The Gothic Novel Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

Gothic Novel  Romantics loved the idea of being terrified  Eerie and supernatural tales popular  Goal: “to make the readers’ blood run cold”  Mary Shelley’s intention in her intro

A “little gothick Castel.”  Horace Walpole’s castle  Rustic irregularity  Quirky battlements (fortifications for battle)  Overgrown landscaping  Gloriously imperfect  Left in ruins, make it more suitable for the gothic style

Illustration: Walpole’s Castle

Photo: Walpole’s Castle

Making Monsters  Walpole uses home to inspire ghost stories  The Castle of Otranto horror elements illustrate royal family collapse  Home & Writing inspired new genre  Gothic architecture reflected wild, unpredictable aspects of nature  Parallel to human aspirations & failures

Exploring Unseen Evils  Allowed people of age to express sense of helplessness  Revolutions abroad  Industrial revolution  Economic change  Share the age’s suffering, injustice & unseen evils injustice & unseen evils Left: child labor Right: French Revolution

Birth of Frankenstein  Mary Shelley biography  Author’s introduction to the novel  Provide key points

Frankenstein  Plot: protagonist desires to discover the secret of life and ends up creating a monster  Setting: Geneva, Swiss Alps, Ingolstadt, England and Scotland, Arctic  Point of view: Shifts between characters—Robert Walton, Frankenstein, monster

Frankenstein’s Journey

Swiss Alps& The Beauty of Nature

Frankenstein’s Characters  Victor Frankenstein  The monster  Robert Walton  Elizabeth Lavenza  Henry Clerval  Justine Moritz  Alphonse Frankenstein  William Frankenstein Frankenstein’s CREATURE

Themes, Motifs, Symbols Themes  Dangerous Knowledge  Influence of Nature  Identity of Man vs. Monster  Destructive force of secrecy  Complexity of Storytelling  Inability to control creation  Importance of Friendship Motifs  Passive Women  Abortion Symbols  Light & Fire