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The Harbinger Of A Category Crisis

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Victor Frankenstein: The Harbinger of a Category Crisis
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus partially follows the narrative of Victor Frankenstein in his journey of mental and moral deterioration. Victor’s attempt to unnaturally create life through unorthodox methods is his metaphorical attempt to play with fire; he explores a realm beyond human capability by using a power only known to God. This novel leaves readers with a dilemma that makes them question who in fact is really the monster of this story, the creature he created or Victor himself. According to Jeffrey Jerome Cohen’s “Seven Monster Theses”, Frankenstein may actually be the embodiment of the monster of his third thesis in this story. The reasons Victor may conform to being the “Harbinger of a Category Crisis” is because of his seclusion from his family and the rest of society and his unethical inquiry and exploration into the laws of nature beyond what is thought to be possible. In the initial stages of the book, Victor spends a large amount of time away from his home and family in Geneva to heavily indulge in his studies. His academics consisted of natural philosophy and sciences, especially in the creation of life and its death and decay. Even after he was done studying, he locked himself away in his apartment in preparation for his experiment of artificially creating life. Victor even acknowledges that the pursuit of his work has caused him to “forget those friends who were so many miles

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