Frankenstein

Which Frankenstein are we studying? Frankenstein, the novel, by Mary Shelley. Frankenstein, the play, by Phillip Pullman. Frankoworm, the children’s book.

The Source - Mary Shelley wrote the novel, Frankenstein in 1818. Phillip Pullman adapted the novel into a play in 1990. Both texts were written in different times and different contexts.

Who is Mary Shelley? Born in 1797 to William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft. Her mother Mary Wollstonecraft was a writer but died when Mary was very young. She was an avid reader and scholar and knew through her father some of the most important men of the time (William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge) Married (scandal!) Percy Bysshe Shelley in 1816 and listened intently to his intellectual conversations with others

Mary Shelley On a visit in Switzerland, with her husband, PBS, to Lord Byron, she was challenged to write a story. She had heard Byron and Shelley discussing “the nature of the principle of life and whether there was any chance of its ever being discovered.” From this conversation, she had the “waking dream” which eventually became the novel Frankenstein.

CONTEXT- What is the social, historical and cultural context in which Shelley was writing Frankenstein? No text is written without a PURPOSE or a CONTEXT! Mary Shelley grew up in the Romantic era which began in the late 1700’s. Her purpose of writing Frankenstein was to challenge the beliefs of the Age of Enlightenment which preceded the Romantic Age.

Age of Enlightenment 1650- 1790 vs Romantics 1790- 1850 The Romantics revolted against the Age of Enlightenment around the 1790’s and led to the French Revolution. The Age of Enlightenment was an elitist cultural movement which believed in three things: Reason – is the source of all knowledge. Scientific experimentation is the key to human progress. Intellectual inquiry without belief in religious truth. Isaac Newton, John Locke were the intellectuals belonging to this Age.

The Romantics The Romantics asserted their belief in FREEDOM, LIBERTY AND EQUALITY and rebelled against the tyranny of the rich over the poor. They rebelled against the supremacy of REASON and returned to celebrate PASSION. They revived a fascination and respect of NATURE with a desire to IMAGINATIVELY TRANSFORM IT.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein deals with these issues and tackles questions such as: What is the moral responsibility of man towards nature as he investigates it scientifically? Can we know everything through reason? What is the difference between human potential and human limitation? What happens if we start to play God?

Elements found in Frankenstein Science fiction Gothic elements Romantic fascination with nature and creation.

Major Characters- Victor Frankenstein – is the protagonist. He is the product of an idealistic Enlightenment education; fueled by possibilities of science and a desire for acclaim; becomes obsessed with creating life from spare body parts.

Major Characters The Creature - never named; is Victor’s (alter ego); Creature rationally analyzes the society that rejects him; sympathetic character, admires people and wants to be a part of human society; only results in violence when he is repeatedly rejected

Major Characters Henry Clerval – Victor’s childhood friend; true romantic, wants to leave mark on the world, but never loses sight of “the moral relations of things: Elizabeth – adopted as an infant by Victor’s family. Robert Walton – Arctic explorer who’s obsessed with gaining knowledge and fame; rescues Victor in the Arctic; tells the story.

What is the difference between a play and a novel? Use Inspiration to brainstorm some of the elements of drama that are similar or different to a novel.

Style: Gothic Novel Frankenstein is generally categorized as a Gothic novel, a genre of fiction that uses gloomy settings and supernatural events to create and atmosphere of mystery and terror. Shelley adds to her development of the plot the use of psychological realism, delving into the psyches of the characters in and attempt to explain why they react as they do and what drives them to make their decisions.

Themes Consequences of irresponsibility in the pursuit of knowledge Consequences of pride Consequences of society’s rejection of someone who is unattractive Destructive power of revenge Parent-child conflicts Sympathy

Other Literary Elements Irony – 2 major ironies Creature is more sympathetic, more imaginative and more responsible to fellow creatures Creature has many pleasing qualities but is an outcast because he’s not physically attractive

Symbols White/light= knowledge Water = knowledge Ice = danger Lightning = nature’s power Nature = acceptance, nuturing, calm Mountains= sublime in nature

Antithesis-Contrasts of ideas, characters, themes, settings or moods Masculine/feminine Beautiful/ugly Good/bad Light/dark Heat/cold Victor/creation Passion/reason Natural/unnatural Known/unknown Civilized/savage

Allusion Paradise Lost by John Milton – story of man’s fall from innocence to painful knowledge; Victor can be compared to Adam, Satan, and Eve The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, like narrator, tells story as a warning and a confession