...within the Novel and the Creation of Frankenstein In “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley, one can undoubtedly see how the female characters have less importance than the male characters. The reason these sex differences in status occurred because of the period that she wrote the novel. Shelley, during the first half of the nineteenth century, was writing in a time in which a woman “was conditioned to think she needed a man’s help” (Smith 275). In “Frankenstein”, Mary Shelley devotes three male characters to narrate the story, Victor Frankenstein, Robert Walton, and Frankenstein’s creation. No woman throughout the entire novel speaks directly as the three narrators do. Mary Shelley also constructs the story to follow the main character,...
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...Frankenstein as a Gothic Novel Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein is considered as a Gothic novel but it can be seen as a compilation of both Gothic and Romantic because of the significance of the sublime. Certain events and settings in the novel present the gothic themes. Shelley uses the different themes in her novel to evoke feelings of horror and terror in the reader. Frankenstein engages in a quest in pushing the realms of science to their limits which leads him to playing god and creating an unnatural being using science. One of the themes Shelley uses in the novel to create the gothic presence is the theme of Forbidden Knowledge. Mary Shelley introduces the ideas that science is capable of being very dangerous and has consequences through the character of Victor Frankenstein. Shelley’s time was described as the age of unprecedented scientific discoveries, which influenced her in writing of Frankenstein. The process of the creation of his creation was influenced by the Italian physician Luigi Galvani who discovered “animal electricity” which manifests with the twitching of nerves and muscles when an electric current is applied. Frankenstein seeks to find “the secrets of heaven and earth” to fulfil his quest. He calls them secrets; he is aware they are not to be known and should not be found. Frankenstein knows that acquiring such knowledge would not be easy as he states “how dangerous the acquirement of knowledge”. Frankenstein is aware of the uneasy task of seeking...
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...Reading Between the Lines: An analysis of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, or, the Modern Prometheus, using Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto as an example of male discourse about women Louise Othello Knudsen English Almen, 10th semester Master’s Thesis 31-07-2012 Tabel of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................................ 3 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 5 Historical Context .............................................................................................................................. 10 The View on Women and Their Expected Roles in the late 18th and 19th Century ....................... 11 - Mary Shelley disowns herself .................................................................................................. 11 - Mary Shelley’s Background .................................................................................................... 12 Women’s Role in Frankenstein ..................................................................................................... 13 Men’s Role in Frankenstein ........................................................................................................... 13 - Women in Society and Women as Writers .........................................................
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...though thou hast not thy bliss,/For ever wilt thou love, and she be fair!” (Keats 18-20). The lovers are recognized as in a state of bliss and unsatisfaction. These lines recount the bittersweet marriage of love and loss as it is their great love that makes their agonizing longing more extreme; it is their immortality and dissatisfaction which solidifies their love. This causes the reader to recount a feeling of fear for a loss of love, as demonstrated in the poem and countless other works. This is seen when the love that the monster felt for Victor in Frankenstein and the creature’s longing to be accepted by others worsens in response to loss; “The human senses are insurmountable barriers to our union. Yet mine shall not be the submission of abject slavery. I will revenge my injuries; if I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear, and chiefly towards you my arch-enemy, because my creator, do I swear inextinguishable hatred ” (Shelley 139). Frankenstein’s monster recognizes the insurmountable hatred towards him, and decides to take revenge through murder to attain justice. The monster's desire for love fueled his revenge, and if he was originally as heartless and unaffectionate as he is perceived, his actions would have been a lot less extreme; he wouldn't have felt the loss of never experiencing love and thus never the desire to act out his revenge. Murder and revenge are the only things that the monster feels he can control, as he hardly had anything else left to lose, but everything...
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...1980's and started a movement called punk, and later related to Fantasy Art. It then, in the 1990s, blossomed to what is called Neo-Gothic Art. It is inspired by Charles Alexander Moffat and is a period when the people wanted to express themselves as more than normal in a number of ways. A person of example would be Marilyn Manson, whose personal style and music is characterized as being "dark" and "mysterious" (Folkenroth). Characteristics of gothic novels have scenes and settings where the character feels threatened, or has an overabundance of emotions, such as, anger, sorrow, surprise, and terror. We see examples of these in the novel "Frankenstein," by Mary Shelley. The monster feels sorrow and isolated and is angry when he thinks he has no purpose in the world he exclaims, "Cursed, cursed creator! Why did I live? Why, in that ... instant, did I not...
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...When someone looks, talks, or acts different, they are treated different. It is easy to observe this in modern and earlier societies. Difference prompts hostile or unusual behavior. This behavior stands out and can make the person it is directed to feel a sense of isolation. In the Gothic novel Frankenstein author Mary Shelley uses several characters to unveil the morals and assumptions of society individually and as a whole. The first glimpse at society’s horrid nature is shown through the creature's first encounter with humans. As soon as the creature is created, the first human he encounters (Victor Frankenstein) runs in fear, this immediately isolates the creature the second he is brought to this earth. “I rushed out of the room”...
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...Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Key facts full title · Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus author · Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley type of work · Novel genre · Gothic science fiction language · English time and place written · Switzerland, 1816, and London, 1816–1817 date of first publication · January 1, 1818 publisher · Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones narrator · The primary narrator is Robert Walton, who, in his letters, quotes Victor Frankenstein’s first-person narrative at length; Victor, in turn, quotes the monster’s first-person narrative; in addition, the lesser characters Elizabeth Lavenza and Alphonse Frankenstein narrate parts of the story through their letters to Victor. climax · The murder of Elizabeth Lavenza on the night of her wedding to Victor Frankenstein in Chapter 23 protagonist · Victor Frankenstein antagonist · Frankenstein’s monster setting (time) · Eighteenth century setting (place) · Geneva; the Swiss Alps; Ingolstadt; England and Scotland; the northern ice point of view · The point of view shifts with the narration, from Robert Walton to Victor Frankenstein to Frankenstein’s monster, then back to Walton, with a few digressions in the form of letters from Elizabeth Lavenza and Alphonse Frankenstein. falling action · After the murder of Elizabeth Lavenza, when Victor Frankenstein chases the monster to the northern ice, is rescued by Robert Walton, narrates his story, and dies tense · Past foreshadowing · Ubiquitous—throughout...
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...UK Walter Mr Mike English 29 Febuary 2012 The Frankenstein Syndrome In Shelley's Frankenstein, it is interesting to use text to ask the question, who's interest lie at the heart of science? Why Victor Frankenstein motivated to plunge the questions you bring life to inanimate matter can? Life of Victor Frankenstein was destroyed because of the obsession with the power to create life where none was before. The monster created shows a representation of all those who are evil in the name of science for selfish cuases. We can use the book to draw parallels of our modern society, show that there is a danger that science creates via a personal relationship between the scientist and the creator of his work. It seems to me that science is done without thought to any affect experiments can have on the basis of disclosure, we may risk all that is dear to us for our creation or study. This is the Frankenstein Syndrome. When describing the monster he created, Frankenstein says: “No mortal could support the horror of this expression. Mother given forth with animation could not be that bad this poor. I looked at him while unfinished, he was ugly then, but when those muscles and joints were rendered capable of motion, it has become that even Dante could not imagine.” (I, 235) It was Victor's reaction to the monster's that caused him to reach out to working in the night. Victor, who for months worked on creating this, suddenly confronted the results of his scientific pursuit. He labored...
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...on the origination of alienation in a way that no man can ever forget. “It must be made equally clear, however, that such influences are exercised in the dialectical sense of ‘“continuity in discontinuity”’ (Meszaros, 1). There is very much “continuity in discontinuity” in literature, media, and the arts of today. In Mary Shelley’s book, Frankenstein, the hideous ‘monster’ that was created by Victor Frankenstein was frowned upon, fled from, and even abandoned by his own creator. This shows the inhumanity that society shows towards those who are different. “There was none among the myriads of men that existed who would pity or assist me; and should I feel kindness towards my enemies?” (Shelley, 115) The creature had merely a different look, but his emotions and desires were no different than any other human: love, companionship, and a sense of belonging. Many cast him away because his looks rang out evil. "I am alone and miserable; man will not associate with me; but one as deformed and horrible as myself would not deny herself to me. My companion must be of the same species and have the same defects. This being you must create” (Shelley, 35). The theme that rings throughout the novel is alienation. Outward appearance played a crucial role in the separation of the creature from society. The quick...
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...What do I want? Consider the role that the narrative/performance have in the questioning the true nature and real origin of the monstrous within the National Theatre’s 2011 production of Frankenstein. How? Dear’s narrative approach will be explored in relation to the problematizing and redefining of the monstrous; the shifting of the perspective to the created creature rather than that of the creator and the subsequent effects this has on an audience’s perception. The impact of the performance approach taken will also be considered: how the actors shared body of Frankenstein and his creature, the result of their alternating both roles, raises further questions creating various and yet carbon copies of the monstrous. The focus of this analysis...
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... God created a woman and named her Eve. Adam and Eve were put in the Garden of Eden. The Garden of Eden was filled with fruit trees, animals, and there were river flowing all the time. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had plenty to eat. They did not have to work nor make money. Adam and Eve were naked but they were shameless. Adam and Eve did not have much to worry about. In the year 2001, we are living in the garden that is embedded with various scientific stuffs. Let’s just take a look at my life. Few years ago, I used the typewriter to write papers. Now, I am using a computer to write the paper. In the morning, the alarm clock wakes me up. I turn on the faucet to get water to brush my teeth. I pour out already brewed coffee from programmed coffee maker. I drive a car to get to the places. I wash my cloth in washing machine and dry them in the dryer. I don’t wear eyeglasses anymore because I am wearing contact lenses. Furthermore, this winter break, I am planning to have Lasik operation to correct my vision permanently. Then, I could say goodbye to my contact lenses. This is the sketch of my life, but just a part. I am living in the garden with full of scientific devices that I could no longer live without. Wow. How did we get here from the Garden of Eden to the Garden of Science? What makes the world to become such a science oriented society? What drives human beings to seek scientific knowledge of the world? Since I am a Christian who confidently believes in God’s...
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...judge and accepts the awkward aspects of a person. Margins through nature are necessary to let people be themselves and for their ideas and acts to develop, nurture, and grow free of judgment. In “In Praise of Margins”, Frazier writes of margins in nature as his childhood escape where he and his friends could go to get away from the world. Although he did not clearly have purpose for this escape, he realized, later on as an adult, that the experience gained from nothing was valuable. For instance, he and his friends would go “explore” the woods all day, a time during which, they would be in privacy. They were in a marginal place free of people who would criticize their acts. Growing up without people telling them what to do during their private time was important in letting them learn on their own to distinguish right from wrong and adulthood from childhood. As time changed, their experience of how they portrayed the world changed. As a child in the woods he thought more of the “now” and less of the future. As an adult, however, he realized it was important for him to reflect changes that occurred in his life and to think about why and what he got out of his frequent...
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...FRANKENSTEIN Study Guide Homework: Please write your answers on separate paper. Letters 1-4 1. Who is writing Letter 1 (and all the letters)? Robert Walton 2. To whom is he writing? What is their relationship? Mrs. Saville, his sister 3. Where is Robert Walton when he writes Letter 1? Why is he there? What are his plans? St. Petersburg, Russia. He is hiring a crew for his ship. He intends to sail to the North Pole and discover magnetism. 4. What does Robert Walton tell us about himself? He is passionately committed to discovery and adventure. He wishes he had a friend with the same sensibilities and he says he is self-taught. 5. Where is Walton now? What do you think of Walton's question "What can stop the determined heart and resolved will of man"? Walton is out to sea, sailing north. The quotation establishes the Romantic idea of the power of emotion over reason. 6. How much time has elapsed between Letter 3 and Letter 4? What "strange accident" has happened to the sailors? One month has lapsed. The accident is the ship is trapped in ice and fog. 7. Why does the man picked up by the ship say he is there? What shape is he in? The man says he is “seek[ing] one who fled from me” (11) and he asks which direction the ship is sailing. He is near death, weak and emaciated. 8. What sort of person does he seem to be? How does Walton respond to this man? The man remains silent and this creates a sense of mystery around him. Walton finds...
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...FRANKENSTEIN Study Guide Homework: Please write your answers on separate paper. Letters 1-4 1. Who is writing Letter 1 (and all the letters)? Robert Walton 2. To whom is he writing? What is their relationship? Mrs. Saville, his sister 3. Where is Robert Walton when he writes Letter 1? Why is he there? What are his plans? St. Petersburg, Russia. He is hiring a crew for his ship. He intends to sail to the North Pole and discover magnetism. 4. What does Robert Walton tell us about himself? He is passionately committed to discovery and adventure. He wishes he had a friend with the same sensibilities and he says he is self-taught. 5. Where is Walton now? What do you think of Walton's question "What can stop the determined heart and resolved will of man"? Walton is out to sea, sailing north. The quotation establishes the Romantic idea of the power of emotion over reason. 6. How much time has elapsed between Letter 3 and Letter 4? What "strange accident" has happened to the sailors? One month has lapsed. The accident is the ship is trapped in ice and fog. 7. Why does the man picked up by the ship say he is there? What shape is he in? The man says he is “seek[ing] one who fled from me” (11) and he asks which direction the ship is sailing. He is near death, weak and emaciated. 8. What sort of person does he seem to be? How does Walton respond to this man? The man remains silent and this creates a sense of mystery around him. Walton finds...
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...FRANKENSTEIN Study Guide Homework: Please write your answers on separate paper. Letters 1-4 1. Who is writing Letter 1 (and all the letters)? Robert Walton 2. To whom is he writing? What is their relationship? Mrs. Saville, his sister 3. Where is Robert Walton when he writes Letter 1? Why is he there? What are his plans? St. Petersburg, Russia. He is hiring a crew for his ship. He intends to sail to the North Pole and discover magnetism. 4. What does Robert Walton tell us about himself? He is passionately committed to discovery and adventure. He wishes he had a friend with the same sensibilities and he says he is self-taught. 5. Where is Walton now? What do you think of Walton's question "What can stop the determined heart and resolved will of man"? Walton is out to sea, sailing north. The quotation establishes the Romantic idea of the power of emotion over reason. 6. How much time has elapsed between Letter 3 and Letter 4? What "strange accident" has happened to the sailors? One month has lapsed. The accident is the ship is trapped in ice and fog. 7. Why does the man picked up by the ship say he is there? What shape is he in? The man says he is “seek[ing] one who fled from me” (11) and he asks which direction the ship is sailing. He is near death, weak and emaciated. 8. What sort of person does he seem to be? How does Walton respond to this man? The man remains silent and this creates a sense of mystery around him. Walton finds...
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