Frankenstein Book Report

Frankenstein was written by Mary Shelley. It has been critically analyzed countless times since it has been published in 1818. Sherry Ginn gives an interesting analysis of Frankenstein about whether its science, science fiction, or an autobiography. Professor Sherry Ginn is a professor in the Phycology department at Wingate University in Wingate, NC. Her analysis of Frankenstein takes a different look at the book then most. She starts by showing how essential elements from the book are actually taken from the life of the author. She notes how just like Frankenstein turned his back on his creation so did Mary’s father turn her back on her this happened when her father remarried. “The new Mrs. Goodwin’s jealousy of Mary and her mother, with its resulting insecurity, made life unbearable for Mary; Mary did not relish having
anyone take her mother’s place…These jealousies made life increasingly unbearable for William Godwin, so much that he sent Mary away” (Ginn). Another example is of just like Frankenstein as a university student conducted crazy experiments so did her husband Percy and he was actually expelled from university for a paper pro atheism.
Furthermore, Frankenstein’s dream to bring back to life the dead can be similar to Mary’s desire to have her children back with her as only one of her four children lived to adulthood. Professor Ginn goes on to explain how this story came to be then questions how should this still be classified as science, science fiction or as an autobiography. First she analyses if it could be science. She notes that how could such a young and uneducated student actually have enough knowledge of science to write a book based on it. Then she says how Mary was a huge reader who read loads of scientific journals and she actualy wrote about a discovery of a scientist by the name of Luigi Galvani in the first edition of her book. The saying how obviously she didn’t know enough to write about the science in detail but people till this day use the book to show the dangers of science without limitations. Her she compares the book to science fiction saying how it is grounded in valid science and predicts future scientific possibilities. Also it contains three things that are generally included in science
fiction written by ladies. Firstly, the voice of a women in a man’s world, then creating a women identity as alien and also how ladies are excluded from the world of science. Professor Ginn then says that this book could be classified as science fiction. She then goes on to analyze if it could be an autobiography. Ginn says while it is true there are multiple similarities between the book and Mary’s life she doubts it’s an autobiography but does say it shows of more of the author’s inner feelings. I enjoyed how this critical analysis was unique and offered a different look into the book then most analysis do. Although I enjoyed it I didn’t like how Professor Ginn didn’t come out with a strong conclusion about which category this book falls into. This book can and should be continued to be analyzed to this day as it contains valuable lessons and interesting insights into the author’s minds.