As I said earlier, the early 19th century was full of new scientific achievements and discoveries yet also of radical ideas of society and how we live. Great men like Volta invited modern convinces we rely on today such as his invention of the battery. Yet, also Physicians and Biologists of the time where developing there knowledge on how the human body and living organisms actually work. During the years of 1810 to 1819 the first unsuccessful blood transfusion was carried out at Guys hospital in London. Anatomist such as Galvani believed he had discovered electricity in dead organisms limbs, which provoked the idea that the human nervous system worked by sending electrical impulses round the body. Scientists thought if they could manipulate this they could bring back the dead. The religious communities were very much horrified that man should challenge Gods authority and were deeply against it. New radical theories were also being put over with men like French revolutionist Jean-Jacques Rousseau who believed “Men were made corrupt by society”. All of that and Stael’s bestseller De l'Allemagne founded they key points the story of Dr Frankenstein’s Monster is based on.
Frankenstein is a very involving story which grips you instantly as you begin to read it. It starts with Captain Walton rescuing Dr Victor Frankenstein at the North Pole who has been chasing the monster. The captain was on an expedition when his ship got caught in ice and Victor tells him of his childhood growing up in Switzerland. He studied science at a first-class German university and attempted to recreate life. Eventually he created a monster made from the parts of deceased people, he is disgusted on what he has created and spurns it away. The monster runs away and settles near the Lacey family, where he listens to them and educates itself. The monster then meets victors younger brother William who spurns him also, in his anger the monster kills William and frames the murder on a maid named Justine who is hanged. Victor knows that the monster killed William yet does not save Justine from her untimely death. The monster and Victor meet where he explains to him his side of the coin, reluctantly Victor gives in and feels sorry for him. In his compassion he agrees to make him a female companion.
Dr Frankenstein and his life long friend Clerval tour England where they begin work on the monster female companion. But in a unexpected fit of anger Frankenstein abandons the project, the Monster kills Clerval in revenge and Victor is imprisoned in Ireland for it. He is shortly realised after he is found innocent when he marries Elizabeth who is killed on their wedding night by the monster. Victor is distraught and vows to kill the very thing he gave life to, he chases his creation all over Europe and Russia. He nearly succeeds in catching it at the North Pole where Captain Walton rescues him. Exhausted he die and Frankenstein’s monster vows to kill himself before disappearing into the “distance and darkness”.
Chapter five begins with Victor Frankenstein revulsion of the monster he has created and Shelley describes the creature’s vile features that shriek terror into the reader alone. In revolt Victor leaves the room at the very disgust of what he was brought into this world and attempts to gain his precious “sanctuary of sleep”. While he sleeps he dreams of seeing Elizabeth his one love, however as he plants his first kiss on her lips her features change and he appears to eventually hold the dead corpse of his dead mother. He wakes up to find the monster by his bedside peering at him and in anguish runs out of his rented apartment and through the town with paranoid strides fearing he will see the monster at every turn. He finds refuge in the courtyard while lost in his daydreams of the monstrosity he has created, he notices his good friend Clerval and brings him to his accommodation before he has time to think properly. When he reaches his apartment he Is overjoyed that the monster is no longer in the vicinity and welcomes Clerval into his rented home. Dr Frankenstein’s content emotions are quickly destroyed as he imagines seeing the monster lurching for him and breaks down to a fit. Clerval worries for his friends health and nurses him back to health after witnessing Victors fluctuating emotions.
Shelley was part of the romantic novelist of the earlier 19th century, who like Shelley used Gothic elements to add provoke terror in a reader. Descriptions such as “Corpse of my dead mother in my arms” and “ Shrivelled complexions all are examples of gothic elements, though the more mysterious and alluding comments such as “I saw the dull eye of the creature” give the impression this creature isn’t alive and that it is an inanimate object been brought to life through personification elaborated descriptions full of eccentric adverbs.
Shelley was a naturally beautiful writer who could conjure sentences as if they flowed from a river of her knowledge. She uses great amounts of writing styles inspired probably from the intellectuals she grew up around. There is a great contrast in sentence length with short lines such as “How ill you are” and sentences that contain over fifty words for instance; “I took refuge in the courtyard belonging to the which I inhabited; where I remained during the rest of the night, walking up and down in the greatest agitation, listening attentively, catching and fearing each sound as if it were to announce the approach the demonical corpse to which I had so miserably given life”. Repetition is also a trait of Shelley’s writing style; “Save me, save me” and “Dear, dear friends” are both examples of repetition. The use of her adjectives stipulate her close use of gothic rudiments with dark and mystifying words such as “Dreary”, “Miserably” and “Hideous”, yet also her choice of colour reflect on her gothic style such as “dull yellow”.
Another topic to indulge in is Shelley’s use of contrast in a variety of elements. Colour is again is used in contrast for gothic descriptions such as “Lustrous Black” and “Pearly White” a common metaphor. The actual pace of the narrative is not an unexpected contrast to build tension and fear, and is commonly used in all sorts of genres and mediums, like songs and television. This practice can be used to build many emotions from love to action yet works just as well if not the best with fear. She uses a contrast of dream and reality this could be because her original idea for the plot came to her in a dream. Yet, however it seems in either the sub consciousness or actual consciousness it is always a horrific period. Finally a contrast in emotions is very blatant such as joy, revulsion and terror all blend together with Frankenstein’s original image of a beautiful creation to its consequential repulsiveness.
This brings me to my final point of Mary Shelley’s use of fluctuating emotions to provoke the sense of fear in the reader. Frankenstein expects a beautiful creature to be born of his labour, yet is shocked when he unveils his creation for the first time “ How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe”. Horror soon sets in at the monstrosity and almost failure of his dream sets in “But now that I have I have finished the beauty of the dream of the dream has vanished and breathless horror and disgust fill my heart”. This quickly turns to frightened “ I did not dare return to the apartment” , again his emotions fluctuate to a paranoid loneliness “Like one when on a lonely road, Doth walk in fear” and finally a huge contrast for the previous emotions to happiness “ I felt suddenly…calm and serene joy”. Shelley fluctuates Frankenstein’s emotions so rapidly is almost becomes difficult to follow them, yet perhaps this is the desired effect as the confusion only adds the horror you are reading.
To conclude, Mary Shelley one of the greatest female novelist of her time if not history efficiently and captivatingly uses techniques, which are still used today in writing. They are not restricted to but she certainly chooses over others mainly are predominately gothic elements; common of early 19th century “romance” authors. She also makes use of the fluctuating emotions, contrast and language as I have described in earlier paragraphs.
