FRANKENSTEIN BY MARY SHELLEY
Who was Mary Shelley? Born in 1797 to 2 leading intellectuals: Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin Married Percy Shelley at the age of 16 At the age of 18 she wrote Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus Frankenstein is the greatest example of British Romanticism in the novel form
Shelley’s Tragedies She gave birth to 4 children in 5 years. 3 of them died in infancy Shelley lost her husband in a boating accident after only 8 years of marriage Critics say that Frankenstein is greatly influenced by the themes of Birth and Death
Romanticism is a reaction to the Age of Reason What is Romanticism? Romanticism is a reaction to the Age of Reason
The Age of Reason Time Period: roughly 1700-1797 The Enlightenment, or the age of reason, is often closely linked with the Scientific Revolution, for both movements emphasized reason, science, and rationality
Romanticism is also a rejection of Classicism: What is Romanticism? Romanticism is also a rejection of Classicism: the precepts of order, calm, harmony, balance, idealization, and rationality (logos!) were replaced with the subjective, the irrational, the imaginative, the personal, the spontaneous, the emotional, the visionary, and the transcendental (pathos!)
What did the Romantics Believe?
The Natural World That the beauty of nature should be studied That trying to control was dangerous That nature provides solace or comfort to the individual
Natural World Cont’d In the novel, Robert’s attempt to conquer the sea and Victor’s scientific experiments reveal man’s attempt to control or exploit the natural world
The Individual Romanticism favored the idea of the Individual This Individual is Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mary’s husband!
The Individual The Romantics had a preoccupation with the genius, the hero, and the exceptional figure They focused on his passions and inner struggles They viewed the artist as a supremely individual creator, whose creative spirit is more important than strict adherence to formal rules and traditional procedures They emphasized imagination as a gateway to the transcendental, leading to belief in . . .
The Supernatural !!! Which leads us to: The Gothic Novel!
The Gothic Novel The Gothic novel took shape mostly in England from 1790 to 1830 and falls within the category of Romantic literature.
The Gothic Novel The Gothic is far from limited to this set time period, as it takes its roots from former terrorizing writing that dates back to the Middle Ages, and can still be found written today by writers such as Stephen King
The Gothic Novel Gothic novel could be seen as a description of a fallen world. We experience this fallen world though all aspects of the novel: plot, setting, characterization, and theme. This leads us to the Gothic Hero . . .
No! Not these kinds of goths!
Gothic Archetypes Gothic Hero: isolated either voluntarily or involuntarily Villian: epitome of evil, either by his (usually a man) own fall from grace, or by some implicit malevolence The Wanderer, found in many Gothic tales, is the epitome of isolation as he wanders the earth in perpetual exile, usually a form of divine punishment
What the book isn’t:
(((A more realistic Creature! Themes in the book: (((A more realistic Creature!
Dangerous Knowledge Should we fool around with Nature? Are there laws (“God’s Laws”) that are off limits to humanity? Prometheus Myth: He stole fire from the Gods for humans. He was punished for eternity by being tied to a rock and having a vulture eat his liver every morning
Nothing In Excess Stressed importance of leading balanced and moderate lifestyle During Shelley’s time, people were struggling to adjust to the Industrial Age In our time, we struggle to balance our humanity with our dependence on technology
Sublime Nature Throughout the novel, pay attention to how the characters are influenced by the natural world. Also note Shelley’s long descriptions of the natural world. This is classic Romanticism!