MARY SHELLEY AND FRANKENSTEIN
MARY SHELLEY
Born Mary Godwin, in 1797
Daughter of two famous radical intellectuals
Ran away with the poet Percy B. Shelley at age 17
Spent part of 1816 (the year without a summer) in Byron's Villa Diodati near Geneva in Switzerland, where she got the inspiration to write Frankenstein
Had a lot of intellectual stimulus in her house
FRANKENSTEIN or THE MODERN PROMETHEUS (1818)
PLOT Follow the link
EPISTOLARY NARRATIVE STRUCTURE
- Walton's point of view in his letters to his sister
- Frankenstein' s point of view in the story that he tells Walton, who then writes to his sister
- The monster's point of view as told to Frankenstein who then tells Walton, who writes to his sister
THEMES
The over-reacher
The double
Frankenstein and his monster are both alienated and isolated
Frankenstein and Walton are both curious, ambitious and adventurous
Social prejudices #
Frankenstein wants to go beyond what is considered acceptable
The monster becomes an outcast because of the way he looks
How far can science go?
INSPIRATION
The gothic and ghost stories, popular at the time
First draft of the story inspired by a dream during the dark and cold summer of 1816 at Villa Diodati, where Mary, Percy, Byron etc. held a competition for writing ghost stories
The scientific developments of the time (chemistry, electricity, evolution)
Mary was curious about science but she was also aware of the dangers of science when used against the rules of nature
The myth of Prometheus
An over-reacher like Frankenstein; both suffer the tragic consequences of their actions
Rousseau's man in primitive state #
When the monster comes to life, he has to teach himself everything, like Rousseau's Emile
"The creation of the monster" (Chapter 5)
The creature comes to life but Frankenstein is so horrified by it that he flees to bed. During his troubled sleep, he has terrible nightmares. He is woken up by the monster, who is near his bed trying to grab him, but he manages to escape it (the monster subsequently escapes too)
Gothic atmosphere
The monster, described with horrifying details
The night setting
The stormy November setting
The nightmare
Science
The use of electricity to revive a dead body
"Frankenstein and the monster" (Chapter 10)
Frankenstein has been chasing the monster in the Alps and he finally meets him. He feels horrified and faint but is revived by the cold and by rage. He verbally attacks the creature, who, in turn, declares his wretchedness, accuses Frankenstein of playing God and threatens to kill his friends and family if he doesn't comply with his requests.
Romantic influence
Nature as a symbolic backdrop of what happens to man (in this case cold and desolate)
Science
The monster accuses Frankenstein of not taking responsibility for his actions (for his inappropriate use of science)
"Frankenstein's death" (Chapter 24)
Frankenstein's point of view
Frankenstein's and the monster's points of view
Walton witnesses Frankenstein's death. When he returns to Frankenstein's cabin, he sees the monster by F's bed. He resists the urge to attack him and listens to him declaring his wretchedness and his regret for what he did. The monster finally declares that he will burn himself so that no-one can find his body and try to replicate Frankenstein's experiment.
The outcast
The monster is regretful for his actions but also feels angry self-pity; he became violent when he was refused by society while he only wanted to be loved
Walton's and the monster's points of view
The over-reacher
Frankenstein advises Walton to avoid excessive ambition because it can lead to disaster, like for him, and Walton decides to follow this advice
Man in his primitive state
The monster says he was innocent when he gained consciousness
Nature
The monster's innocence is represented by spring weather