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Mary Shelley's Frankenstein Research Paper

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During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution changed the way the world saw reason and science. The Enlightenment was a period that popularized logic over superstitious beliefs. It drew people towards science and other studies of pure thought. The Industrial Revolution also promoted science and technology. The various advancements made during this time period made the study of new technology and knowledge seem beneficial to society. Although science had a positive impact on the world during these movements, there were also people who were scared and cautious about what it would mean for the future. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is heavily influenced by science’s implications, and shows how it can cause damaging …show more content…

Frankenstein’s actions and persona shed a negative light on scientists, causing one to believe that maybe Mary Shelley was one to fear its impact. With deep analysis one can see the underlying truth behind this piece. Due to her personal beliefs, and stylistic writing decisions, Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein as almost a cautionary tale for how scientific discovery can push beyond its limits. This idea is still one that haunts our society today, and it is one of the reasons why Frankenstein has remained and literary classic. Author and literary analyst, Maurice Hindle attempts to identify Shelley’s inspiration behind the story in his piece, Vital matters: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Romantic science. Hindle looks at the various scientists and discoveries that were key to the story of creating something from the dead. He believes that Frankenstein is full of scientific references to the period that Shelley grew up in and the scientists that she knew. He begins his piece by saying, “But this is to miss entirely just how thrillingly speculative and open the state of science was at the historical moment in which Mary Shelley was writing” (30). You can see Shelley’s admiration for all of the new scientific breakthroughs in her work. The excitement of the time is …show more content…

After all, Victor Frankenstein is not the best representative for scientists since he does not reflect on the consequences of his creation. Mary Shelley even said that, “Supremely frightful would be the effect of any human endeavour to mock the stupendous mechanism of the creator of the world” (Shelley 5). Clearly she was concerned that science was getting ahead of itself by thinking it could play god. By Victor creating the creature, he oversteps the means of science in order to feel powerful. While thinking about the effects of his work Victor even says, “A new species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me. No father could claim the gratitude of his child so completely as I should deserve theirs” (Shelley 52). Instead of reflecting on how bringing back the dead might actually impact the world, all Victor thinks about is the implications for himself. This selfish depiction of scientists suggests that they need to evaluate what their actions will lead to. This continues to hold true today with new developments like genetic modification in babies and stem cell research. Both these technologies are quite controversial because they have the power to be used in ways that would hurt society, just as Mary Shelley predicted. The overall experiment of Frankenstein’s creation is an

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