Analyse chapter 4 of Mary Shelleys Frankenstein and explore the extent to which it fits into the genre of the gothic novel and reflects the fears and concerns from the era in which the novel was written.
Charles Ford Analyse chapter 4 of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and explore the extent to which it fits into the genre of the gothic novel and reflects the fears and concerns from the era in which the novel was written. Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, contains features of gothic literature throughout the book. However this is most prevalent in chapter 4. From this chapter there are plenty of distinctive features which are conveyed through the creation of the monster and also through the setting. The language techniques that Shelley uses in the novel represent the genre of the gothic and also portray the fears and concerns about the era in which it was written. The aspects that can be taken into consideration when analysing the novel is the influence of Shelley’s personal life on the novel, the attitudes of people and family in the era and the character of Frankenstein. Chapter 4 starts immediately with a main feature of the gothic. Pathetic fallacy is a technique that Shelley uses well throughout this chapter as it creates an atmosphere and the reader can emphasise the setting. ‘It was a dreary night of November.’ Where Shelley describes it as a dreary night the reader gains an understanding of the setting of the scene and it is always in the back of the mind. The description of the weather undermines Frankenstein’s excitement as he is about to create the
Human curiosity in "Frankenstein"
[Type text] Name: Ilia Nee Class: PHL 103 Date: 12 April 2012 The mover of the progress… Mankind throughout its history always made many different discoveries. People are very curious creatures, and they always want to learn something new. Mary Shelley in her novel Frankenstein refers to human curiosity and the acquisition of knowledge. Almost every character in this novel is a very curious person. Robert Walton wanted to explore the North Pole, the Creature tried to learn more about everything that surrounded him and, finally, Victor Frankenstein was absorbed in science, he wanted to create a human being, and he did it. Mary Shelley describes the consequences of this curiosity, and almost all these consequences are bad. It follows from this that human curiosity brings misery. Based on facts that human curiosity is the mover of progress of human civilization, that without curiosity human civilization will stop its development, and, moreover, it will lead to the degradation, this paper will show that human curiosity is not only a curse, but it is also a blessing, and if people control their curiosity, it will become only a blessing. First of all it is necessary to understand what curiosity is and why people are curious. The definition in any dictionary describes curiosity as “a strong desire to know or learn something”. (Oxford English Dictionary) People start to
The creatures shift in attitudes regarding society, justice, and injustice is finalized in the final chapter of Shelleys "Frankenstein", but it had been occurring since he very first opened his eyes.
The Monster Within “Was there no injustice in this? Am I to be thought the only criminal, when all of human kind sinned against me? “(273) When Frankenstein’s monster asks this question of Robert Walton in the final dialogue of Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, he displays the complete transformation of his views on society, justice, and injustice since his creation and initial introduction into the world. The monster’s first experience of the world, as he describes it to Frankenstein during their cave meeting, was one of awe and beauty. He narrates his first experience of nature, recalling, “a gentle light stole over the heavens, and gave me a sensation of pleasure. I started up, and beheld a radiant form rise from among the trees. I gazed with a kind of wonder.” (118) The monster views humans with this same kind of wonder and respect, and desires to be accepted by them, despite his hideous appearance. However, through a series of rejections from his creator and other humans that he has felt a close relationship to, the monster comes to view the world as a place of evil and becomes obsessed with gaining justice for the sins committed against him, even if involves the death of innocents. The creature quickly learns that the beautiful, fair world he had so wished to believe in cannot exist, especially for someone as appalling as he. Even though the monster’s
English Literature - Frankenstein
"Frankenstein and his creature are in fact the same person". Discuss When considering this question one must first take note of the discrepancy between the literal presentation of the relationship between Frankenstein and his creature, and the figurative presentation of that. Are Shelley's intentions predominantly to bring our attention to the fixed sequence of events - to perceive the story in a literal manner - or to a more implicit message; an analogy of bodily union between the two antagonists? Of course, today, when one utters the name 'Frankenstein' the first image thought up is that of a detestable, monstrous, green entity with bolts through the neck. This is indeed erroneous when taking Shelley's novel into account, yet it still offers us an allusion to the idea of the double. It has frequently been suggested that the creature assumes the role of a doppelgänger - or alter-ego - to Frankenstein. That he is merely an extension, or reflection of his creator (indeed 'creature' implies 'creator'). They both assume various synonymous roles throughout the novel; for example, their corresponding isolation, the omission of female influence in their matters, their juxtaposed intentions to take revenge, and of course the simple fact that Victor is presented as a solitary 'parent' to the creature - the only person with whom the creature has an emotional bond. So, let us first
This essay will focus on the way Walton's letters bring out the main themes that will increase the reader's understanding of the rest of the novel
This essay will focus on the way Walton's letters bring out the main themes that will increase the reader's understanding of the rest of the novel. In Walton's letter, an important character is introduced, Victor Frankenstein. In the second letter, Walton regrets his lack of friends. He feels lonely and remote, unable to find a space in this world for him. When Walton meets the stranger, he picks him up as a friend he always wanted to have. Walton's desire for companionship resembles the monster's desire for a friend throughout the novel when he realizes he doesn't speak the same language as the other people he meets. This parallel between Victor and Walton seems to show that the two have things in common The desire for knowledge and its impacts are important in these letters. The stranger tells Walton, "You seek for knowledge and wisdom, as I once did; and I ardently hope that the gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you, as mine has been." Walton, like Frankenstein is captivated by the desire to learn, and try to find answers to things no one knows about: "What may not be expected in a country of eternal light?" Finally, Victor and Walton both have very loving family backgrounds. The beginning of the book starts with Walton sending letters to his sister Margaret to update her tells her that he is safe. Victor, on his side, is very loving to
Explore the way that Shelley presents the relationship between Frankenstein and his creature.
"Did I request thee, maker from my clay to mould me man? Did I solicit thee from darkness to promote me?" - John Milton, Paradise Lost. Frankenstein tells his creature that "There can be no community between you and me; we are enemies." However, it can be argued that the creature and his creator are very similar. Explore the way that Shelley presents the relationship between Frankenstein and his creature. Frankenstein and the creature, although have strong feeling of hate towards each other. Frankenstein to creature for murdering his family and friends, and also creature to Frankenstein for creating him, and refusing to make a partner for the creature to have for company. Although there can obviously be no community or relationship between the creature and Frankenstein there are some similarities between them that Shelley makes obvious and shows very well. The first similarity we notice, when reading the novel, is how Frankenstein and the creature feel the same a lot of the time. They are both extremely lonely and feel isolated in their world. Frankenstein cannot talk to anyone about his feelings and what he has done. "...But now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart." This shows how his realization of what he has done has affected him and made him feel guilty and shocked for what he has done and created,
Frankenstein: "Irony is what drives the plot." Discuss.
Transfer-Encoding: chunked This is an unfair assessment as irony in the novel is used by Shelley to enhance the plot, and not as a driving force of the storyline. Irony is used in the novel to highlight how monstrosity is not defined by one’s outward appearance, but by one’s actions. Irony does not drive the plot but rather enhances the plot development, as it essentially challenges our judgement of an individual’s appearance in relation to our perception of his intentions. For example, the creature’s interaction with the drowning girl, where he “saved” her and “dragged her to shore” paints a striking picture of the moment, where he risks his life to rescue the girl without hesitation. This portrays the creature’s apparent willingness to put aside his will for self-preservation to jump into the water to save the helpless girl. The monster’s selflessness and compassion for the humans around him is contrasted with his ragged physical appearance, where his “watery eyes”, “shrivelled complexion” and “straight black lips” serves as a reminder of the presence of death in his complexion. His existence thus is ironic as his gentle treatment of the girl is inconsistent and the opposite of his distorted, deathly physical appearance. The creature’s kindness and sacrifice are not acknowledged in lieu of his monstrous appearance, where the companion
Frankenstien;In her 1831 introduction to the novel Shelley explained how she wanted to 'curdle the blood and quicken the beatings of the heart'. Do you think she achieves her aim? Look closely at chapter 20.
In her 1831 introduction to the novel Shelley explained how she wanted to 'curdle the blood and quicken the beatings of the heart'. Do you think she achieves her aim? Look closely at chapter 20. Shelley's aim to 'curdle the blood and quicken the beatings of the heart' of the reader instantly prepares the reader for a gothic novel with traditional themes such as, tampering with unknown sciences, revenge, the role of women at the peril of male figures, murder and many more. A typical quality within gothic literature is the physical reactions of characters and how they are portrayed as carrying out dramatic motions in response to events in the novel, in order to emphasise the terror or ghastliness of what they are witnessing. This physical reaction is the key effect Shelley is trying to put upon the reader. This heightens the sense of terror throughout the book. Another point referencing to gothic literature in Shelley's 1931 introduction is her explanation of how the idea for the novel came to her through a dream, dreams are used within the novel to create a sense of unease and foreboding. It has been said, when looking at the structure of the novel, Shelley tries to induce the feelings of unease and instability, 'many critics have described the novel itself as monstrous, a stitched-together combination of different voices, texts, and tenses'. It has been considered
analysis of Frankenstien
Discuss the extent to which you feel sympathy towards the characters in relation to Frankenstein. In Frankenstein we see many moral issues being raised throughout the novel with various realist and non-realist techniques being used. We can see Sedgewick's list of Gothic rules within the novel seeing these gothic techniques and realist techniques working together with each other, helping the reader feel sympathy for the characters and their situations. Frankenstein is written in an embedded narrative with the story beginning in the epistolary style in Walton's letters to his sister. One effect of this narrative is that we get to 'see' Victor's character before his telling of the story. This narrative structure used makes it quite easy to forget exactly who is relating the story, which in turn helps to create sympathy for characters as the reader imagines that they are hearing the story directly from the person concerned. This should also make the reader aware that the accuracy of each account is to be questioned due to it being told through someone else. On opening, the novel conforms to the realist genre with character names, dates and recognisable places mentioned within the letters while also using the gothic technique of embedding the narrative. The narrative is framed through Walton who refers to Victor as like 'a brother' whose 'constant and deep grief fills
Feminist critic Anne K. Mellor argues that Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is an attack on masculine Romanticism. To what extent do you agree with Mellor's assessment?
Feminist critic Anne K. Mellor argues that Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is an attack on masculine Romanticism. To what extent do you agree with Mellor's assessment? I agree that Mary Shelley's Frankenstein does indeed attack masculine Romanticism however not totally. Typical Romantic characteristics include heightened interest in nature, emphasis on the individual's expression of emotion and imagination, and rebellion against society. She attacks this through her use of language, setting, characterization, narrative structure, doubling and literary allusions. Firstly, the characteristics of the masculine Romantic hero as displayed by Victor Frankenstein and Walton and why Shelley would want to attack these characteristics must be established. Frankenstein displays the traits of a Romantic hero in that he is seeking for something spiritual in nature that is perpetually just out of reach (as does Walton), for example, his desire to conquer death and nature because of his mother's death. Victor is often at odds with society, and is alienated from it because of this strong desire. Also, he is entirely wrapped up in himself and his own problems and indulges, if not wallows in, his own feelings. It must be noted that the main trait of a masculine Romantic scientist would be his thirst for knowledge and leading to ambition and an appreciation of beauty is also a trait. Shelley's