Gothic novels are generally said to include some of the following elements. They should be set in a castle with an atmosphere of suspense and mystery, there should be supernatural or otherwise inexplicable events, am ancient prophecy, omens, portents, visions, high or overwrought emotion, women in distress or threatened by a powerful, impulsive, tyrannical male, and finally the metonymy of gloom and horror.
Frankenstein does not really include any of these points to the excess. It is not set in a castle and the language cannot really be said to be mysterious, as we are narrated clearly throughout. Can it still be said to be a gothic novel, even without any of the conventional gothic traits?
The term gothic covers a wide variety of texts and is by no means easy to define. It is not that straightforward to therefore relate Frankenstein to other gothic novels. However, some certain elements of Frankenstein can be determined as gothic, even though other parts may not fit the pattern.
Victors father made sure that a young Victor would never be scared of the, ‘supernatural horrors’ and so, ‘darkness had no effect upon my fancy’. The descriptive language and vivid images used however, fit in with the gothic theme, ‘ a churchyard was to me merely the receptacle of bodies deprived of life, which, from being the seat of beauty and strength had become food for the worm.’
The gothic can also be interpreted as the darker side of the human psyche, rather than actual happenings, situations or objects.
In the novel, Victors thoughts are obviously veering more towards the dark side. What he does and what he creates are both unnatural. He goes too far, breaks the laws of nature, crosses forbidden boundaries and unleashes a destructive force upon society and himself. Victor sees himself as the true murderer: ‘I bore a hell within me…’.
Through his ambition, he observes the corruption of death during days and nights locked in enclosed spaces with decaying bodies. The horrific images of his, ‘secret toil’ suggests his work is also sordid, ‘as I dabbled among the unhallowed damps of the grave.’
St certain points throughout the novel, the narrative also takes on a more sinister tone, ‘my more than sister, since till death she was to be mine only.’
The creature, fitting in with gothic tradition, can also be said to be an expression of the darker side of Victors psyche, Victors ‘doppelganger’, thus bringing about the idea of the double. Victor and the creature also start to share the same name; ‘Frankenstein’.
The double is an idea much used in gothic fiction.
Victor even seems to agree with the idea that the creature reflects himself in some way, ‘my own spirit let loose from the grave…forced to destroy all that was dear to me.’
The creature can be seen as carrying out all of Victors inner anger, thoughts and actions, that a civilised human must keep contained within themselves.
There are other elements of the double seen in the novel, such as Clerval and Safie and Walton and Victor.
Frankenstein may be seen as a primarily gothic novel, but is has also been said to have significant connections with the Romantic movement.
Romanticism is as difficult to define as the gothic; however, it can be simplified to three defining key points. These are concern with social reform, as seen when Safie is welcomed into the family and when Victors father and mother marry. Preoccupation with the workings of the imagination is another key point, and this is seen in Victors scientific plans. An interest in nature is the final point and is seen in the novel through Victor wanting to defy the natural laws.
While Frankenstein is generally defined as a gothic novel, it has important links to the Romantic movement and critics have also suggested that it may also fit n with other topics, categories and genres. Both the book and the creature are constructed out of an assortment of bits and pieces that dot seem to quite fit together.
Maybe we should consider, upon reading the novel, whether Frankenstein is concerned with questioning the restraints of social classification, something the author herself felt strongly about, rather than by trying to fit it into one specific category.
