As an initial example, I would like to show the only scene in the book which actually contains castles:
“Still, as I ascended higher, the valley assumed a more magnificent and astonishing character. Ruined castles hanging on the precipices of piny mountains; the impetuous Arve, and cottages every here and there peeping forth from among the trees, formed a scene of singular beauty.”
Sure, we have castles and ruins in an isolated position and moody settings, but the protagonists are merely passing these castles and ruins. None of the story takes place inside these settings, the characters do not even go near them, their mention is merely part of Frankenstein’s commentary on his surroundings. Therefore can we consider this aspect of the ‘Classic Gothic’ genre fulfilled? The answer is not helpful – castles and ruins; desolate landscapes and loneliness all come under the same broad point, and though the castles and ruins are glossed over in Frankenstein, there is no shortage of loneliness and desolate landscapes, in the mountains of Switzerland, or the empty wastes of Scotland:
“…fixed on one of the remotest of the Orkneys as the scene of my labours. It was a place fitted for such a work, being hardly more than a rock, whose high sides were continually beaten upon by the waves. The soil was barren, scarcely affording pasture for a few miserable cows, and oatmeal for its inhabitants…”
This is a clear example of loneliness and desolateness of landscape, so this example fulfils desolateness of landscape but lack of Castles means ‘Frankenstein’ does not fully encompass this aspect of the Gothic Genre.
Another aspect of Gothicness that ‘Frankenstein’ does not entirely fulfil is that of a ‘supernatural’ presence. Classic Gothic novels (e.g. the Castle of Otranto) translated ‘supernatural’ specifically as ghosts, whereas in later Gothic novels ‘supernatural’ meant anything beyond the normal (e.g. the creation of Frankenstein’s creature). This is the main argument against ‘Frankenstein’ being a Gothic novel, as ghosts were one of the key features of ‘Classic Gothic’ novels, and ‘Frankenstein’ features none - there is no mention of ghosts in ‘Frankenstein’, indeed the word ‘ghost’ is only used once in the entire book.
“I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs. How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavoured to form? His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! -- Great God!”
This quote describes the beginning of the book’s supernatural events – Frankenstein creates a creature from spare body parts, and makes it alive. This is surely supernatural, though I say again: it is not ghostly. In this respect Frankenstein is not a ‘Classic Gothic’ novel, more a ‘Victorian Gothic’ novel (‘Victorian Gothic’s tended to be focussed on science rather than purely the supernatural).
Epistolary is used frequently throughout ‘Frankenstein’ – the book starts with 4 letters written by Robert Walton to Mrs Saville, detailing how he reached the position we find him in when the book starts proper.
“About two o'clock the mist cleared away, and we beheld, stretched out in every direction, vast and irregular plains of ice, which seemed to have no end.”
Here Walton describes to Mrs Saville what he can see from his ice-locked boat near the North Pole. It is another example of loneliness of landscape, and of use of epistolary. Letters are also used at various times later in the book, and diaries feature too occasionally. In these ways epistolary is certainly a feature of the book, and as such ‘Frankenstein’ totally fulfils this aspect of ‘Classic Gothic’.
One of the more prominent aspects of ‘Gothic’ novels is an underlying sense of evil present. In ‘Frankenstein’ this is provided by the creature, but only after he swears his hatred for mankind:
“The feelings of kindness and gentleness which I had entertained but a few moments before gave place to hellish rage and gnashing of teeth. Inflamed by pain, I vowed eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind.”
The creature in this scene has rescued a young girl who was drowning in a stream, and was shot at for doing so. This is the last straw for him, and he no longer trusts man, and therefore declares his hate of man and his intent to have revenge for his universal rejection.
A final aspect of ‘Classic Gothic’ novels is a sense of ‘doom and gloom’ throughout. This is usually provided by pathetic fallacy, but in ‘Frankenstein’ it tends to be provided by Frankenstein’s increasingly inclement mood and worsening state of mind:
“Why did I not die? More miserable than man ever was before, why did I not sink into forgetfulness and rest? Death snatches away many blooming children, the only hopes of their doting parents: how many brides and youthful lovers have been one day in the bloom of health and hope, and the next a prey for worms and the decay of the tomb!”
The quote above is an extract of Frankenstein’s soliloquy while in bed with fever in Ireland, after the creature killed Clerval. He is very depressed, and questions his existence. There are many passages alike to this in the book, between them giving the book a very gloomy tone. The fact that this depression of the book is provided by a characters state of mind and their thoughts is a hint towards the ‘Neo-Gothic’ genre – which focuses on the workings of the mind; the emotions of man and their consequences. As mentioned earlier, in ‘Classic Gothic’ novels a sense of gloom is given by pathetic fallacy, Mary Shelley’s choice to create depression through a characters thoughts is a significant step towards ‘Neo Gothicism.
In my opinion one cannot say ‘Frankenstein’ was a ‘Victorian Gothic’ novel, because when it was written that genre was non-existent. ‘Frankenstein’ was an inspiration to ‘Victorian Gothic’ novels, but it itself is not ‘Victorian Gothic’ because when Mary Shelley wrote it she was not trying to write a ‘Victorian Gothic’ novel, merely to write a scary story. In the same way ‘Frankenstein’ is not a ‘Neo-Gothic’ novel, though it makes use of aspects of ‘Neo-Gothic’ novels. Mary Shelley probably drew heavily from early ‘Classic Gothic’ novels while writing ‘Frankenstein’: hence it fits nearly exactly into the characteristics of a ‘Classic Gothic’ novel. In this sense, ‘Frankenstein’ is very much a ‘Classic Gothic’ novel, though with a few features of ‘Victorian’ and ‘Neo-Gothic’ thrown in. Since both are sub-genres of ‘Gothic’, in reference to the essay title - I would say ‘Frankenstein’ is totally a ‘Gothic’ novel.
