The Author as Creator in Frankenstein
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein can be read as an allegory for the creative act of authorship. Victor Frankenstein, the 'modern Prometheus' seeks to attain the knowledge of the Gods, to enter the sphere of the creator rather than the created. Like the Author, too, he apes the ultimate creative act; he transgresses in trying to move into the feminine arena of childbirth.
Myths of divine creation are themselves part of the historical process that seeks to de-throne the feminine; this is the history of Art, itself at first denied to women as an outlet of self-expression. It is a process recorded in Art itself, in stories like that of Prometheus. Prometheus in earlier myths stole fire
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He cannot make me die.' (Cassell Dictionary of Classical Mythology 338) In later versions of the myth, Prometheus in some way becomes the creator of Man, fashioning him out of mud. After the great flood, Prometheus' son and daughter-in-law were the only survivors, and re-propagated the sexes.
The concept of Frankenstein was created in part in the summer of 1816, through Lord Byron's literary challenge, inclement weather, and a nightmare. Literary sources included Paradise Lost and Ovid's Metamorphoses, which the Shelleys read the year before. Thus the idea for a story based on the Prometheus myth, and of the baseness of the condition of existence without God seems intentional, and engendered by these sources.
The novel reflects a climate in which literary worship of the divine was to an extent forsaken in favour of the awe-inspiring wonder of Nature; the concept of the sublime was in itself a reaction to the rationalism of the Enlightenment. The Romantic Movement saw a concerted effort to return to superstition and excess of imagination. It was marked by a Gothic 'revival' and the birth of science fiction in Shelley's text, and by the deification of the Natural world, and Man himself.
Frankenstein begins with a narrative that in some ways mirrors the tale it tells. Robert Walton's
What is a monster, really? Is it really a Creature that has three eyes instead of two, with pus seeping out of every crevice in his face and an abnormally large form? Or is it someone with a mind so corrupt it rivals that of Satan? Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a story within a story that centers on the tale of a man with an immense thirst of knowledge and a fetish to imitate the Creator. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a lot like the Greek mythological tale of the Greek God, Prometheus, and his brother, Epimetheus, who were assigned the task of creating man. The story captivates the theme of monstrosity. Mary Shelley wrote the novel in a form so the reader’s opinions never stray far from sympathy for the monster and apathy for Victor
In this essay I will be discussing who really is portrayed as the monster in her gothic horror novel, Frankenstein or “The Modern Prometheus”. Frankenstein was written in 1816, (thought by many to be the first real science fiction novel) during the age of Romanticism and it tells the story of a selfish man, Victor Frankenstein, whose ambition conducts him to seek for supernatural powers and leads him to death. He is a young scientist, eager to discover something new, the key to life, help to make scientific advances and let other scientists get a better idea of how the body works and who after studying chemical processes and the decay of living beings, gains an insight into the creation of like, leading him to create a monster that becomes
Several fields have studied the relationship between creator and creation. The most significant aspect of this research considers the difference between nature and nurture. Sociologists, psychologists, scientists, and other professionals have tried to pin down the exact distinctions between these two types of upbringings. In literature, the same questions have been asked and studied using fictional characters, most famously in John Milton’s Paradise Lost, in 1667, and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, in 1818. The complexity of the characters in these texts creates the theme of nature versus nurture before they diverge and arrive at differing conclusions.
Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein as a modern day version of the legend of Prometheus. Prometheus created men out of clay and taught them the "arts of civilisation" (Webster's World Encyclopedia CD-ROM 1999). Zeus, the chief god of the Titans, wanted to destroy Prometheus' creation but Prometheus stole fire from heaven to help mankind. Zeus punished Prometheus by chaining him to a rock where an eagle would feed on his liver during the day and each night the liver would grow back. Prometheus was able to bargain for his release because he knew a secret which concerned Zeus' future. Heracles shot the eagle and so Prometheus gained release. Victor Frankenstein is Shelley's modern Prometheus in that
Friends will determine the direction and quality of your life. Loneliness is a battle that all people will once face at a certain point in their life; it is how they handle it that determines the outcome of that battle. In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein loneliness is the most significant and prevailing theme throughout the entire novel. Shelley takes her readers on a wild journey that shows how loneliness can end in tragedy.
Mary Bysshe Shelley, the writer of Frankenstein, used lots of different Allusions to common text from the time to help readers understand relationships between Victor and his creature as well as Victor’s motivation for creating the creature. Shelley uses allusions to Paradise Lost to help the reader understand the relationship between Victor Frankenstein and his creature. Paradise Lost discusses the relationship between God and Adam as well as Satan and God and how he treats them as their creator. The relationship between the creature and Frankenstein can be described as a mix between the 2 relationships discussed in Paradise Lost. The creature sees himself as Adam because he was created in his creator’s own image and made to be a creation of man.
The myth of Pandora starts with two brothers, Epimetheus and Prometheus, who were Titans that tasked themselves as spokespeople for their creation from clay: mankind. Epimetheus was in charge of creating the creatures that were to roam the Earth while Prometheus was to distribute them. While most animals were armed or protected by their physical attributes, man stood alone naked and bear to all those that may attack. Thus, Prometheus, the mischevious of the two, deceived Zeus one day into giving mankind the best portion of a sacrificed bull, leaving behind bare bones and fats for the gods. Outraged and offended, Zeus then took the gift of fire away from mankind to leave them in the cold and darkness. However, Prometheus once again outwitted Zeus and stole unwearying fire for men to have the intelligence necessary to sustain their lives. As punishment, Zeus chained Prometheus to a rock in Caucasus where an eagle ripped apart and devoured his liver every day, which then regenerated each nightfall as result of his immortality. Although Prometheus caused him the most angst, Zeus believed the kind-hearted Epimetheus deserved to struggle as well in a form that would not only punish him but also the brothers’ creation of mankind. Zeus called out for Hephaestus to construct the most beautiful, intelligent, and brave women named Pandora to be the new companion of Epimetheus in place of Prometheus. However, he also graced her with one other quality: curiosity. So, Zeus delivered his
In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley combines three separate stories involving three different characters--Walton, Victor, and Frankenstein's monster. Though the reader is hearing the stories through Walton's perspective, Walton strives for accuracy in relating the details, as he says, "I have resolved every night,...to record, as nearly as possible in his [Victor's] own words, what he has related during the day" (Shelley 37). Shelley's shift in point of view allows for direct comparison and contrast between the characters, as the reader hears their stories through the use of first person. As the reader compares the monster's circumstances to those of Victor and Walton, the reader's
Frankenstein, Or the Modern Prometheus written by Mary Wolfenstein Shelley(1797-1851), is a classical novel that is nothing short of legendary. Born out of a leisurely cabin visit, Mary Shelley crafted one of the hallmark novels of the English Romantic period. Set in the gothic, science fiction genre, Frankenstein tells the tale of scientist Victor Frankenstein creating a monster that wreaks havoc over his world. What is on the surface just a spooky book, actually delves in the time tested narrative of creator vs creation. In this particular situation, it begs the question; Is Frankenstein(creator) good or bad? The answer is straight-forward and absolute. Frankenstein is bad due to his various displays of foolishness, selfishness and irresponsibility.
My thought on this comes mostly from the subtitle, The Modern Prometheus. It makes sense to me because Prometheus was a demigod, one of the Titans, and thought he knew better than Zeus who believed that man was not ready for the gift of fire. Prometheus went beyond his station and disobeyed the King of Gods to return fire to the earth. He was brutally tortured as punishment until Hercules saved him. Victor Frankenstein acts as Prometheus, going against higher powers to reach his goal. His desire is fulfilled and ends horribly, leaving Frankenstein tortured and despaired over the death his actions caused. Also, as a little tidbit, Prometheus was associated with science and culture which makes him and Frankenstein even more similar. Nature could be considered Zeus in this situation because it is the one being tricked and made a mockery of. Robert Walton would be Frankenstein's Hercules since he rescued Frankenstein from his torment.
The novel “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley involves the complex issues with the creation of life through an inanimate life. Shelley uses these character archetypes to develop a deeper meaning of the characters intentions. Shelley does an excellent job at allowing the reader to have a peak at the characters inner thoughts and feelings. The archetypes presented in Frankenstein allow readers to identify with the character's role and purpose.
Before delving too deep into Shelley's novel, it is very important to label the ideologies and connections behind Romanticism as a literary period, and a literary movement. The poetry and prose of the Romantic movement meant to show a obvious connection to the imagination. Romanticism, at it's most basic understanding, which was mainly active through the end of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the nineteenth century, can be separated from the preceding Enlightenment by recognizing that in the Enlightenment, there was a “preoccupation with reason in
“Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley was born out of the waking nightmare she had on June 16, 1816 (see notes 1 and 4). It was an intense vision that produced one of the greatest and powerful horror stories n the western literature, it is a story which assumed a mythic view as it taken into account the profound result concerning understanding of a man of his position in the world and the results of transgressing against nature and God (Gilbert, 2000, 1-4).
A newborn child comes into the world with a clean slate. It has no experience, no worries, no prejudices. As the child grows into an adult, he or she is shaped by the world around them. Parents bestow proper manners, and reprimand the child, making sure that he or she grows up into a proper, well mannered adult. This child will associate with friend who have grown up in similar situations, and will have friendly reactions from other people. However, sometimes the parents are not there to oversee the upbringing of their child, or neglect to do so in a nurturing way. Children in these circumstances grow up in a different manner. They do not receive important lessons for life, and may not be kind towards their friends. The reaction of others
May Shelley crafted one of the most renowned novels of the Romantic era and gave birth the genre of science fiction. Shelley’s Frankenstein displays many themes, but none is more significant than that of the relationship between the creator and the created. This relationship is undoubtedly complex. Victor Frankenstein’s sentiments towards his creation vary from pure intrigue as he begins to build the eight-foot-tall man to utter disdain towards him as the beast begins to push back against him. Moreover, the creation receives no nurturing from the one that brought him to life, thus turning his back on his creator. This dynamic comes in sharp contrast to that of the Puritans during the time of William Bradford. Victor Frankenstein’s creation