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FRANKENSTEIN
Mary Shelley - Introduction
LIFE AND TIMES M
ary Shelley was born Mary
Wollstonecraft in 1797 to William
Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft—
both very prominent, liberal writers.
M
ary’s mother, a pioneer in promoting
women’s rights and education, died
shortly after giving birth to her
daughter; however, she remained a
strong influence on the young girl
through her writings and reputation.
PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY
G
rowing up, Mary was surrounded
by lively intellectual conversation
as her home was frequented by
writers.
A
t age 16, she met and fell in love
with Romantic poet Percy Bysshe
Shelley, a friend of her father’s.
ROMANTIC BEYOND ROMANCE
I
n 1816, Mary and Percy eloped. A life that she termed
“romantic beyond romance”, Mary and Percy lived happily
for eight years until his tragic death in 1822. This time was
not without tragedy as Shelley gave birth to four children
and three died as infants.
A
t the age of 24, she was an
impoverished widow, and she
supported herself, her son
and father with her writing.
S
helley 1st published
Frankenstein in 1818
anonymously but republished
again in 1831 after writing its
introduction.
ROMANTIC MOVEMENT
The Romantics or
The Disheartened Liberals
SOLITUDE OF NATURE
•S
ought solitude in nature– Key to emotional healing– Nature imagery is a predominant feature
“The weather was fine: it was about the middle of August...The weight upon my spirit was sensibly lightened as I plunged into the precipices that overhung me on every side—the sound of the river raging among the rocks, and the dashing of the waterfalls around, spoke of a power mighty as Omnipotence—and I ceased to fear, or to bend before any less almighty than that which had created and ruled the elements...”.
DISENFRANCHISED MEN
T
he idea of the disenfranchised man was very common.
T
hey were:• unable to live in society• often revered and/or sympathized with
• The creature: his form keeps him from any human company.• Victor Frankenstein: he eventually feels that he cannot enjoy
the company of his fellow men after unleashing a monster among them.
THE SUPERNATURAL
T
o make the ordinary seem wonderful and awe-
inspiring.• Some dealt with non-natural things
• The creature, as well as his education and life, could not be real.
• Prior to the Romantic era, writers wrote fiction that read as though it could possibly be real—and was often taken for truth. • Frankenstein cannot be misconstrued as real.
GOTHIC LITERATUREStems from Romantic Literature
and Predecessor of the
Modern Horror Movie
GOTHIC CONNECTION TO NATURE
P
ut a spin on the idea of nature worship and imagery• Nature still has the power to heal• Gave nature the power of destruction
• Many storms arise in the book, including the storm on the night the creature comes to life, as well as other intense moments in the text.
MOOD AND WEATHER
M
ost common feature of Gothic literature:• Using the weather to indicate mood• The reader knows when something bad is going to
happen• “A flash of lightning illuminated the object, and
discovered its shape plainly to me; it’s gigantic stature, and the deformity of its aspect, more hideous than belongs to humanity.”
THE MAKING OF FRANKENSTEIN• On 19 March
1815 Shelley recorded in her journal, after the death of her first child: "Dream that my little baby came to life again--that it had only been cold & that we rubbed it before the fire & it lived."
BYRON’S CHALLENGE• In the summer of
1816, Percy and Mary visit Lord Byron’s estate in France.
• The summer of 1816 had fall like weather because a massive volcano in Indonesia spewed ash around the world.
• Because of the gloomy weather, Byron issued a challenge to his guests to create the best horror story.
THE PUBLISHING OF FRANKENSTEIN• At Byron’s estate,
Mary has a dream about a man who plans to bring life to the dead.
• She turns her idea into a story and is encouraged by her husband to turn the story into a novel.
• In 1818, Shelley publishes the novel at the age of 19.
CENTRAL CHARACTERS
The Creature/Monster,
Victor Frankenstein, Robert Walton, Elizabeth Lavenza,
and Henry Clerval
Victor Frankenstein
H
e tells Robert Walton his life story,
one which includes collecting
dead body parts and bringing a
creature/monster to life, a
monster who wreaks vengeance
on his creator for abandoning him
and leaving him alone.
Creature
V
ictor's creation is referred to as the
monster or the demon. He is created
on a dark, dreary night in November.
T
he novel opens with letters
from Robert Walton to his
sister. It is through these
letters that Walton narrates
the tale of Dr. Frankenstein.
H
enry is Victor's best friend and
follows him to Ingolstadt to help
Victor recover from an illness.
Robert Walton
Henry Clerval
E
lizabeth is adopted by the
Frankenstein family and
raised to be the wife of
Victor. She represents all
that is beautiful to Victor.
She is the antithesis of
the monster he creates.
Elizabeth Lavenza Frankenstein
MINOR CHARACTERS
J
ustine Moritz - Justine comes to live with the Frankenstein
family and cares for the dying
Mrs. Frankenstein.
T
he De Lacey Family - The monster observes a family in a cottage
in the forest and becomes their secret helper. He befriends the
blind Mr. De Lacey in hopes that his kindness will serve as a
bridge to the rest of the family.
A
lphonso Frankenstein - Victor's father unwittingly encourages
Victor's study of science by a disparaging remark regarding
Cornelius Agrippa.
M
argaret Saville - Mrs. Saville is the audience for Robert Walton's tale.
C
aroline Beaufort Frankenstein - The daughter of Alphonso's close friend
is left in poverty at her father's death. Alphonso takes care of Caroline and
marries her a couple years later.
W
illiam Frankenstein - Victor's youngest brother, murdered by the monster.
P
rofessors Krempe and Waldman - Two professors at Ingolstadt who
influence Frankenstein's work.
LITERARY ALLUSIONS
Paradise Lost, Prometheus, and
Rime of the Ancient Mariner
LITERARY ALLUSIONS
A
llows the reader to garner information in only a title or a
character name.
A
ll of the connotations of the one work are transferred to
the new one.• Shelley uses many allusions, referring mostly to Milton’s
Paradise Lost and the biblical account of Adam and Eve.
T
his story is one that is well known in
Western culture, especially Milton’s
version.
S
helley wanted to bring the back story of
Paradise Lost to Frankenstein.
S
he presented the idea of the proud and
inquisitive creature being cast out, as well
as the idea that being cast out was a
horrible thing.
THE CREATION OF ADAM AND EVE
THE MONSTER AND ADAM
•T
he monster appeals to Frankenstein's sympathy by comparing himself to
Adam:– "Oh Frankenstein, be not equitable to every other and trample upon me
alone, to whom thy justice, and even thy clemency and affection, is most due. Remember that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel.”
•T
he monster's petition evokes sympathy, highlighting the guilt of his
creator.
•I
f Frankenstein would only have loved his creation, the tragedy could
have been avoided.
VICTOR IS GODLIKE
• The monster reminds Victor, once again, of his duty. Victor had become as a god, and must therefore act with mercy.
• The monster brings up Eve to emphasize his loneliness and to preface his request for a mate.• "But it was all a dream; no Eve soothed my sorrows nor
shared my thoughts; I was alone. I remembered Adam's supplication to his Creator. But where was mine?”
VICTOR AS ADAM
T
he roles are reversed. Here Dr. Frankenstein compares
himself to Adam.
T
he monster's desire to make Victor as miserable as he is
approaching completion.• “Sweet and beloved Elizabeth! I read and re-read her letter,
and some softened feelings stole into my heart and dared to whisper paradisiacal dreams of love and joy; but the apple was already eaten.”
•P
rometheus was a
Greek god who was in
charge of giving out
gifts to the various
creatures on Earth.
GREEK MYTH: PROMETHEUS
PROMETHEUS
•H
e gave out speed and instinct and such, but by the time he got to mankind, he was out of
gifts.
•H
e decided to go against his orders and gave man fire (symbolic of knowledge).
•T
he other gods were angered by his disobedience (partly because now man was too godlike).
•P
rometheus’ punishment was that he was chained to a rock. Every day a vulture came and
devoured his liver. Every night the liver grew back to be devoured the next day.
•I
n several obvious ways, this ancient Greek story is very closely connected to Frankenstein.
VICTOR AS PROMETHEUS
•T
he full title of the novel, Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus,
emphasizes the theme of Victor as an over-reacher, one who
ascends further than his ability.
•I
n Greek mythology, Prometheus created man. As a modern
Prometheus, Victor creates a new species.
•M
uch like Prometheus suffers eternally, so must Victor Frankenstein.
C
oleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" tells the
story of an ancient mariner who kills an albatross
and brings upon himself and his ship's crew a
curse.
T
he ancient mariner travels the world, unburdening
his soul, telling his story to whomever needs to
hear it. Shelley alludes to the poem several times.
RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER
VICTOR AS THE ANCIENT MARINER
•R
obert Walton in Frankenstein is similar to the Wedding Guest from
"Rime of the Ancient Mariner," with Victor Frankenstein playing the
role of the mariner.
•A
s the mariner feels compelled to share his story to one who needs to
hear it, so does Victor.
•T
he explicit theme in "Rime of the Ancient Mariner," that love conquers
all, is a clue as to how the tragedy that occurs in Frankenstein's life
could have been avoided.
VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN’S SCIENCE
M
odern readers are often puzzled by Victor’s approach to discovering
the “elixir of life” in that he does not seem to perform scientific
experiments as much as read books.
P
rior to the eighteenth century, what we call “science” and what we
call “philosophy” were essentially the same disciplines. The study of
nature and the desire to know how nature functions eventually came
to be called “natural philosophy,” but the quest for such knowledge
was still more what we would consider philosophical than scientific.
M
ary Shelley indicates that Victor is a student of this “natural
philosophy” when she indicates who some of Victor’s early
influences were. • Cornelius Agrippa• Paracelsus• Albertus Magnus• Roger Bacon
W
hile admitting that many of these men’s theories had been
discredited, Victor still admits that it was they who largely set
him on the course he was eventually to take.
Victor’s Influences
A
Renaissance philosopher and scientist whose
works reflect a strong interest in the occult and
ancient, mystical “sciences” of the near East
H
is famous work “De incertitudine et vanitate
scientiarum” (the vanity and uncertainty of the
arts and sciences), published in 1527, is a
collection of thoughts on Renaissance.
I
n terms of “real science,” his ideas have all but
been discredited by later thinkers and by the
processes of observation and experimentation.
CORNELIUS AGRIPPA
I
ntroduced a new concept of disease and the use of chemicals
rather than herbs to treat diseases.
P
aracelsus asserted that diseases were caused by external
agents attacking the body, contrary to the then-traditional
idea of disease as an internal upset of the balance of the
body’s humors (yellow bile, black bile, blood and phlegm). To
cure the disease, one needed to attack this external agent.
Alchemy became the means by which the chemical remedies
were prepared. Thus, Paracelsus changed the emphasis of
the alchemy from chasing the mythological “Elixir of Life” or
“Philosopher’s Stone,” to making medicines.
PARACELSUS
A
dvocated the search into the natural causes of things apart from the
church’s position that God was the cause of all effects.
I
n one of his most famous works Albertus wrote: “The aim of natural
science is not simply to accept the statements of others, but to
investigate the causes that are at work in nature.” This was a radical
idea for the time, as most scholars believed that the scriptures were
the sole source of all knowledge.
ALBERTUS MAGNUS
R
oger Bacon was an even stronger
advocate of experimental science
than was Albertus but did not feel
compelled to reconcile his
scientific theories with Church
doctrine.
ROGER BACON