How has the context affected the treatment of the concepts of nature and transgression in the texts under study?…
Composed during the Industrial Revolution at a time of increased scientific experimentation, Shelley warns and forebodes her enlightened society of the consequences which come about from playing god. She uses Victor Frankenstein as her platform, whose self-exalting line “many excellent natures would owe their being to me” represents a society engrossed with reanimation. Recurring mythical allusions to Prometheus, “how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge” portray Victor as a tragic hero; a noble character whose “fatal flaw” of blind ambition ultimately results in his own downfall and dehumanization, “swallowed up every habit of my nature”. In addition, Victor’s impulsive rejection of his grotesque creation, leads to the Monster’s rebellion (“vowed eternal hated and vengeance to all mankind”).…
In many novels throughout literature, enemies often share striking similarities. They push and pull at each other to the point where they lead to the each others undoing, yet they share tremendous likeness. In the novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelly Victor Frankenstein and his creature are two sides of one person. Both despise each other, and in doing so they are despising themselves. There is a power struggle between the two adversaries, which leads to both Frankenstein, and his creature ending up alone. Shelly’s novel christens the era of romanticism and successfully merges these ideas with those of gothic style. The infatuation with discovery and creation is evident in the main character, Victor Frankenstein, and his pursuit of knowledge…
Shelley’s Gothic novel, Frankenstein, explores the complex nature of mankind by considering the consequences of an unrestricted pursuit of science. A rise in scientific experimentation with Galvanism during Shelley’s time is reflected through the protagonist Victor as he uses it to bestow life. Shelley portrays Victor and the Creature as complex beings, demonstrating both inhuman and human qualities. Despite this, the subsequent rejection by his creator and the De Lacy family drives the Creature to ‘eternal rejection and vengeance of mankind’. Victor’s initial response when meeting the creature, demonstrates his savage, cruel treatment and lack of responsibility towards his creation.…
Cultural, religious and scientific influences are deeply intertwined in Frankenstein. The novel’s cultural aspect is introduced at the beginning of the novel when Victor’s drive for knowledge is introduced, which leads to the introduction of the science aspect, in which Victor animates lifeless matter. The birth of his monster establishes the religious aspect the nature of evil becomes questionable. In this essay, Shelley’s manipulation of the religion, scientific, and cultural aspects of the novel will be analyzed. Throughout the novel Frankenstein, Shelley manipulates…
Written during the Industrial Revolution and in the Age of Enlightenment- Shelley’s Frankenstein can be interpreted as a warning to the technological curious. This curious nature leads Shelley to…
In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley illustrates a confronting image when contrasting the personalities of Victor and the monster in their reunion, after the initial creation in Ingolstadt using Galvani’s concept of electricity as a reanimating force. This unchartered use of scientific thinking defies societal milieu of the time, causing the responder to realise Frankenstein’s grave mistake. Within the fragmented epistolary style, their confrontation in the “desert mountains and dreary glaciers,” represents their polarised attitudes; a noble savage vs. an egocentric scientist. The monster rhetorically asks in a pleading tone, “have I not suffered enough, that you seek to increase my misery? ...I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel... Make me happy.” This Biblical allusion reiterates Shelley’s faith in the divine whereby the reference to Milton’s…
The characters John, from Brave New World, and the monster, from Frankenstein, both have very similar backgrounds. In both novels, the characters are treated very poorly in the societies they live in, and are considered outcasts. However, these characters also have some major differences. John and the monster both struggle with rejection but they differ in that John was given more control of his situation.…
Written during the industrial revolution and the emerging era of existentialism and exploration – Shelley’s Frankenstein can be interpreted as a warning to the technologically curious. This curious nature is personified throughout the protagonist Victor Frankenstein, who tragically falls victim to experimentation without boundaries. This was an attempt to forshadow the potential dangers of unmonitored technological advancements. To reiterate this sentiment, Shelley also aimed to to stress the divinity of nature in the face of technological dominance through elements of Romanticism. “The weight upon my shoulders was sensibly lightened as I plunged yet deeper into the ravine” emotive imagery highlights the cleansing effect of the environment, juxtaposed against the oppressive nature of the technologically advanced city.…
The Romantic era took place throughout the 19th century and held the belief that men demonstrate innate goodness, but civilization later corrupts them. Even in today’s society, many political figures, authors, celebrities, and athletes reinforce the Romantic idea of the natural goodness of man and the corruption of man by civilization as they initially exhibit pure values that succumb to the temptations civilization provides. Literature also reflects the belief of the innate goodness of man and the corruption of man by society. For example, Mary Shelley, entails these Romantic beliefs in her novel Frankenstein, in which both Victor Frankenstein and the Creature are born innately good but society later corrupts them. Victor’s,…
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein and the monster that he creates are very similar. Frankenstein being a great man had his wants and needs even though he studied things that people thought to be ungodly and just wrong. Frankenstein creates the monster to be like himself although the monster has super human strength and is almost eight feet tall. Victor worked very hard trying to create the monster not noticing that he was creating the monster in his image.…
Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley and first published in 1818, follows the set of extraordinary events encompassing the life of Victor Frankenstein; natural philosophy devotee and reanimation pioneer. Characterization plays a major role in encouraging different attitudes in Frankenstein, an example being how the reader is encouraged to feel sympathy for Frankenstein and his creation throughout the novel. Aided by the differing narrative perspective, these sympathies are continually evolving, changing as the reader’s perception of the two is altered, and at the end of the novel, the reader is left questioning who the real monster is: Frankenstein, or his creation? The…
Although both works offer an entertaining read, the moral ambiguity in Frankenstein, owing itself to the compassion and capacity for evil that coexist within Victor, enables those who read the novel to question whether similar tendencies exist within themselves. Primarily, however, analyzing two protagonists who address the same moral quandary demonstrates the evolutionary nature of literature. Because the introspective personality of Victor in Frankenstein so well reflects the Romantic period during which Shelley wrote the novel, comparing it to Doctor Faustus, an earlier work of fiction that discusses a similar topic, offers insight into the development of English literature over…
Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, is arguably one of the most controversial novels of the 19th Century. It discusses the concept of science verses human conscience in a technological world. The Gothic atmosphere of the novel reflects the dark feelings of society at the time, and Shelley utilised pathetic fallacy, her chosen form and imagery to suggest a twist on the real monster of her story. Shelley uses poetical language and perspective to emphasise how the monster is a model Romaticist, and to express the importance of belonging and communication to a judgemental society. Symbols, contrasts and ‘heavenly’ adjectives are used to portray Victor Frankenstein as a God-like figure; expressing how we must never interfere with nature’s course and take on God’s role to the knowledge-greedy culture of the 1800’s, which was consumed with the Industrial Revolution. Shelley has manipulated her writing to convey her personal ideologies, and to reflect her concern for a loss of ethics in a society fixated on the pursuit for answers.…
Frankenstein is one of the finest expressions of the Gothic novel and also fits many of the characteristics of a Romantic novel. Consider all of the elements that comprise a story—including setting, character development, narrative voice, tone, to name just a few—and explain how each element contributes to the novel’s identity as a Gothic text or example of Romanticism. Then, offer your interpretation of Shelley’s message, if you believe she intended to convey one to her reader. If, alternately, you believe that the novel is purely for entertainment purposes, substantiate your claim with textual evidence. If you are stuck, please check out An Overview of Romanticism (http://www.articlemyriad.com/212.htm) in Literature and Romanticism in Frankenstein (http://www.articlemyriad.com/romanticism_frankenstein.htm)…