Frankenstein Vs. Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein

Frankenstein, a novel first published in the year 1818, stands as the most talked about work of Mary Shelley’s literary career. She was just nineteen years old when she penned this novel, and throughout her lifetime she could not produce any other work that surpasses this novel in terms of creativity and vision. In this novel, Shelley found an outlet for her own intense sense of victimization, and her desperate struggle for love. Traumatized by her failed childbirth incidents, troubled childhood, and scandalous courtship, many of Shelley’s life experiences can be seen reflected in the novel. When discussing the character and development of the monster, Shelley launches an extensive discussion on the

This novel reflects Shelley’s own childhood, which consisted of her feeling obligated to rebel against her own father’s wishes and his choice for her marriage. Frankenstein is a way for Shelley to tell her own experiences with parental conflict and how she feels she was affected by her demanding father and the environment she grew up in, by comparing herself to Victor’s monster. Shelley analyzed her own characteristics, and the characteristics of her father, and placed them within Victor and the

Mary Shelley introduces the story of Frankenstein with an exchange of one-way letters from Walton to his sister. In these letters, Shelley introduces the main themes of the novel via the character of Walton and his letters, in that he presents many of the themes later explored in ‘Frankenstein’ such as thirst for knowledge and power, isolation and nature, in his own story. These opening letters thus have an impact on the reader as they will influence their view of the rest of the novel in ways that will bring them to ask themselves important questions valid for any are ad society, and bring them some understanding of what is to come next in the novel.

“There is something at work in my soul, which I do not understand.”1 - Mary Shelley

In Mary Shelley’s gothic novel, Frankenstein, three different positions are portrayed in the story of Victor Frankenstein’s creation. Shelley presents the story through letters that Robert Walton writes to his sister as he is hearing the retelling of the story from Frankenstein himself. While discovering Frankenstein’s and the Creature’s backstories, the reader witnesses the inevitable nature of man and the crucial effects of one’s environment; nurture is a problematic component in the Creature’s life while Victor’s inevitable nature overrides his upbringing.

Most of us have read the novel Frankenstein. There are many themes that come along with one of the first gothic, romantic science fiction novels of the 17th century. Mary Shelly used her background life to create this horror book. She influenced future horror films for decades to come, Halloween costume ideas and quote upon quotes. Although this book carried the obvious Halloween-feel themes Shelly had a greater meaning for the book. Shelly believed in the need of human connections and the importance for a person’s actions and for a person’s relationship with others. This novel held dangerous knowledge and how knowledge can affect a community, sublime nature and the soothing affects it has when a person

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein explores the concepts of knowledge and science and the dangers involved with the pursuit and investigation of these ideas. The novel conveys Shelley’s attitudes towards science by portraying it as having the capability to exceed the bounds of human restraint. Through the development of her protagonist Victor Frankenstein, the romantic and gothic aspects of her novel, the period of 1818 and the influences of the world she was living in that

Mary Shelley discusses the themes of birth and creation, appearance and the necessity of companionship, love and acceptance in her novel Frankenstein. The themes that are explored in Frankenstein are relevant to today’s modern world. Shelley challenges readers by endorsing and confronting attitudes and values in her text through the events, circumstances and outcomes that take place in the novel, thus causing the reader to reflect upon their own lives and in turn the society around them.

Mary Shelley wrote her first novel, Frankenstein, in 1818, using a mixture of gothic and romantic conventions. Shelley depicts a complex relationship between a creator, Victor Frankenstein, and his creation. While the romantic setting helps to characterize Frankenstein and his creation, the dark gothic nature of the work helps to build suspense. While Frankenstein and his creation are talking for the first time, their true emotions toward one another are revealed. Through the use of various literary techniques, Shelley conveys the relationship between Victor Frankenstein and his creation as one absorbed with deep hatred and misunderstanding established through assumptions.

The horror classic novel Frankenstein has gathered a great deal of critical and commercial attention since first being introduced in 1818, and naturally there has been many academics who have analyzed many of the novel’s biggest themes, symbols, and motifs. This also includes in analyzing the author herself, Mary Shelley. Marcia Aldrich, who has her Ph.D. in English from the University of Washington, is one of the academics to underline the role of being a female writer in the 19th century and what importance this plays on the novel Frankenstein. In her article, co-written by Richard Isomaki, “The Woman Writer as Frankenstein” analyzes the significance of Mary Shelley being the daughter of a writer and how this contributed to her writing Frankenstein, which they speculate as her, Mary Shelley, envisioning herself as the Monster. Aldrich and Isomaki’s “The Woman Writer as Frankenstein” makes valid and persuasive points, which effectively argues that the novel is semi-autobiographical in the sense that Mary Shelley pictured her as the Frankenstein Monster, for many of the concerns that the authors bring up in their article highlight the insecurities, doubts, and inexorable frustrations of a young woman writing in the 19th century.

The gothic yet romantic work of the author Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, conveys real social issues through unconventional means. The novel focuses around the scientist, Victor Frankenstein, and his creation of a monster that results in numerous repercussions for everyone involved. Shelley uses a fervent tone throughout the novel to enhance the emotions of the characters, for the reader to better experience their mental and physical struggles. Through the author’s use of allusions, metaphor, and apostrophe, the author reinforces that physical appearance does not determine the character of an individual; it is their personal experiences and how that person decides to use those experiences to influence their actions.

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein focuses the reader’s attention mostly on the theme loneliness. The author could have used this theme as a way to reel in the reader; maybe to even give the reader the slight chills and horror thrills. But if the reader looks into the life of the author, the reader might notice the similarity between the story, the characters, and the author herself. She herself was a very lonesome girl who at a young age suffered numerous family losses. Because of her dysfunctional life, she is now known as the creator of science-fiction (Kobal, 2018).

Mary Shelley covers several themes regarding the nature of society and human beings in her novel Frankenstein. These themes are mostly Mary Shelley’s thoughts on disputable subjects. Although Frankenstein was originally published in 1818, these themes are still extremely relevant in modern society. In many cases, these themes prove to be a subject of discussion and even argument. There are several important themes in this book, but three will be covered.

Shelley’s Frankenstein is a literary piece that has been under great scrutiny since it was very first printed. Whether someone is questioning the authorship of Frankenstein, discussions of whether or not Frankenstein was the first official work of science fiction, or critics giving their take on what story they believe Shelley was really trying to tell through Frankenstein. Shelley left us readers with much to ponder . . . so naturally, I’ve found what I believe Shelley was truly trying to convey in her novel Frankenstein. Frankenstein is a story of Shelley’s own life, it is a story of her sharing feelings of feminism & identity/intimacy crises that she did not have the courage to express outside of writing ; I will use Sherry Ginn’s “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: Science, Science Fiction, or Autobiography” , and “The Spectacle of Masculinity” by Bette London to prove my evaluation as correct.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a literary classic that tells a story of a young scientist Victor Frankenstein who created a monster that tries to live in society but is rejected. The monster will later seek revenge by going after his creator. In this essay I will be evaluating two critiques about the novel. Beginning with Professor Naomi Hetherington’s critique and the second critique written by Professor Sherry Ginn.