Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley 1797-1851

Poetry should begin as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings Poetry should begin as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.” William Wordsworth

“The artist’s feeling is his law “The artist’s feeling is his law.” --Casper David Friedrich Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog 1818

Intellectual Movements The Enlightenment Romanticism 18th century (1700’s) Diderot, Voltaire, Kant, Rousseau Focused on the use of reason and rationality, questioning of dogma, empiricism, scientific rigor, and freedom based on the idea of man as a rational being. 1790-1850 Byron, Keats, Coleridge, Shelley, Hawthorne, Poe, Dickinson, Whitman, Irving A reaction to the Industrial Revolution and Enlightenment ideals.

Romanticism Believed emotion to be a source of aesthetic expression Placed importance on the sublimity and beauty of nature Looked to the past, especially medievalism and the chivalric romance Admired the solitary genius, placing prime importance on original creation from one’s own imagination following no prior rules or structures.

William Godwin (1756-1836) Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797)

Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin Mary W. was an early feminist who wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Women and considered women’s lack of political power and narrow role as wives and mothers to be slavery. She had an illegitimate child with Gilbert Imlay before meeting William Godwin.

Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin William Godwin was a radical political philosopher, a proponent of anarchism, and a critic of contemporary social structures, including marriage. He married Mary W. after she conceived Mary S.

Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin Mary W. died only 10 days after Mary S. was born. Mary S. very often hung out by her grave. That’s where her relationship with Percy began. William published a very honest biography about Mary W. that included her many affairs, illegitimate child, and suicide attempts. He was surprised when people were shocked and considered the biography to be heartless.

Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin William raised Mary and her half-sister Fanny very lovingly. He remarried (another Mary) with her own two children. He educated Mary to a greater degree than most girls at the time and immersed her in the intellectual ideas of his circle.

Percy Bysshe Shelley 1792-1822 Mary Shelley 1797-1851

Percy Bysshe Shelley 1792-1822 Mary Shelley 1797-1851 Claire Clairmont, Mary’s step-sister

Lord Byron, poet and friend Claire Clairmont, Mary’s step-sister Mary Shelley 1797-1851 Claire Claremont, Mary’s step-sister Percy Bysshe Shelley 1792-1822

Mary Shelley 1797-1851 Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin At age 16, 1814, began a relationship with Percy Bysshe Shelley…who had a pregnant wife and child. Mary and Percy ran off together and married two years later…three weeks after Percy’s wife Harriet committed suicide.

Mary Shelley Much of their life was spent travelling throughout Europe with other poets and writers, especially the poet Lord Byron, and with Mary’s step-sister Claire, who conceived a child with Byron. Percy continued to have affairs throughout their marriage, probably also with Claire. Mary claims to have agreed that marriage was oppressive and unnecessary…maybe.

Mary Shelley Mary gave birth to four children with Percy, three of whom died as infants or toddlers. Her only surviving son was Percy Florence Shelley.

Mary Shelley Percy died in a boating accident on July 8, 1822. Mary spent much of her life publishing his works and trying to publish his life story. She supported herself with her own writing.

Gothic Literature

Gothic Literature First Gothic novel The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole His aim was to find a middle ground between a medieval romance, which he found too fanciful, and a “modern” (contemporary) novel, which he found to be too confined to strict realism.

Gothic Literature The name comes from its similarities to Gothic architecture—unrestrained with grotesque ornamentation putting humans in conflict with supernatural forces. These traits show an ambition to transcend human limitations and reach the divine. Also a fascination with the mysterious infinite of the universe, including the terror that goes along with it.

Lord Byron: source of the term Byronic hero. “A man proud, moody, cynical, with defiance on his brow and misery in his heart, a scorner of his kind, implacable in revenge, yet capable of deep and strong affection.” --Lord Macaulay

Motifs, Techniques, and Allusions Solitary genius Byronic hero Satanic hero Faust Frame or spiral narrative Nature as a mirror, character, or force The conflict of logic and emotion Doppelganger Paradise Lost Prometheus

Galvanism Using an electrical current to make the muscles of a dead creature contract

Monsters

Monster Etymology Originally abnormal or abnormally large animals were considered portents—monsters, signs. 12th century monster = a repulsive character or object of dread; an abomination 14th century monster = something malformed 1550 monster = a person of inhuman cruelty or wickedness

21st Century Monster What would be the worst monster for our day and age? Draw the creature, including details that reveal what is monstrous about this creature for our world. Label the details to explain why this thing is a modern-day monster.