Themes of Frankenstein
Themes of Frankenstein
Frequently, literature is intended to convey a significant idea or theme to it 's readers regarding events that occur in our everyday existence. Occasionally these ideas appear in the context of straightforward characterization, but in some literatures, such as Marry Shelley 's Frankenstein, these themes come to us in the guise of monsters, goliaths, dragons, gods, and myriads of fantasy-like components that express meaning in ways impossible within the boundaries of reality. Frankenstein came about when the famous romantic poet, Lord Byron, challenged Mary Godwin, Percy Shelley, and a few others to write a ghost story to entertain them from the horrid weather that engulfed Lord Byron 's Swiss villa one night. Mary overheard a conversation between Percy and Byron about galvanism and its use to reanimate human tissue. Later that night she had a half-nightmare/vision of a "pale student of unhallowed arts" inventing a monster with "yellow, watery, but speculative eyes," and wrote the first five lines of Frankenstein the following morning. A tale of a hideous being with a wonderful heart that is rejected by both his creator and society because of the prejudices of people, Frankenstein is truly a melting pot for symbolic ideas and moral themes, dealing with issues such as appearances and reality, forbidden knowledge, alienation, and nature vs. nurture. Though all the messages Frankenstein delivers have profound meaning and deserve to be discussed, the themes of alienation and nature vs. nurture are the prominent messages the book conveys to its readers. Can society look beyond the appearances of people and only look for the good within them? According to Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein, the answer is no. Victor 's curious mentality triggers him to leap across the boundary of "conventional" science and produce a living life form from inanimate resources. However, he overlooks the thought to give this inquiring sensibility toward his creature.
Frequently, literature is intended to convey a significant idea or theme to it 's readers regarding events that occur in our everyday existence. Occasionally these ideas appear in the context of straightforward characterization, but in some literatures, such as Marry Shelley 's Frankenstein, these themes come to us in the guise of monsters, goliaths, dragons, gods, and myriads of fantasy-like components that express meaning in ways impossible within the boundaries of reality. Frankenstein came about when the famous romantic poet, Lord Byron, challenged Mary Godwin, Percy Shelley, and a few others to write a ghost story to entertain them from the horrid weather that engulfed Lord Byron 's Swiss villa one night. Mary overheard a conversation between Percy and Byron about galvanism and its use to reanimate human tissue. Later that night she had a half-nightmare/vision of a "pale student of unhallowed arts" inventing a monster with "yellow, watery, but speculative eyes," and wrote the first five lines of Frankenstein the following morning. A tale of a hideous being with a wonderful heart that is rejected by both his creator and society because of the prejudices of people, Frankenstein is truly a melting pot for symbolic ideas and moral themes, dealing with issues such as appearances and reality, forbidden knowledge, alienation, and nature vs. nurture. Though all the messages Frankenstein delivers have profound meaning and deserve to be discussed, the themes of alienation and nature vs. nurture are the prominent messages the book conveys to its readers. Can society look beyond the appearances of people and only look for the good within them? According to Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein, the answer is no. Victor 's curious mentality triggers him to leap across the boundary of "conventional" science and produce a living life form from inanimate resources. However, he overlooks the thought to give this inquiring sensibility toward his creature.
Cited: Baldick, Chris. "In Frankenstein 's Shadow: Myth, Monstrosity, and Nineteenth-Century Writing". Oxford, England: Clarendon Press, 1987. Bloom, Harold, ed. "Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein". New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. Kiely, Robert. "The Romantic Novel in England". Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press, 1972. Nichie, Elizabeth. "Mary Shelley: Author of Frankenstein". New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1953. Randel, Fred V. "The Political Geography of Horror in Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein". ELH 70 (2003): pp Shelley, Mary Wollstoncraft. "Frankenstein or, The Modern Prometheus". Berkely and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1984. Spark, Muriel. "Mary Shelley". New York: E. P. Dutton, 1987. Sustein, Emily W. Mary Shelley:" Romance and Reality". Boston: Little Brown & Company, 1989. Walling, William A. "Mary Shelley". Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1972.