Frankenstein - Mary Shelley

Frankenstein - Mary Shelley

1. Mary Shelley

   • Frankenstein research
   • Daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft
     • Wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792)
   • Married to Percy Bysshe Shelley
     • English Poets
   • Father was philosopher William Godwin
   • Wrote Frankenstein in 1818, when she was only 18 years old!
     • Originally published anonymously
   • Close friend of Lord Byron
     • (Romantic Poet - Don Juan)

2. Themes

   • Ambition/Hubris
     • Walton's quest for discovery Frankenstein's desire to create life Danger of this - the Modern Prometheus...
   • knowledge/ education
     • * Victor's study at college and Independent research * The creature learns from observing the De Lacey family and reading * Safie learns language from the De Laceys * Walton's quest of discovery
   • Prejudice
     • The only person who doesn't judge the creature negatively is the old man De Lacey who is blind so he can't see him
   • Family
     • Family relationships are very important: * Victor and Elizabeth * The impact of William's death on Victor * The effect of seeing the De Lacey family on the Creature * The Creature's lack of family and desire for a mate * The narrator, Walton, writes to his dear sister
   • Revenge
     • The creature takes revenge on Frankenstein by killing:  - his little brother William - his friend Clerval - Elizabeth on their wedding night
   • Nature Vs. Society
     • Nature is sublime: beautiful and restores health, but also dangerous. Creature wants to be part of society but  it is corrupting and leads to loss of innocence.

3. Structure and Genre

   • Structure, form and language (Frankenstein)
   • Epistolary form (Walton's letters)
     • Frankenstein-Letters 1-4
   • Romantic
     • Romantics/ Romanticism
   • Gothic
     • Gothic
   • LITERARY CHALLENGE! Developed while competing with Byron, Percy Shelley and John Polidori to make a scary horror story at Villa Diodati on Lake Geneva (Switzerland)
     • Mary Shelley was inspired by Professor Galvani's experiments on dead frogs at the University of Bologna
     • Mary Shelley had been inspired by Professor L. Galvani's experiment carried out on dead frog's legs at Bologna University
   • Narrative frame (Victor's story within Walton's, the creature's story within Victor's)
   • Considered the first SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL WITH GOTHIC ATMOSPHERE
   • This is considered to be the first Science-fiction novel with Gothic atmosphere

4. Symbols

   • Light
     • * Symbolises enlightenment * Walton's quest to the Arctic: "a country of eternal light" * Victor refers to light when he discovers natural philosophy and when he feels his study is advancing ***Light can be blinding as well as illuminating***
   • Fire
     • The Creature discovers fire: it warms him, but also burns him. Fire as a source of punishment, e.g. the Creature's description of Hell (influence of Milton's Paradise Lost)
     • Subtitle: The Modern Prometheus
       • Prometheus: Greek God who stole fire from Mount Olympus and gave to humans

5. Cultural Influence

   • Frankenstein Critic Quotes
   • 1931 Frankenstein, Boris Karloff as the creature
   • 1974 Young Frankenstein, directed by Mel Brooks
   • 1994: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, directed by Kenneth Branagh

6. Characters

   • Victor Frankenstein
     • Victor Frankenstein
     • Elizabeth (adopted sister/fiance)
     • Clerval (best friend)
     • Justine, accused of William's murder
     • William (brother), killed by the creature
     • Walton (first narrator)
     • The Creature
       • The DeLacey Family
         • Safie

7. PASSAGE TAKEN FROM THE NOVEL: "AN OUTCAST OF SOCIETY"

   • In this passage we witness the transformation of the Creature into a real Monster (just as Society has always seen him): he starts killing people filled with a sense of revenge. The first victim is William (Dr Frankenstein's younger brother) = the child he thought was "unprejudiced"

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