Frankenstein Flashcards
Walton’s narrative quotes
‘Tread a land never before imprinted by the foot of man’ letter 1
‘I preferred glory to every enticement that wealth placed in my path’ letter 1
‘…but I bitterly feel the want of a friend’ letter 2
‘I never saw a man in so wretched condition’ letter 4
‘being even now in wreck so attractive and amiable’. letter 4
‘One man’s life or death were but a small price to pay for the acquirement of the knowledge’ letter 4
‘Unhappy man! Do you share my madness?’ (victor) letter 4
‘You seek for knowledge and wisdom, as I once did; and I ardently hope that the gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you, as mine have been.’ (victor) pg21?
‘savage inhabitant’ letter 4?
‘i have lost everything, and cannot begin life anew…my fate is nearly fulfilled’ letter 4
Victor’s narrative quotes
‘he strove to shelter her’ chapter 1
‘i was their plaything and their idol’ ch1
‘thin…fair…face expressive of sensibility and sweetness’ ch1
‘inmate of my parents house’ ch1
‘she presented Elizabeth to me as her promised gift, I… looked upon Elizabeth as mine – mine to protect, love, and cherish.’ ch1
‘shone like a shrine dedicated lamp’ ch2
‘watching its progress with curiosity and delight’ ch2
‘The world was to me a secret which I desired to divine…It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn.’ ch2
‘…electricity and galvanism … was at once new and astonishing to me.’ ch2?
‘strong effort of the spirit of good’ ch2
‘Destiny was too potent, and her immutable laws had decreed my utter and terrible destruction.’ ch2
‘A new species would bless me as its creator and source’ ch4
‘how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge’ ch4
‘…I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart.’ ch5
‘gigantic stature, and the deformity of its aspect, more hideous than belongs to humanity, instantly informed me that it was the wretch, the filthy daemon to whom I had given life.’ ch7
‘a thing such as even dante could not have conceived’ ch5
‘These sublime and magnificent scenes afforded me the greatest consolation that I was capable of receiving…serene sky, verdant fields…season was indeed divine’ ch10
‘happy inanimate nature’ ch6
‘my own vampire, my own spirit let loose from the grave’ ch7
‘consummation of my labour’ ch19
‘could not prevail myself to enter my laboratory’ ch19
‘lifeless and inanimate… pale and distorted’ ch23
‘i do not fear to die…i confessed that i might obtain absolution’ (justine) ch8
‘its astounding horror would be looked upon as madness by the vulgar’ ch7
‘i wandered like an evil spirit’ ch9
‘race of devils would be propagated upon the earth’ ch20
‘she was thinner and had lost much of that heavenly vivacity’ ch22
‘i am chained in an eternal hell’ ch24
Creatures narrative quotes
‘All men hate the wretched.’ ch11
‘Have I not suffered enough, that you seek to increase my misery?’ ch10
‘Believe me, Frankenstein: I was benevolent; my soul glowed with love and humanity; but am I not alone, miserably alone?’ ch10
‘am i not shunned and hated by all mankind?’ ch17?
‘some attacked me, until, grievously bruised by stones and many other kinds of missile weapons, I escaped to the open country…’ ch11
‘If such lovely creatures were miserable, it was less strange that I, an imperfect and solitary being, should be wretched.’ ch12
‘I viewed myself in the transparent pool! At first I started back, unable to believe that it was indeed I who was reflected in the mirror; and when I became fully convinced that I was in reality the monster that I am…’ ch12
‘the possession of these treasures (books) gave me extreme delight; i now continually studied’ ch15
‘oh, my creator’ ch17?
‘you are my creator, but i am your master’ ch20
‘i shall be with you on your wedding night’ ch20?
‘i was a poor, helpless, miserable wretch’ ch11
‘i ought to have familiarised the old
DeLacey to me’ c16
author context
> husband : percy bysshe shelley
the book was written during a trip to Villa Diodati in Switzerland, during a trip with friends lord byrin, claire clairmont (sister) john polidori, percy shelley
- the weather was bad so they often stayed inside, and each decided to write a gothic story
she suffered many periods of depression : the premature birth and death of her firs child, shelley still being married to his first wife at the time, had 2 more miscarriages, suffered through poverty, shelleys death
killed by a brain tumour
movements relevant to the time
the enlightenment
- period from 1660-1789 where key thinkers thought humanity was becoming more enlightened, and they celebrated progress in science and philosophy, while feeling that we could cast off superstitious beliefs to become more rational
romanticism reaction against enlightenment - they believed that humans cant become fully rational beings without losing part of our humanity, so they tend to celebrate our subjective responses to the world
scientific context
cornelius agrippa
- he established a scret society in paris devoted to astrology, magic and kabbalah
- he set up a lab dedicated to synthesising gold and so mae a living as an alchemist
- wrote a book in defence of ‘hidden philosophy’ (magic) which draws on diverse mystical traditions
paracelsus
- used chemistry in medicine/natural philosophy
- first to reject totally the authority of antiquity, suggesting its replacement by nature and experiment
luigi galvani
- performed experiments involving electric charges and frogs, where he figured out that charges could make frog legs jump even if they were no longer attached to its body
elixir of life
- drink that grants eternal life/youth (also said to be able create life)
prometheus
- was a human who stole the secrect of making fire from the greek gods in order to give it to the humans
- as punishment, he was chained to a rock where birds could come and peck at his liver
- central character challenged divine authority and is punished for it
noble savage
an idealized concept of uncivilized man, who symbolizes innate goodness, and as not been corrupted the brutality of humanity
