Frankenstien Flashcards
definition of ‘adversary’
an enemy or someone who opposes you
definition of ‘monstrous’
has a hideous appearance
definition of ‘superiority’
the fact of someone being higher or stronger than someone etc
definition of ‘grotesque’
strange and unpleasant, especially in a silly or slightly frightening way
Who wrote ‘Frankenstein’?
It was written by Mary Shelley (30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851), wife of famous Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley..
When was it first published?
In 1818, anonymously, although it was published again, with Mary’s name on the front cover, in 1823. The third edition, published in 1831, is the one now used. It was completed whilst Mary was living in West St, Marlow
Recap: What is Romanticism?
How did the Romantic movement influence the novel?
Romanticism was an 18th-19th century movement in the arts and literature that prioritised individual creativity and imagination; asserted the importance of subjective emotions; and celebrated nature, rejecting the industrial world. Many of these features are explored in the novel e.g. Victor’s visionary imagination allows him to push the boundaries of science, albeit with tragic consequences
Where is it set?
It’s set in a range of locations, many of which have extraordinary natural beauty, including the mountains of Switzerland, Germany, Scotland and the Arctic
It is often described as a novel in the Gothic genre. What gothic features does it contain?
The creation of an unnatural / supernatural monster; the undoing of the heroic protagonist through an obsession; the pursuit and destruction of innocent females; the Sublime and the exploration of isolation are all gothic features contained in the novel. It also begins the trend of exploring the psychology of it protagonists
what was the world like when Mary was writing Frankenstein
Mary was writing in an early 19th century world of transition. This change affected political systems (such as the violent French Revolution in 1789) and the British class system. It also came in the form of huge disruptions to traditional communities as the industrial revolution saw the birth of a new working class that was attracted to the growing towns.
Why is the novel so heavily influenced by changes in science?
The 18th-19th century Industrial Revolution was accompanied by a scientific revolution in which new chemicals and new procedures allowed scientists, for the first time, to investigate the properties of material things, of electricity and even of the human body itself.
Why is the book subtitled “The Modern Prometheus”?
Prometheus was a Greek god who was punished by Zeus, the King of the Ancient Greek Gods, for giving mankind the gift of fire against his instructions. Frankenstein arguably interferes with God’s gift to man - life - in creating the monster, and so is too punished.
the book is told as a fragmentary narrative. what does this mean ?
Another key element of a gothic novel is a story told in different formats, and from different perspectives. In Frankenstein,
the first fragment is the introductory frame narrative
of the explorer Walton. We then move to Frankenstein’s narrative which gives way, within it, to the monster’s narrative which then eventually returns to Frankenstein’s. The novel ends with the story being taken up with Walton’s concluding narrative. The book’s story is also told through the device of a number of epistolary letters.
What was the critical reaction to the book?
Initially the book received a hostile reception, with Church leaders calling on the book to be banned as it seemed to advocate “creation without God”. Subsequently, the book has found a widespread audience and is now considered a classic that forms part of the literary canon.
What were some of the sources for the book?
As well as the legend of Prometheus, Mary Shelley was influenced by William Taylor Coleridge’s Rime of the Ancient Mariner and John Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost.
