Using the Gothic Genre in Frankenstein and A Modern Prometheus

"Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus" is a sci-fi novel composed by Mary Shelley. This is the story of a science understudy, Victor Frankenstein, who made a beast amid one of his trials. This beast ends up being an inconvenience for Victor. The creature depicted as a living being with all the emotions and feelings, and his appearance of beast was a huge issue when he felt that individuals dreaded him, and they abhor him. He would not like to murder individuals; indeed he attempted to spare a young lady, yet because of dread a man attempted to execute him as a beast. Victor 's sibling additionally attempted to shout when he saw him, in his endeavor to keep the kid calm, he strangled the kid. To stay away from all these killings, he asked Victor to make him a female with the goal that he can leave this spot with his mate and will never come in broad daylight. Victor concurred, however when he understood the results of this entire type of creatures, he slaughtered the fragmented female. Creature attempted to take reprisal and murdered Victor 's wives. The story was an incredible achievement and confronted negative feedback before all else. Commentators consider it as a sickening awfulness story; however with its prosperity it got different positive remarks.

“The conscience of children is formed by the influences that surround them; their notions of good and evil are the result of the moral atmosphere they breathe” (Paul). Mary Shelley was an English writer born on August 30, 1797 in London, England. Shelley is best known for her horror novel Frankenstein (1818) and the Modern Prometheus (1818). She is that author of several other books which include Valperga (1823), The Last Man (1826), the autobiographical Lodore (1835), as well as several others. Frankenstein is a novel that follows Victor Frankenstein’s journey of attempting to receive recognition through his scientific pursuits which include attempting to reanimate life using dead human body parts, resulting in the creation of the the Creature or the Monster. The novel follows Victor’s hardships and his guilt of creating a Creature that lead to not only his downfall, but his family’s as well. An important theme that is present throughout the novel Frankenstein is the controversy over who is ultimately responsible for the evil actions that the Creature partakes in. Victor is liable for the creature 's evil actions due to his lack of morality and his failure of not meddling with nature whilst on the journey to creating life, lack of accountability to care for the Creature as his legitimate owner and hubristic nature which forces him to put his welfare before anyone else’s .

MJ DeMarco, author and entrepreneur, related choices in life to hitting a golf ball. If the club is rotated even a fraction of a degree when it hits the ball, the ball has a trajectory that diverges further away from the golf course until it is nearly impossible to get back on track. (Pros) At first the change is hardly noticeable, but later its consequences are so devastating that its new course is completely transformed from the course it used to be on. (Pros) Like this situation, DeMarco says that one bad choice can set one’s trajectory off by only one fraction of a degree today, but in the future the error is magnified and has monumental consequences. (Pros) What appears to be a good choice, ends up being a bad choice in the end. This idea connects to two of the main themes in Frankenstein or A Modern Prometheus: the dangerous pursuit of knowledge and fate versus free will. The choice to pursue knowledge may be appealing, but it has life threatening consequences, like fate for instance. In Frankenstein or A Modern Prometheus, Mary Shelley uses the motif of light to illuminate and connect the themes of fate vs. free will and the dangers of the pursuit of knowledge.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is a gothic novel that was wrote during the 1800s, or other known as the enlightenment era. During this era, the ideas of discovering the natural law of the universe and the thirst for scientific knowledge were being spread all across Europe. Mary Shelley incorporates these ideas with Victor Frankenstein's thirst for dangerous knowledge, and through allusions of Prometheus and the Genesis story. Shelley not only incorporates other supplementary readings into Frankenstein, but uses feminist literary theory as a way to put to life the idea of women’s inferiority to men.

popular at the time. The elements of a Gothic novel are, it is set at

His intelligence and longing to fit in society illustrates his humaneness. Although the creature seeks to find companionship many times, his efforts are only met with fear and hostility. Frankenstein’s creation can only accept the rejection he faces from society and respond with the same attitude his father has for society. By casting away all around him, the creature indulges in evil. The creature’s greatly wishes to be part of society, “if I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear”(Shelley 135); and “if I have no ties and affections, hatred and vice must be my portion”(Shelley 137). The so called monster is only responding to Victor’s indifference and apathy. The creature shows the urgency to feel loved and accepted by society and not indifference.

Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus, is a novel written by an english author, Mary Shelley, in the setting of the 1700s; about a young science student who performs an experiment and creates a hideous, yet sincere monster. The creation of this monster leads to many huge events in the story, while using many different themes to explain the purpose of certain incidents. Over the course of the novel, Shelley uses symbolism, isolation, and biblical allusion to show secondary meanings for the characters choices.

“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).

Nineteen-year-old Mary Shelley didn’t know when she began it that her “ghost story” would become an enduring part of classic literature. Frankenstein is an admirable work simply for its captivating plot. To the careful reader, however, Shelley’s tale offers complex insights into human experience. The reader identifies with all of the major characters and is left to heed or ignore the cautions that their situations provide. Shelley uses the second person narrative style, allusions both to Coleridge’s “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” and the legend of Prometheus, and the symbols of both light and fire to warn against the destructive thirst for forbidden knowledge.

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.

The monster 's appearance causes his creator to abandon him and prevents him from normal human interaction. He is forced to learn about the world on his own and spends most of his time watching others. Frankenstein is not the only one negatively affected by his existence. In the process of bringing the monster to life, Victor had deprived himself of rest and health, causing him to fall ill for several months. Shortly after his recovery, Victor learns his younger brother has been murdered. Frankenstein has killed his creator’s brother and framed an innocent girl to get back at Victor for abandoning him. After the girl is executed, Victor becomes consumed with guilt knowing he is responsible for two of his family members deaths. The monster does not stop there, he goes on to kill Victor’s friend Henry and fiance, Elizabeth. Because of his creation, Victor is haunted by depression and guilt for most of his life and died a lonely death hunting Frankenstein.

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 novels are stories written in the gothic genre which is a literature genre of fiction characterized by an atmosphere of mystery and horror. This genre rose to, and flourished in, popularity during the 18th and 19th centuries. One of the most famous novels of this Genre is Frankenstein, also known as the Modern Prometheus, by Mary Shelley. Frankenstein is about a scientist who creates a grotesque sentient monster in an unorthodox science experiment. Other examples of popular Gothic books include; The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole, Dracula by Bram Stoker, and The Monk: A Romance by Matthew Lewis. The Gothic genre, as well as most

Eagleton’s idea by underscoring the concept that “Mary Shelley’s answer [in the novel Frankenstein] does not entail the restructuring of society, the elimination of the class system; it does entail a revolution of the human spirit and of the emotions which will issue in benevolent action towards one’s fellow human beings, and in so doing, creating a better society whilst alleviating present ills” (89). In this instance, Mary Shelley’s piece of gothic literature can be defined as alive and purposeful as it strives to promote action and change by the people. Developed through imagination and creativity, it carries political weight that contrasts the rational capitalism of the time and instead is aimed at change in support of the people. Literature of the past can be defined as imaginative, creative, and soul-stirring as can literature of the present.