Elements Of Gothic Elements In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Gothic literature has a strong presence of the supernatural world and with that comes mystery. Supernatural can be defined by events that science and nature cannot explain, these event are considered magical or otherworldly. Within this work of literature Victor Frankenstein raises the dead to create a monster. Shelly makes this a mystery to the readers because she never goes into detail on the science of how to create this being. “So much has been done, exclaimed the soul of Frankenstein-more, far more will I achieve treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation” ( Shelly 46). This quote lets the reader sees how Frankenstein has an interest in a supernatural world and will stop at nothing to create his monster even if it means venturing into the unknown of science. In order for Victor to achieve his desire of bringing someone back from the dead, Shelly lets the reader knows this creature was made by using many different body parts from different people, “I collected bones from charnel houses and disturbed, with profane fingers, the tremendous secrets of the human frame” (55 Shelly). This scene is especially gruesome because it gives the

The setting may seem dark and eerie and certainly not familiar. It may also be described as being majestic and almost medieval in a way. In 'Frankenstein' the tale is not set in one lone place but in many different and sometimes peculiar settings. For example, when Victor Frankenstein starts work on his monster he is said to be working in: 'a solitary chamber, or rather cell, at the top of the house, and separated from all other apartments by a gallery and staircase' This produces an image of a hideous workshop in which Victor is creating another 'human being' of a very different kind.

After reading Frankenstein, the audience sees the way Victor Frankenstein interacts with his experiment and his excitement towards it, until the Monster is crafted and Victor is terrified of his own creation. The main gothic anxiety that Frankenstein plays with is fear; fear of the unknown and fear of the monster’s capabilities. The novel takes place in the eighteenth century throughout Europe and the Artic. The variety of locations that the novel takes place is significant because it shows the distance between Victor and whoever he is running from at that instance. While growing up Victor finds an interest in reading the works of outdated alchemists which leads him in developing an erg to learn more. Victor decides to continue his education and attends university at Ingolstadt where he studied modern science with a melancholic view. While attending university Victor meets two professors; professor Krempe and Waldman. Victor develops a close bond with Professor Waldman who sparks his obsession with the secret of life notion but does not like Krempe because of sharing different views on the study of alchemists.

A dark, historical setting is a key component in creating the tone of a real gothic theme. At a point in the story, Victor returns to his ancient family home upon his arrival he describes feeling a sense of “ grief and fear overcame [him].” (p68) This is the family historical setting. While he is visiting his family, his brother is murdered and the housekeeper is hanged. In Frankenstein, Victor’s laboratory where he creates the paranormal, shows strong evidence of gothic literary elements. Victor's laboratory is where the story begins, where his stroke of genius turns into a nightmare. This laboratory is where he kept the “collected bones from [the] charnel-houses and profane fingers.” (p45) Victor said that “the dissecting room and the slaughter house furnished many of [his] materials.”(p45) These materials were all stored in his laboratory which he had mentioned was a mess due to his busy employment. This means that his laboratory was filthy due to the dead body parts which ranged from eyeballs to limbs. Another gothic literary element presented in Frankenstein is its gloomy setting from the moment his creation lived.He begins by describing the setting as “ a dreary night of november that [he] beheld the accomplishment of [his] toils.”(p48). The author associates the lifeless, and dark weather with the disappointment and fear of accomplishing the

The gothic writing is more of an imitation of medievalism, in which horror is the central theme. The pieces written during this time aimed to make their works pleasurably terrifying. Writers and poets in this era used tools to make their works relate to the mysterious, fantastic, supernatural, and ghostly. Mary Shelley did a great job of this in her terrifying novel, Frankenstein (The Romantic Period: Topics).

The Gothic novel, made during a time of innovation, spontaneity, and freedom of thought and expression. Created in the 18 and 1900's, we know this better today as "horror", which are popular in books and movies. Gothic and Romantic author Mary Shelley took the world by storm with her dark Gothic novel,"Frankenstein". One of the first and most widely known novels still popular today. During the time of the romantic period society in in Britain was very different from society today, it was elegant, polite, and oppressive. Women had little to no rights or prospects and should only aspire to marriage. Which makes Mary Shelley different, she was more independent, raised to be feminist, and wrote her own stories, very different from the woman society

     The term Gothic refers to a genre that came about in the late eighteenth century. It can be a type of story, clothing, or music nowadays. In this paper it will refer to a style of literature. A very good example of this type of literature is Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. There is a sense of foreboding throughout the whole novel, which is one of the basic necessities of the Gothic. This theme of the Gothic has different characteristics that all fit into the story of Victor Frankenstein and his monster and make this one of the first horror stories every told.

Sometimes considered one of the first science fiction novels of supernatural terror, Frankenstein proved itself an instant success when released anonymously in 1818. The mad scientist Victor Frankenstein and his creation provoke readers with the fear of the unknown and the power of natures forces. A deeper look into the character of Victor Frankenstein, the role of scientific experimentation and the intricate settings of nature in which the story evolves, prove Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein , a worthy example of both Romantic and Gothic representation in nineteenth century British Literature.

Mary Shelley creates a sense of gloom, mystery, and suspense, in her novel Frankenstein. The book generates these perceptions though the setting and the terrible events that go on throughout the book. Gothic novels came from the English genre of fiction popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. Gothics are defined by the mysterious and horrific atmosphere, similar to that of Mary Shelley’s writing. Frankenstein is a gothic novel because of the combined elements of extreme and sinister landscapes, horrifying events, supernatural elements, and a passionate, wilful villain.

Even though it is mysterious and cannot be fathomed, just like Romanticism, the mystery in Gothic Literature is horrific, while in Romanticism it is beautiful. Gothic fiction relates to prudishness (especially in the Victorian era) as it focuses on taboo subjects, such as: sex, vice, and murder. Therefore, it is, to great extent, going beyond peoples emotional limitations. To add to that, the typical feature of Gothic Literature would be expressing nature in the threat of monsters, ghosts, or in other words, supernatural forces conflicting with humanity. On the whole, a great representation of these gothic and romantic influences would be the novel Frankenstein (or The Modern Prometheus) by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, which was published in 1818 and written during the Romantic Period.

A story of mystery, tragedy, and terror, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein continues to captivate millions. She writes the tale of mankind’s obsession of the unknown, pulling readers to Frankenstein’s many lessons. Mary Shelley affects literature with her seemingly paradoxical use of both Romanticism and Gothicism. Shelley takes elements of romanticism, such as heavy use of emotions, innocence, and characters achievements, while also using gothic aspects like death, violence, and dark weather. Weaving the two genres together, Mary Shelley creates a timeless science fiction novel containing characteristics of serenity with a sense of eeriness.

Gothic Literature is a style of literature popularized during the late 18th century and the early 19th century with the publication of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. This style usually portrays fantastic tales dealing with the horror, despair, the grotesque and other “dark” subjects. Characteristics of gothic literature includes the presence of victims and their victimizers who usually hold immense powers along with their evil purpose. The setting of this kind of literature generally takes place within impenetrable walls, whether physical or mental. This setting creates a sense of hopeless isolation within the victim. The summarization of the characters and situation creates an atmosphere pervaded by a sense of mystery, darkness, oppressiveness, fear, and doom.

One of the most important aspects of any Gothic novel is setting. Mary Shelly's Frankenstein is an innovative and disturbing work that weaves a tale of passion, misery, dread, and remorse. Some would argue that Frankenstein is a classic Gothic novel. By a classically Gothic novel it is meant that the story employs a traditionally scary theme. This could include such things as dark and dreary castles set in isolated surroundings replete with dungeons. Supernatural beings such as ghosts and living dead may be included in the twisted, thrilling, unveiling tale. The novel does contain many Gothic characteristics in a sense that it does explore

Frankenstein is a novel written by Mary Shelley. Frankenstein is about a man who had a strong urge to finish a scientific project and did not accept his consequences for his own mistakes. Mary Shelley’s work consists of Gothic elements and have great emotion that go along with them. Mary Shelley’s childhood may have affected her writing, she had a tough life growing up and her book shows this. Throughout the novel there are many Gothic elements that all contribute to the events in the book. Victor neglecting his own responsibility and disrupting the natural order of things ultimately leads to the death of the two major characters in the end of the novel.

Furthermore, the settings of novels of this genre play a role in establishing the novel’s Gothic feel. It is typical for Gothic novels to feature strange, distant, and isolated settings to tie into the mysterious feel of the genre. Frankenstein is set in continental Europe, specifically Germany and Switzerland, which is unknown to the average reader, particularly when the novel was originally published. Victor’s lab is also a place of mystery as laboratories and science experiments were not well known in the time period Frankenstein is set in. The laboratory is particularly mysterious when it is used for the unnatural practice of reanimating corpses. The chase scene, that ensues as Victor hunts his monster, takes the narrative away from civilization to the arctic, a region distant to and unexplored by most readers. Additionally, many of the locations in Frankenstein leave Victor, and the other characters, isolated from society adding to the gloom and dreariness of the setting. However, the setting is not the only isolating factor, Victor is also psychologically isolated through his own predicament. Victor is alone in his struggle against his creation as he cannot seek help from others for fear of being labeled insane. Again this adds to mysterious feel and tone of the novel.