Frankenstein Ultimate Notes
Shelley creates a novel which explores ideas of galvanism, feminism, and
religion.
Potentially modelling the main character, Victor, on her husband Percy
Shelley; Victor is presented as ambitious, striving for knowledge,
egotistical, superstitious, and neglectful.
Shelley’s novel is potentially autobiographical, using the novel to portray
her marital frustrations through the similarities of Victor and Percy. Other
correlations include: ‘motherless child’- Mary and the creature, ‘father
rejecting child’- Mary and the creature, ‘university student conducting
experiments’- Percy did this, could assume the Frankenstein family is
modelled on Mary’s family
The 1818 version presents Victor as a victim of his own ambition, in
1831 this is changed to Victor being a victim of fate
Originally published anonymously – therefore Percy was regarded as the
main author
Removed the epigraph from John Milton of ‘Paradise Lost’ - distancing
the story from religion
‘Glut the maw of death’ - heavily inspired by Milton
in German, the name Frankenstein translates to “stronghold of
freemen’’
Authorial intention
The novel does not condemn science – but rather condemns mankind
A mixture of genres - science fiction, gothic, romantic, tragedy
The novel may have started with the aim of Gothicism but grows
into a plethora of other genres as an allegory for warning mankind of
its own nature
Does not include the fear of science – non science fiction
conventions
Alternate readings
The creature does not exist – is simply a doppelganger and victor
commits all of the monster’s crimes
Mary and the creature:
Lack of mother figure
Lack of supportive father
Was forced to educate themselves
Percy and Victor:
, Both narcissistic
Both unfaithful
Lack of good parental skills
Interest in science- chemistry and galvanism
1831 second edition views Victor more softly, potentially represents the
softening of Mary’s frustration with her then deceased husband
Frankenstein features influence from the following themes/ideologies of her
time: alchemy, galvanism, limits of human knowledge, gothic horror genre,
romanticism
Feminism:
The female characters are almost always docile and subservient
The book in total presents the dangers of procreation without women
Women fulfilling their roles in society
Context:
Influences from romanticism from Percy- the creature signifies the
dangers of industrialisation and science
Romanticism- looked at a new way of alternate and ‘old style’ living, a
new of perceiving nature and the world, despised the industrial
revolution, believed adult inspiration stemmed from childhood
experiences, believed childhood itself was being destroyed by
industrialisation
Mentions of loss- which Mary experienced a lot in her life – lost mum, 3
lost children, two suicides,
Her mother Mary Wollstonecraft who campaigned for women’s rights
and wrote ‘Vindication for the rights of women’- Mary presents feminist
themes in the book through the absence and character of female
characters
Her father William Godwin and his radicalistic views on society –
founder of philosophical anarchism – believed that knowledge would
overcome the government
The significance of religion and Christianity at the time, some critics
thought Shelley was wrong to not demonise Victor for ‘playing God’
Exploration – influence on Walton’s expedition
Utilitarianism
Enlightenment – rejection of science and structural control – Shelley's
influence from parents
