FRANKENSTEIN The Modern Prometheus Journal Write What do

FRANKENSTEIN “The Modern Prometheus”

Journal Write � What do you think of when you hear the word “Frankenstein”? What images, memories, or feelings arise in your mind? � Based off of what you know, who is Frankenstein?

Mary Shelley � Born in 1797 in London, England � Mother, Mary, was a feminist writer �Dies shortly after Mary (Jr. ) was born � Father was a writer �Married Mary Clairmont after losing his first wife � Mary Shelley experienced bitter times growing up �Cruel stepmother and emotionally distant father

Continued… � Met her future husband, Percy, at the age of 16 � He was also a famous poet � Had a daughter, Clara, who died a few weeks after her birth � Soon after son, William, was born � All traveled through France, Germany, & Switzerland (the novel takes place in these places) � Married in 1816 in London

Even More! � Began writing Frankenstein in 1816 while in Switzerland (inspired by sailing trips and telling ghost stories on their trips) � A second daughter, Clara, was born but died a year later � Percy Jr. was born in 1819 (the same year William died) � In 1822 Mary had a miscarriage which almost ended her life � In the same year, Percy Sr. was sailing and a storm sank the ship � His body washed ashore

The End of her life… � Devastated by her loss, Mary returned back to England with her son, Percy � Worked � Died on writing many novels in 1851 (fifty-four years old)

The creation of Frankenstein � One night, when Mary was visiting the Swiss Alps with her husband friends, they began telling ghost stories � Her friend, Byron, challenged her to come up with a ghost story � The next day she began writing Frankenstein and a year later she finished her book � It was published in 1818, when Shelley was 19 years old � Book was published anonymously originally � People criticized the book claiming it to be “a tissue of horrible and disgusting absurdity”.

The development of Science � Prior to the 18 th century science and philosophy were the same thing � Some science experiments that may have jump-stated Mary’s imagination � Luigi Galvani- made frog legs twitch by poking them with electrodes � Giovanni Aldini did the same but with human limbs � Johann Dippel robbed graves and diabolical experiments on the corpses � The work of these scientists was important; led to eletro-shock therapy and cardiac defibrillation

The Romantic movement � A movement in the late 18 th century, which emphasizes emotion, imagination, intuition, freedom, personal experience, the beauty of nature, the exotic, and even the grotesque. � Often contained the idea of the disenfranchised man � Men who found themselves unable to live in society � Supernatural � Make ordinary and everyday things wonderful and inspiring

Gothic style � Offshoot of Romantic literature � Created the first horror movies � The Gothic creates feelings of gloom, mystery, and suspense and tends to the dramatic and the sensational � The most common feature of Gothic literature is the indication of mood through weather �When bad things are going to happen, a storm will occur before

Gothic Elements � � � � � Ruined buildings which are sinister Dungeons or underground passages Shadows Extreme landscapes (rugged mountains, thick forests, icy wastes, and extreme weather) Magic and the supernatural A passion-driven villain-hero or villain A curious heroine who needs to be rescued frequently A hero whose true identity is revealed by the end of the novel Horrifying (or terrifying) events or the threat of such happenings