Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Influences and Literary Elements

Influences on Frankenstein �Mary Shelley had radical parents (a feminist and a philosopher) who didn’t believe in marriage and lived separately. �Mother died 11 days after Mary’s birth �Mary ran off with married poet Percy Shelley as a teenager. �Percy’s pregnant wife drowned herself. �Mary and Percy had a number of Mary Wollestonecraft Shelley, 17971851 children who died in infancy or were miscarried. �Apprehension about giving birth runs throughout novel

Influences on Frankenstein �Mary and Percy spent a rainy vacation in Switzerland. �To pass the time, Lord Byron suggested a ghost story contest. �Mary literally dreamt up the story of Frankenstein for her entry. �Mary named Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner as a major influence. �She was only 19 when she finished the novel. Switzerland, one setting of Frankenstein

Influences on Frankenstein �Prometheus of Greek myth �Stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mortals. �Zeus punished him by binding him to a rock for an eagle eat his liver every day. �Story implies that Prometheus overreached the boundaries of human knowledge. �Frankenstein is subtitled The Modern Prometheus. Trace this idea throughout the novel!

Romanticism �Partly a reaction to: �The Industrial Revolution �The changing of scientific rationalization of nature �The Age of Enlightenment. �Had a significant influence on politics �Emphasized emotion (apprehension, horror and terror, awe, etc. ) as an authentic aesthetic experience

Characteristics of Romanticism �Valuing sensitivity and emotions over intellectualism �Valuing the wisdom of people who might not be well- educated or sophisticated �Appreciating people for being unconventional and unique �Maintaining childlike curiosity and spontaneity �Maintaining a strong connection with nature �Being cautious about advancements in technology and science Mary and Percy Shelley were well-entrenched in the Romantic movement. Examine how Shelley incorporates these elements in the novel.

Gothic Novel Characteristics �Dark, creepy settings �Castles, graveyards, old houses �Atmosphere of mystery and suspense �Novel overshadowed by a threatening feeling, and/or a fear of the unknown. �Omens and visions �Phenomenon can be seen as a portent of coming events.

Gothic Novel Characteristics �Supernatural or inexplicable events �Fantastic, dramatic events, such as ghosts appearing, giants walking, or inanimate objects coming to life. �High, “overwrought” emotion �Characters experience feeling of impending doom, and suffer from “raw nerves. ” Crying, emotional speeches, breathlessness and panic are all common.

Gothic Novel Characteristics �Women in distress � Female characters find themselves fainting, terrified, screaming, and/or sobbing as an appeal to the pathos and sympathy of the reader. �Women threatened by a powerful, impulsive, tyrannical male � Often categorized as Byronic heroes

Other Notes �Novel’s frame tale: Walton, an explorer, is telling the story of Victor Frankenstein through letters to his sister (then Victor fills in). �Scientific exploration of the day also inspired the writing. Galvanism �Galvanism (reanimating bodies with electricity) �Polar expeditions �“Frankenstein” is the name of the man who made the monster. The monster is known only as “the creature. ” The creature is not green!

Frame tale: Robert Walton’s narrative (written in letters to his sister, Margaret Saville) Frankenstein’s narrative (told to Robert Walton) The creature’s narrative (told to Victor Frankenstein) Story Structure