, so it's taken me almost six months to finish this one, and part of the motivation to wrap it up is that it's due at the public library this week, and the online system wouldn't let me renew it again!! I'm glad I read it, but I'm glad I'm done with it. It was okay, but I didn't like it as much as I'd hoped.
    • 3/5
      Frankenstein is a horror and morality novel about an ambitious scientist who wanted to create life by himself and succeeded in creating a being that tormented his life for years to come. The novel is very philosophical and hardly descriptive, it's a point of view novel in truest sense. It derived suspense from the reader's perceptions and nurtured horror from the thoughts of unknown.

      The novel is narrated by letters and two main character, the scientist Frankenstein and the unnamed creature simply called "The Monster". I have done an essay namely "Frankenstein : The Failure and Future of a Modern Scientist" which I focused his occupation, the author's perception take on him and the future of science itself. I couldn't deny that Frankenstein, despite being caricatured heavily by Hollywood (that the monster is always mistakenly named as Frankenstein), is by itself a tale of overshadowing and a foreboding prophetic imagining to the future of science. It's very impressive considering it was written in 1817 by a woman. Had the Victorian scientific society taken her book as something more than just gothic fiction, we could have averted most of the events in our modern society.

      Frankenstein was one of the novel I had chosen in 2005 for the Literature in English SPM elective that I got an A2 in it while I was bored in Terengganu. It was either this book or the Lord of the Flies book which I read and dislike. Actually, I barely had a good opinion on this book too since I was never a fan of Frankenstein since I'm more of a fan of "The Monster".

      I do consider The Monster as a protagonist instead of antagonist. I never actually thought Frankenstein as a sympathetic character especially with many of the book's study guides expressively said so. From the start of The Monster's narration, one could see a creature like him as a newborn in a world where everyone including his 'father' and his adopted family abandoned him just because of his appearance of a corpse. He became self-aware faster and soon developed resentment to the world that wanted him dead for being different. He's a clean slate that was corrupted by circumstances.

      Although, it's not that hard to feel empathy for the Monster but its much harder to be empathy with Frankenstein himself. Maybe because I am a scientist or more appropriately a biological scientist that I abhor his reaction to his creation. I never knew a scientist who dislike his or her work. If you've spent years crafting and studying it, you wouldn't feel or anticipate superficial things that you yourself made. And I find an intense dislike for his character and the narration because he's possibly too much pride onto himself for a person who considered being well-knowledgable. A scientist may take pride with his studies but he shall never have pride that rivalled the gods. That what Frankenstein is actually doing!

      On its essence, it's a simple novel to understand and still maintained its popularity among science fiction derivative including in paranormal genre. It's really is a curious 19th century novel with an ability to be able to be dissected, analysed and still be relevant to the modern times. Unlike the romantic period that glorified the chic-lit of its days, Mary Shelley is one of the pioneer female author who tried to breakthrough the skepticism and two hundred years later, still succeeded.
    • 4/5
      To put it simply, the gist of the story is "don't mess with Mother Nature" because playing God is never going to do you any good. Poor Victor Frankenstein learned this lesson the hard way when he creates the "monster" who, because of his feelings of alienation from his "creator" goes about killing all of Victor's closest and dearest friends and relations. A depressing story overall and quite a lengthy lead in, but interesting philosophically on the theme of responsibility of the creator of what he "creates". A classic I'd never read before. On audio, narrated by Simon Vance who did a nice accent for Victor, and a very good monster.

    Book preview

    Frankenstein - Mary Shelley

    LETTERA I Alla signora Saville, Inghilterra

    San Pietroburgo, 11 dicembre 17--

    Sarai contenta di sapere che nessuna disgrazia ha accompagnato l’inizio di un’avventura per la quale sentivi tanti cattivi presentimenti. Sono arrivato qui ieri; e il mio primo dovere è rassicurare la mia cara sorella della mia salute e della crescente fiducia nel successo della mia impresa.

    Sono già molto a nord di Londra; e mentre cammino nelle strade di Pietroburgo, sento sulle guance una fredda brezza del nord che fortifica i miei nervi e mi riempie di gioia. Comprendi ciò che provo? Questo vento, che proviene dalle regioni verso cui mi dirigo, mi offre un assaggio di quei gelidi climi. Animati da questo vento pieno di promesse, i miei sogni a occhi aperti diventano più fervidi e vigorosi. Cerco invano di persuadermi che il polo è il luogo del gelo e della desolazione; alla mia fantasia si presenta sempre come la regione della bellezza e dell’incanto. Là, Margaret, il sole è sempre visibile, col suo largo disco che costeggia l’orizzonte e diffonde uno splendore perpetuo. Là, poiché col tuo permesso, sorella mia, riporrò un po’ di fiducia nei precedenti navigatori – là la neve e il gelo sono messi al bando; e veleggiando su di un mare tranquillo possiamo esser sospinti verso una terra che supera in meraviglie e bellezza ogni regione finora scoperta nel mondo abitabile. I suoi prodotti e le sue caratteristiche possono essere senza pari, come certo sono senza pari i fenomeni dei corpi celesti in queste solitudini inesplorate. Cosa mai non possiamo aspettarci in una terra di luce eterna? Là potrò scoprire lo straordinario potere che attrae l’ago della bussola, e potrò porre una regola su un migliaio di osservazioni celesti che richiedono solo questo viaggio per chiarire una volta per tutte le loro apparenti eccentricità. Sazierò la mia ardente curiosità con la vista di una parte del mondo mai visitata prima e potrò calpestare una terra mai prima calcata da piede umano. Questo è ciò che mi attrae, ed è sufficiente a vincere tutti i timori di pericolo o di morte e a indurmi a iniziare questo laborioso viaggio con la stessa gioia di un bambino che, coi suoi compagni di vacanza, sale su una piccola imbarcazione alla scoperta del suo fiume natio. Ma supponendo che tutte queste congetture siano false, non puoi contestare l’inestimabile vantaggio che renderò a tutto il genere umano, fino all’ultima generazione, scoprendo, vicino al polo, un passaggio verso quei paesi per raggiungere i quali, al presente, sono necessari tanti mesi; o venendo a conoscenza del segreto della calamita, la qual cosa, ammesso che sia possibile, si può fare solo con un’impresa come la mia.

    Queste riflessioni hanno disperso l’agitazione con cui ho iniziato la mia lettera e sento il mio cuore infuocarsi di un entusiasmo che mi porta al settimo cielo; perché niente contribuisce tanto a tranquillizzare la mia mente quanto un fine determinato – un punto su cui lo spirito possa fissare il suo occhio intellettuale. Questa spedizione è stata il sogno preferito dei miei giovani anni. Ho letto con ardore i racconti sui vari viaggi compiuti per raggiungere l’Oceano Pacifico settentrionale attraverso i mari che circondano il polo. Ti ricorderai che la biblioteca del nostro caro zio Thomas era composta dalla storia di tutti i viaggi di esplorazione. La mia educazione fu trascurata, eppure ero perdutamente appassionato per la lettura. Questi volumi costituirono i miei studi, giorno e notte, e la mia familiarità con essi accresceva quel rammarico che avevo provato, da bambino, apprendendo che mio padre, morendo, aveva ingiunto a mio zio di proibirmi di andare per mare.

    Questi sogni svanirono quando lessi per la prima volta quei poeti le cui effusioni estasiarono il mio spirito e lo sollevarono al cielo. Divenni poeta anch’io e per un anno vissi in un Paradiso di mia creazione; immaginavo di poter ottenere anch’io una nicchia nel tempio in cui sono consacrati i nomi di Omero e Shakespeare. Tu conosci bene il mio fallimento e quanto mi pesò la delusione. Ma proprio allora ereditai la fortuna di mio cugino, e i miei pensieri furono ricondotti verso la loro prima inclinazione.

    Sei anni sono passati da quando mi decisi a questa mia impresa. Ancora adesso posso ricordare quando iniziai a dedicarmi a questa grande avventura. Cominciai con l’abituare il mio corpo alle privazioni. Accompagnai i balenieri in diverse spedizioni nel Mare del Nord; volontariamente sopportai il freddo, la fame, la sete e il sonno; spesso durante il giorno lavoravo più duramente dei semplici marinai e dedicavo le mie notti allo studio della matematica, delle teorie della medicina e di tutti quei rami della fisica dai quali, chi cerca l’avventura per mare, può trarre il maggior vantaggio pratico. Di fatto, per due volte mi feci assumere come ufficiale subordinato in una baleniera groenlandese e mi comportai ammirevolmente. Debbo confessare che mi sentii piuttosto orgoglioso quando il capitano mi offrì il ruolo di ufficiale in seconda e, con la più grande serietà, mi pregò di restare; tanto validi considerava i miei servigi.

    E ora, cara Margaret, non sono forse degno di realizzare qualche grande obiettivo? La mia vita avrebbe potuto trascorrere nella quiete e nel piacere; ma ho preferito la gloria a ogni seduzione che la ricchezza mi poneva sul cammino. Oh, se qualche voce incoraggiante rispondesse sì! Il mio coraggio e la mia decisione sono fermi; ma le mie speranze oscillano e il mio spirito è spesso depresso. Sono in procinto di iniziare un viaggio lungo e difficile, i cui imprevisti richiederanno tutta la mia forza d’animo: non soltanto devo tenere alto lo spirito degli altri, ma qualche volta sostenere anche il mio, quando il loro viene meno.

    Questo è il periodo più favorevole per viaggiare in Russia. Gli abitanti, nelle loro slitte, volano rapidi sulla neve; questo modo di viaggiare è piacevole e, a mio parere, di gran lunga migliore di quello delle carrozze inglesi. Il freddo non è eccessivo, se si è avvolti in una pelliccia, abbigliamento che ho già adottato, perché c’è una grande differenza tra camminare in coperta e restare seduti fermi per ore, quando nessun movimento impedisce al sangue di gelarsi letteralmente nelle vene. Non ci tengo a perdere la vita lungo la strada di posta fra Pietroburgo e Arcangelo.

    Partirò per quest’ultima città entro due o tre settimane; ed è mia intenzione affittare là una nave, il che si può fare facilmente pagando l’assicurazione al proprietario, e ingaggiare tanti marinai quanti riterrò opportuni fra quelli che sono abituati alla caccia alla balena. Non intendo salpare fino al mese di giugno; e quando tornerò? Ah, cara sorella, come posso rispondere a questa domanda? Se riesco, passeranno molti, molti mesi, forse anni, prima che potremo incontrarci. Se fallisco mi rivedrai presto, o mai più.

    Addio, mia cara, mia ottima Margaret. Il cielo faccia scendere su te le sue benedizioni, e protegga me, così che io possa ancora e ancora testimoniare la mia riconoscenza per tutto il tuo amore e la tua gentilezza.

    Il tuo affezionato fratello

    R. Walton

    LETTERA II. Alla signora Saville

    Arcangelo, 28 marzo 17--

    Come trascorre lento il tempo qui, circondato come sono dal gelo e dalla neve! Comunque un secondo passo è compiuto verso la mia impresa. Ho noleggiato un vascello e mi sto dando da fare per radunare i marinai; quelli che ho già assunto sembrano uomini sui quali posso contare e possiedono certamente un intrepido coraggio.

    Ma io ho un desiderio che non sono mai stato capace di soddisfare; e la mancata soddisfazione di questo desiderio la sento ora come il peggiore dei mali. Non ho nessun amico, Margaret: quando sarò in preda all’entusiasmo del successo, non ci sarà nessuno lì, a condividere la mia gioia; se sarò assalito dalla delusione, nessuno cercherà di sollevarmi dall’abbattimento. Dovrei affidare i miei pensieri alla carta, è vero; ma è un ben misero mezzo per comunicare i sentimenti. Desidero la compagnia di un uomo che possa condividere i miei sentimenti, i cui occhi possano rispondere ai miei. Potrai giudicarmi romantico, mia diletta sorella, ma io sento amaramente la mancanza di un amico. Vicino a me non ho nessuno che sia gentile e coraggioso, dotato di una mente tanto capace quanto educata, i cui gusti siano come i miei, che approvi o che corregga i miei progetti. Che rimedio sarebbe un tale amico per i difetti del tuo povero fratello! Sono troppo precipitoso nell’azione e troppo impaziente di fronte alle difficoltà. Ma è ancora peggio per me l’essere autodidatta. Per i primi quattordici anni della mia vita non ho fatto altro che correre in libertà sui prati e ho letto solo i libri di viaggi di nostro zio Thomas. A quell’età ho fatto conoscenza con i famosi poeti della nostra nazione; ma ho compreso la necessità di imparare le lingue straniere solo quando ormai non ero più capace di trarre gran vantaggio da tale convinzione. Ora ho ventotto anni e sono ` in realtà più illetterato di molti ragazzini di quindici. È vero che ho pensato più a lungo e che i miei sogni a occhi aperti sono più vasti e più grandiosi, ma hanno bisogno (come dicono i pittori) di proporzioni; e a me serve tanto un amico che abbia sufficiente comprensione da non disprezzarmi come un romantico, e sufficiente affetto per me da sforzarsi di regolare la mia mente. In ogni caso questi sono lamenti inutili: non troverò di certo un amico nell’oceano desolato e nemmeno qui ad Arcangelo, fra mercanti e marinai. Tuttavia qualche sentimento puro, incontaminato dalle scorie della natura umana, batte anche in questi rudi petti. Per esempio il mio secondo è un uomo con un coraggio e un’iniziativa straordinari: ha un folle desiderio di gloria, o piuttosto, per formulare la mia espressione in modo più caratteristico, di far carriera nella sua professione. È un inglese, e, tra tanti pregiudizi nazionali e professionali, che l’educazione non ha attenuato, mantiene alcune tra le più nobili virtù dell’umanità. L’avevo già conosciuto su di una baleniera: venendo a sapere che era disoccupato in questa città l’ho subito ingaggiato nella mia

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