Frankenstein initial mind map

Frankenstein initial mind map

1. Quotations: 1918

   • 'I was not of the same nature as man. I was more agile than they and could subsist upon coarser diet; I bore the extremes of heat and cold with less injury to my frame; my stature far exceeded theirs.' pg123
   • 'I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing'. pg58
     • what instruments is he using?
       • what instruments had been invented by 1816 (and that Mary Shelley would have known about?
         • read Humphrey Davy's 'elements of chemical philosophy' in 1816
           • her dream? but speculated to be a method to distance herself from her creation
     • alludes to galvanism
       • giovani + aldini + erasmus darwin
   • 'I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs.' pg 58
     • but retains muscle memory?
   • 'His yellow skin was scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of pearly whiteness... watery eyes, that seemed almost the same colour as the dun-white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips.' pg 58
     • newborn jaundice: common, build up of bilirubin in the blood produced when erythrocytes breakdown and the liver is not as effective at removing them
     • where did victor get the body parts from? the university? grave robbing? and for the female creature- what body parts would have been accessible on the remote orkney islands- suggests he sourced the parts from a cementary'
     • addison's disease (adrenal gland doesn't produce enough cortisol / aldosterone, causing hyperpigmentation or cyanosis (not enough oxygen)
   • 'and his eyes were fixed on me. His jaws opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds, while a grin wrinkled his cheeks. He might have spoken, but I did not hear; one hand was stretched out.' pg 59
   • 'its gigantic stature, and the deformity of its aspects' pg 77
   • 'It is with considerable difficulty that I remember the original era or my being. l all the events of that period appear confused and indistinct. A strange multiplicity of sensations seized me, and I saw, felt, heard, and smelt at the same time; and it was, indeed, along time before I learned to distinguish between the operations of my various senses. By degrees, I remember, a stronger light pressed upon my nerves, so that I was obliged to shut my eyes. Darkness then came over me and troubled me.'
   • 'Sometimes I tried to imitate the pleasant songs of the birds but was unable... but the uncouth and inarticulate sounds which broke from me frightened me into silence again.'
   • 'and my mind received every day additional ideas. My eyes became acustomed to the light and to percieve objects in their right forms'
     • CNS adjusting
     • his mind has regressed to a childs - has wiped the memory of the previous brain?
       • yet becomes exceedingly eloquent after watching the DeLacey family for 'several revelations of the moon' (although still retains a childish outlook and naivety
   • 'When I was oppressed by cold, I found a fire... In my joy I thrust my hand into the live embers, but quickly drew it out again with a cry of pain. How strange, I thought, that the same cause should produce such opposite effects!'
     • learning through empirical experiences
   • 'I painted at this and sat still and watched the operation of the fire... I covered it carefully with dry wood and leaves and placed wet branches upon it.'
   • 'One of the phenomena which had peculiarly attracted my attention was the structure of the human frame, and, indeed, any animal endued with life. Whence, I often asked myself, did the principle of life proceed? It was a bold question, and one which has ever been considered as a mystery'
     • what did victor believe to be the 'principle of life'?
   • 'determined thenceforth to apply myself more particularly to those branches of natural philosophy which relate to physiology'
   • 'I heard of some discoveries having been made by an English professor,' pg 156
   • 'but one vast hand was extended, in colour and apparent texture like that of a mummy.'
     • decayed? or a build up of bilirubin,

2. topics

   • galvanism
   • hematology
     • (blood groups discovered in 1901) what happens if different blood groups are mixed together?
       • ABO incompatibility:
     • different sized arteries, will they stay together if sewn together?
   • neurology + memory
     • how is his memory erased and restarted? (amnesia?)
   • genetics
     • why can't different sets of genes function together?
       • + male and female body parts potentially?
       • foreign cells :)
   • body decomposition
     • stage one: autolysis excess co2 > acidic environment > cell membranes rupture > releases hydrolytic enzymes + rigor mortis > muscle stiffening stage two: leaked enzymes produce gases > bloating + bacteria release sulfur-containing compounds that cause skin discolouration stage three: active decay is indicated by fluid release after organs, muscles and skin decay stage four: skeletinization
       • preservation
         • 1800s: ice coffins not invented until around 1871, cooling boards (1803: Thomas Moore 'refrigeratory')

3. SECTIONS: 1) Defining the creature using the novel itself 2) Mary Shelley's inspiration for Frankenstein- what connections to Science did she have and how does this give a greater view of the creature and what she intended to happen? 3) How did Victor find and preserve the body parts (including the second time)? 4) How would reanimation work? 5) How would the different and dead body parts function? 5) How could this be replicated in the future (synthetic biology)?

4. Quotations: 19

   • 'as the minuteness of the parts formed a great hindrance to my speed, I resolved' pg 52
   • 'animate the lifeless clay' pg 52
   • 'I collected bones from charnel houses... the dissecting room and the slaughter-house furnished many of my materials'
     • what materials?
   • 'I now also began to collect materials necessary for my creation'... 'I packed up my chemical instruments and and the materials I had collected.' [in London before Orkneys]
     • Victor is an unreliable narrator- in 'augmenting' the narration he may have altered some of the details of creation