Frankenstein

Frankenstein, or the modern Prometheus

Mary Shelley1818

Mary Shelley

daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin the Enlightened power of reason.

escaped to France with the Romantic poet Percy B. Shelley.

Dr Frankenstein, a Swiss scientist, creates a human being by joining together parts of corpses. The result of the experiment is ugly and revolting a murderer In the end he destroys his creator.

PLOT

a series of letters written by Walton, a young explorer on an expedition voyage to the North Pole, to his sister, Margaret Walton Saville.

The influence of science

The latest scientific theories of chemistry and electricity influenced Mary Shelley

theme of science

He creates a human being through the use of electricity and chemistry

INFLUENCES

The myth of Prometheus: Frankenstein is an example of an overreacher.

Gothic stories read by Mary and Percy B. Shelley.

Rousseau: the monster is a noble savage.

Main characters

Both Captain Walton and Doctor Frankenstein tried to go beyond human limits.

The monster is complementary to his creator: they both suffer from isolation and they both begin with a desire to be good.

Themes

The quest for forbidden knowledge (Walton and Dr Frankenstein): theme of the overreacher

Social prejudices: the monster as an outcast (isolation)

The double: Dr Frankenstein and the monster(human/non-human; creator/creature; God/human being)

The pursuit of knowledge: dangerous

The overcoming of natural and divine rules: the creation of a human being without a woman