Frankenstein AO3 Flashcards
Why was Frankenstein created?
Because of a ghost story writing competition proposed by Lord Byron in 1816 while he and three friends were staying at the Villa Diodate by Lake Geneva.
What is the second title of Frankenstein?
The Modern Prometheus
What did Prometheus do?
He stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mankind.
What was Prometheus’ punishment?
He was nailed to a mountain and an eagle was sent to eat his liver, which replenished itself daily, so he would endure an eternal punishment.
Who was obsessed with science, exploration and discovery?
The late Georgians (1811-1837)
What is the name for the political movement that argued for the importance of science and reason?
The Enlightenment.
What group did writers such as Mary Shelley, Lord Byron and Percy Shelley belong to?
The Romantics.
What did the Romantics focus on?
Personal experience rather than reason, the power and value of nature and radical politics (feminism, anarchism)
Why were the Romantics against the Industrial Revolution?
Because the rapid progression of science caused so much damage to nature.
Who was Mary Shelley’s mother?
Mary Wollstonecraft.
Who was Mary Shelley’s father?
William Godwin.
Why did Shelley face ostracism?
Because her and Percy Shelley travelled around Europe and when they returned, Shelley was pregnant. Her father rejected her.
When did Shelley’s mother die?
Less than a month after she was born.
What is the name for the pseudo-science that suggested a person’s character could be determined by their appearance?
Physiognomy
What was the name of the physicist related to Physiognomy?
Lombroso
What did Lombroso believe?
That criminality was inherited and that criminals could be identified by physical attributes such as hawk-like eyes and bloodshot eyes
Which Revolution happened in the late 1700’s?
The French Revolution
Why did the revolution begin in 1789?
Food shortages, poor housing, disease, exploitation of the proletariat by the bourgeoise
What is the sublime?
A feeling the Romantics wrote about - awe and wonder evoked by the power of nature.
Which Latin term translates to ‘Blank Slate’?
Tabula Rasa
Which philosopher is associated with Tabula Rasa?
John Locke
What was John Locke’s essay called in which he discussed Tabula Rasa?
Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689)
Who wrote Paradise Lost?
John Milton (1667)
What is Paradise Lost?
An epic poem written in blank verse about the fall of man: the temptation of Adam and Eve by Satan and their subsequent expulsion from the Garden of Eden.
What did Milton state the purpose of Paradise Lost is?
To “justify the ways of God to men”
What is the name of the narrative?
Framed narrative
What does epistolary mean?
Written in letter form
What was there a fear of in the 18th and 19th century?
Grave robbing
What act was brought in in 1752?
The Murder Act
What did the Murder Act (1752) say?
Murderers would be hanged and their bodies used for science
What quote did Shelley use to describe her desire for Frankenstein?
“Curdle the blood, and quicken the beatings of the heart”
