Hatred features a lot in Frankenstein and it is a fairly typical topic for works of the gothic genre. In Chapter 7 we see Victor’s characterisation of the monster that he has created – “wretch,” “filthy demon,” “demon,” “devil,” “the animal,” “depraved wretch.” Victor also refers to the monster as “it.” Victor clearly has an avid hatred for his creation.
The “hero” of Frankenstein – Victor has a major flaw. This is a classic feature of texts written in the romantic literary tradition and of the gothic genre. Victor’s flaw is his arrogance, he ignores warnings about “creating life” and “blurring the line between life and death”. Frankenstein again shows huge arrogance in his behaviour after the creation of the monster. He refuses to communicate with his creation for reasons based purely on the hideous appearance of the monster. Victor fails to see the dangerous outcomes of creating a living thing that could never be loved nor accepted.
Frankenstein is typical of the romantic literary tradition in its contents. The novel has strong and subjective opinions
Fear is important factor in texts of the gothic genre. Victor shows great fear towards the monster, when Victor waits for the monster to approach he is “trembled with rage and horror”.
Frankenstein is typical of the romantic literary tradition in that it explores subjective themes and has strong opinions. Mary Shelley looks at the issue of science playing god, which in recent years has became a very controversial topic. Frankenstein looks at who is to blame for the creation of the monster, was Victor to blame or is society to blame for corrupting Victor. The sublime natural world was a theme warmly embraced by Romanticism in the late eighteenth to mid-nineteenth century. In Frankenstein the sublime natural world plays a considerable part. After the deaths of Justine and William, which Victor believes, he is responsible for Victor leaves to the mountains to raise his spirits. Similarly the monster feels more positive at the arrival of spring. The surrounding nature clearly alters the mood of the characters but for Victor the influence of nature is not enough to prevent him realising that wherever he goes the monster will haunt him.
The theme of playing god which features extensively in Frankenstein is not the only topic that remains relevant today. The idea of forbidden knowledge is important in Frankenstein – Victors attempt to go beyond human limits and find out the secret of life. Additionally Robert Walton’s ruthless ambition to reach the North Pole and exceed previous human explorations is an example of this. Victor’s search for knowledge ends in destruction with Victor losing the things most important to him. There is a definite moral to this theme of the novel.
Frankenstein is a good example of the gothic genre and romantic literary tradition; Mary Shelley successfully links many features classic to gothic fiction to create a suspenseful and tense atmosphere.
