Explore How Shelley Presents The Appeal Of Science In The Opening Chapters Of Frankenstein Flashcards
LOA
Gothic novel published in 1818- science= almost magical and mythical allure not that feeds the curiosity of the mind- victor. Embodies the spirit of the enlightenment that challenged god’s omnipotence through the proliferation of new ideas and scientific discovery, perhaps she wrote it to reaffirm the idea that only god can truly manage the world, not through scientific endeavours and warn of the transgression of the natural world by victor playing god.
Should scientific advancement be condemned or should we condemn humanity’s unethical application of science?
P1 spirit of the enlightenment
In chapter 2 ‘ the world to me was a secret which i desired to divine. Curiosity, earnest research to learn the hidden laws of nature.’
- sf of secrecy through the connotations of stealth in ‘secret’ and ‘hidden’, implies the intriguing appeal of science as an underworld force that victor is excited to unmask. This is accompanied by a tone of jealousy bc he is envious that the deities and gods know the answer and truth about the natural world. Therefore, victor can be matching the ambitions of the upper divine by using science to discern the truth about the natural world- a response to the enlightenment goal.
Noun ‘law’ - imbues the description with a sense of rationality bc a law is a measurement that is understandable by scientific and ethical and moral principles. Consequently, victor perceive science as a measurement to further understand the natural world. Frankenstein as a parable, with allusions to Prometheus to foreshadow the dangers of man’s ignorance n succumbing to ambitions that transcend rational goals, criticising humanity’s misapplication of science by transforming it from intellectual autonomy to going beyond the capacity of mankind’s limits.
Shelley = romantic writer, reacted against the enlightenment.
Challenging the appeal of science- victors unperturbed response to the gothic
‘I do not remember to have trembled at a tale of superstition, or to have feared the apparition of spirit. Darkness…and a churchyard was merely the receptacle of oldie deprived of life’.
Sf of Gothic through the connotations of the uncanny in the nouns highlight how he approaches the Gothic with hyper-rationality bc he views these objects as inferior to him [they are simply lifeless objects to him] but also it denies the Christian idea of the body being a temple. Reveals that science is not grounded on the ethical responsibility or pursuit of knowledge, but rather on unchecked ambition and mankind’s hubris by denying fears of the unknown. Alludes to lord byrons poem ‘lines inscribed upon a cup formed from a skull’, where he argues that you can give value and nobility to the remains of a human being after death, juxtaposes f’s ’bodies deprived of life’ - his dogmatism accentuates his hubris bc he is emphasing the finality of death.
Shelley could be warning how science is dangerous bc it exacerbates intellectual hubris and could be arguing that f’s thirst for knowledge is simply reckless ambition disguised in arrogance.
Victim blaming
Experience through f’s filtered mindset and self-serving bias- circumvent accountability by blaming external forces. He portrays his life as pre-ordained to distance himself from the moral weight of his actions, framing his playing god as something that was destined to happen rather than something be could have prevented. Epistolary structure [readers introduced to Frankenstein vicariously] is incongruent to the real personality of f who is more hysterically volatile, insecure and passive than assertive, confident and sanguine. The effect of the personified moon links to victors state of mind bc he thinks that his scientific endeavours of reanimation and the aforementioned galvanism are delivered by a celestial higher calling,therefore he escapees accountability by blaming it on external factors that makes him a disciple following orders from the latter. Condemns misapplication of science, ever watchful eye of god who relentlessly punishes those who overstepped their boundaries mimicked through the creatures [ satan and Adam in lost paradise. Satan- malignant and malicious vs Adam who was created by god] killing of his loved ones and belligerent chasing through the Atlantic.
