Rubric
- Upheaval between Romanticism and Enlightenment
- Victor’s scientific aspirations and motivations usurp natural order and he suffers the consequences
- Activates change in the perception of Enlightenment and reason
- Represents and challenges shifting contextual values and attitudes from Romanticism to Enlightenment, and reinforces Romantic ideas
Characterisation of Victor Frankenstein
- Changes over course of novel from innocent young man fascinated with scientific endeavours, to a disillusioned and guilt-ridden man with animalistic obsession to destroy fruits of his arrogance, and resembles the monster he shows unmitigated hatred for
- Doomed by lack of humanness and sympathy, desire to attain godlike powers and refusal to deal with ramifications of his arrogance
- Embodies Enlightenment ideals
Characterisation of The Creature
- Distorted representation of creation as he is the birth of a new species but the death of Victor’s humanity
- Portrayed as evil by Victor but shows human qualities of sensitivity, benevolence and will to uncover knowledge
- Shunned due to appearance, lonely, demonised, and is tormented by remorse
- Torn between vengefulness and compassion as he murders to exact revenge on Victor and humanity for his ill-treatment
- Death of Victor provides bittersweet relief and there is joy because Victor caused him suffering but sadness because Victor was the only person he had any form of relationship with
Characterisation of Robert Walton
- Functions as conduit to narrate story
- Parallels Victor as an explorer searching for knowledge but is paradoxical foil as he heeds Victor’s warnings of ardent scientific ambition
- Highlights Victor’s narrative and message
Context
- Mary Shelley (1818)
- Tensions between Romanticism and Enlightenment during Age of Reason as there was a focus on knowledge, technology and moving away from traditionalism
- Romanticism was response to Enlightenment
- Enlightenment led to Industrial Revolution and French Revolution
- Victor’s experiments are metaphor for French Revolution due to initial idealism regarding change but ultimately led to death and destruction
- Galvanist experiments inspired Victor’s creation of the Monster using electricity and corpses
- Usurpation of traditional gender roles as Victor creates life
- Victor defied religious beliefs of God as the creator as he created life
- Gothic Doppelganger element as there are parallels between Victor and the Creature as they both seek knowledge, are idealistic and disillusioned, and suffer loss
- Prometheus myth parallels Victor’s journey as he pursues enlightenment and suffers for it as he plays God
- Parallels to Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’ as Victor is like Satan who defies God, he also tries to play God, and the Creature is like Satan who fell from the light into the darkness and is then barred from returning to ‘paradise’ (society)
Purpose
- Moral didacticism
- Portray the ramifications of challenging natural order
- Critique of Age of Reason
- Reinforces Romantic ideals
Form
- Metadiegetic narrative of epistolary novel, autobiography and allegory
- Frame narrative of Walton’s journey and Victor’s tale
- Fatalistic and foreboding tone
- Subtitle of ‘The Modern Prometheus’
Audience
- Gain insight into tensions between Romanticism and Enlightenment
- Understand individual and moral ramifications of ardent ambition that challenges natural order
Knowledge and Discovery
“Life and death …”
“Life and death appeared to me ideal bounds, which I should first break through, and pour a torrent of light into our dark world”
- Motif
- Metaphor
- Ironic parallel to “My hatred and revenge burst all bounds of moderation”
Knowledge and Discovery
“One man’s …”
“One man’s life or death were but a small price to pay for the acquirement of the knowledge which I sought” - Walton
- Vehement and certain tone
Ambition and Fallibility
“Passion …”
“Passion … arise, like a mountain river … has swept away all my hopes and joy”
- Natural imagery
- Irony
Ambition and Fallibility
“I ardently …”
“I ardently hope that the gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you”
- Didactic and foreshadowing tone
- Biblical allusion
Isolation and Search for Companionship
“You, my creator …”
“You, my creator, detest and spurn me”
- Second person pronouns
Isolation and Search for Companionship
“even the enemy …”
“even the enemy of God and man had friends and associates in his desolation; I am alone”
- Metaphor
- Biblical allusion
- Intertextuality to Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’
Rosemary Jackson’s quote
“Parodic mirror of Frankenstein”
Irving Massey’s quote
“The monster is something completely internal … an aspect with which Frankenstein cannot or will not come to terms”
