Frankenstein A Primer Mary Shelley Daughter of Mary
- Slides: 7
Frankenstein A Primer
Mary Shelley § Daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft, William Goodwin – Intellectual household – Poetry was valued § Nineteen at time of writing § Scandalous affair with Percy Byshe Shelley – eloped to France. § Lost three of her four children in five years.
The Creation of the Book § § Lived in Geneva, near Lord Byron Trapped inside Challenge of a scary story Influenced by movements – Social – Political – Educational/Philosophical
Gothic/Romantic Novel § Connotations of Gothic – Old: Cruel, harsh, medieval – Modern: emo, black, sad § Gothic literature – – Brooding atmosphere Emphasis on the unknown Inspire fear Wild and remote settings, (e. g. , haunted castles or windblasted moors – Plots involve violent or mysterious events.
Influences § Science and philosophy – Advances – good or bad for humanity? § § Enlightenment (rational movement) Romantic (emotional movement) Myth of Prometheus Romantic Hero (Byronic Hero) – Moody, rebellious, passionate, imaginative, unconventional and uninhibited
Narrative Structure § Semi-epistolary § Story within a story. Doctor Victor Frankenstein’s Narrative Ch. 1 -10 Monster’s Narrative Ch. 11 -16 AND 17 - Captain Walton’s Letters to Sister
WHY? § How does the narrative structure change how we read? § Why did she use this? § How does it function? § How do Frankenstein's and the monster’s moral ambiguity affect our reading of the story?
