Frankenstein

1
By Mary Shelly
2
Feminism

• General Definition  Feminism is the theory that
  men and women should be equal politically,
  socially, and economically. There are many
  variations on this general idea, including Amazon
  feminism, Cultural Feminism, Eco-feminism,
  Material Feminism, Moderate Feminism,
  Pop-feminism, and Radical Feminism.

3

• Mary Shelleys mother was a huge feminist.  She
  died eleven days after Mary was born from an
  infection contracted during labor.  She wrote
  several articles and books voicing her views on
  feminism, one of which was A Vindication of the
  Rights of Women.  After her mothers death, Mary
  developed an unhealthy attachment to her mothers
  grave where she often read and wrote. Mary often
  read the books her mother wrote and idolized the
  mother whom she never knew, which is believed to
  have had an effect on her writing.Mary
  experienced many other tragedies during her
  lifetime, including the suicide of her
  half-sister Fanny Imlay in 1816 and the suicide
  of Marys husbands wife, Harriet, just weeks
  later.  Mary gave birth to four children, three
  of which died in infancy.  Despite these
  tragedies Mary continued to write, but not
  without effect on her writing.

4

• Some feminist groups believe the relationship
  between Dr. Frankenstein and his monster is a
  result of the authors simultaneous attraction
  and repulsion toward motherhood.  Others believe
  that the link between creation, birth, and death
  in Frankenstein is a result of Marys real-life
  experience with pregnancy, labor, maternity, and
  death, through the death of her mother and the
  death of her young children.  Victor Frankenstein
  has even been said to play the role of the mother
  who neglects her child and must suffer the
  consequences of her actions through retribution
  upon the monster and creator for insufficient
  care.

5
Write a sentence on how atmosphere has been
created. Focus on key words and include them in
your sentence

• It was on a dreary night of November that I
  beheld the accomplishment of my toils. With an
  anxiety that almost amounted to agony, I
  collected the instruments of life around me, that
  I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless
  thing that lay at my feet. It was already one in
  the morning the rain pattered dismally against
  the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out,
  when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished
  light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature
  open it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion
  agitated its limbs.

6
How does Frankenstein feel about his creation,
how do you know this?

• 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! His yellow skin
  scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries
  beneath his hair was of a lustrous black, and
  flowing his teeth of a pearly whiteness but
  these luxuriances only formed a more horrid
  contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost
  of the same colour as the dun white sockets in
  which they were set, his shrivelled complexion
  and straight black lips.
• The different accidents of life are not so
  changeable as the feelings of human nature. I had
  worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole
  purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body.
  For this I had deprived myself of rest and
  health. I had desired it with an ardour that far
  exceeded moderation but now that I had finished,
  the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless
  horror and disgust filled my heart. Unable to
  endure the aspect of the being I had created, I
  rushed out of the room, and continued a long time
  traversing my bedchamber, unable to compose my
  mind to sleep.

7
How does Frankenstein feel about the monster now?

• Oh! no mortal could support the horror of that
  countenance. A mummy again endued with animation
  could not be so hideous as that wretch. I had
  gazed on him while unfinished he was ugly then
  but when those muscles and joints were rendered
  capable of motion, it became a thing such as even
  Dante could not have conceived.

8
Write a sentence about the meaning of
Frankensteins statement, is he right about what
he says?

• "You have guessed right I have lately been so
  deeply engaged in one occupation that I have not
  allowed myself sufficient rest, as you see but I
  hope, I sincerely hope, that all these
  employments are now at an end, and that I am at
  length free."

9
Key Phrases to note down

• I trembled excessively I could not endure to
  think of, and far less to allude to, the
  occurrences of the preceding night
• I then reflected, and the thought made me shiver,
  that the creature whom I had left in my apartment
  might still be there, alive, and walking about. I
  dreaded to behold this monster
• I stepped fearfully in my bedroom was also
  freed from its hideous guest
• I became assured that my enemy had indeed fled, I
  clapped my hands for joy

10
Do you agree with Frankensteins thoughts and
actions?

• Did Frankenstein not have a responsibility to
  nurture and educate a being he gave life to?
• Write a paragraph explaining your views.
• What do you think has happened to the creature,
  how do you think he is feeling?

11
Frankenstein

• Shelly came up with the idea of this novel when
  on holiday with her writer friends, the weather
  kept them trapped inside. As a way to keep them
  amused they each came up with ghost stories, this
  is how Frankenstein was born.

12
Why is Chapter 5 so important?

• This chapter is vital to the novel in that it
• is a crucial moment in the novel
• helps us to appreciate Dr Frankenstein's
  character more fully
• helps us to appreciate the skills of the writer
• helps us to understand more the 19th century life
  style it is set in
• helps us to understand the purpose of the writer
  to a greater extent

13

• Ten days after giving birth to Mary, Miss
  Wollstonecraft died from childbirth complications
  
• Mary and Percy would have five children, only one
  of whom would survive early childhood. This
  tragedy, along with the early death of her mother
  influenced Mary Shelley's theme linking creation
  with death

14
Victor Frankenstein

• Victor Frankensteins life story is at the heart
  of Frankenstein.
• He attends university at Ingolstadt.
• He becomes fascinated with the secret of life,
  discovers it, and brings a hideous monster to
  life.
• The monster proceeds to kill Victors youngest
  brother, best friend, and wife
• Though torn by remorse, shame, and guilt, Victor
  refuses to admit to anyone the horror of what he
  has created, even as he sees the ramifications of
  his creative act spiralling out of control.

15
Victor Frankenstein Continued

• Victor changes over the course of the novel from
  an innocent youth fascinated by the prospects of
  science into a disillusioned, guilt-ridden man
  determined to destroy the fruits of his arrogant
  scientific endeavor.
• Whether as a result of his desire to attain the
  godlike power of creating new life or his
  avoidance of the public arenas in which science
  is usually conducted, Victor is doomed by a lack
  of humanness. He cuts himself off from the world
  and eventually commits himself entirely to an
  animalistic obsession with revenging himself upon
  the monster.

16
Victor Frankenstein Continued

• interpretations of Victor classic mad scientist,
  transgressing all boundaries without concern, or
  brave adventurer into unknown scientific lands,
  not to be held responsible for the consequences
  of his explorations.
• Which statement do you believe to be true and why?

17
The Monster

• The monster is Victor Frankensteins creation,
  assembled from old body parts and strange
  chemicals, animated by a mysterious spark
• He enters life eight feet tall and enormously
  strong but with the mind of a newborn.
• Abandoned by his creator and confused, he tries
  to integrate himself into society, only to be
  shunned universally.
• Looking in the mirror, he realizes his physical
  grotesqueness, an aspect of his persona that
  blinds society to his initially gentle, kind
  nature.
• Seeking revenge on his creator, he kills Victors
  younger brother.
• After Victor destroys his work on the female
  monster meant to ease the monsters solitude, the
  monster murders Victors best friend and then his
  new wife.

18
The Monster

• While Victor feels unmitigated hatred for his
  creation, the monster shows that he is not a
  purely evil being.
• The monsters eloquent narration of events (as
  provided by Victor) reveals his remarkable
  sensitivity and benevolence.
• He assists a group of poor peasants and saves a
  girl from drowning, but because of his outward
  appearance, he is rewarded only with beatings and
  disgust.
• Torn between vengefulness and compassion, the
  monster ends up lonely and tormented by remorse.
• Even the death of his creator-turned-would-be-dest
  royer offers only bittersweet relief joy because
  Victor has caused him so much suffering, sadness
  because Victor is the only person with whom he
  has had any sort of relationship.

19
Themes

• Dangerous Knowledge
• The pursuit of knowledge is at the heart of
  Frankenstein, as Victor attempts to surge beyond
  accepted human limits and access the secret of
  life.
• This ruthless pursuit of knowledge, of the light
  (see Light and Fire), proves dangerous, as
  Victors act of creation eventually results in
  the destruction of everyone dear to him,
• Victors obsessive hatred of the monster drives
  him to his death,

20
Themes

• Monstrosity
• Obviously, this theme pervades the entire novel,
  as the monster lies at the center of the action.
• Eight feet tall and hideously ugly, the monster
  is rejected by society.
• However, his monstrosity results not only from
  his grotesque appearance but also from the
  unnatural manner of his creation, which involves
  the secretive animation of a mix of stolen body
  parts and strange chemicals.
• He is a product not of collaborative scientific
  effort but of dark, supernatural workings.
• The monster is only the most literal of a number
  of monstrous entities in the novel, including the
  knowledge that Victor used to create the monster
  (see Dangerous Knowledge).
• One can argue that Victor himself is a kind of
  monster, as his ambition, secrecy, and
  selfishness alienate him from human society.
  Ordinary on the outside, he may be the true
  monster inside, as he is eventually consumed by
  an obsessive hatred of his creation

21
Themes

• Secrecy
• Victor conceives of science as a mystery to be
  probed its secrets, once discovered, must be
  jealously guarded.
• Victors entire obsession with creating life is
  shrouded in secrecy, and his obsession with
  destroying the monster remains equally secret
• Whereas Victor continues in his secrecy out of
  shame and guilt, the monster is forced into
  seclusion by his grotesque appearance.

22
Themes

• Abortion
• The motif of abortion recurs as both Victor and
  the monster express their sense of the monsters
  hideousness.
• About first seeing his creation, Victor says
  When I thought of him, I gnashed my teeth, my
  eyes became inflamed, and I ardently wished to
  extinguish that life which I had so thoughtlessly
  made.
• The monster feels a similar disgust for himself
  I, the miserable and the abandoned, am an
  abortion, to be spurned at, and kicked, and
  trampled on.
• Both lament the monsters existence and wish
  that Victor had never engaged in his act of
  creation.
• The motif appears also in regard to Victors
  other pursuits. When Victor destroys his work on
  a female monster, he literally aborts his act of
  creation, preventing the female monster from
  coming alive.

23
Quote 2

• Did I request thee, Maker, from my clayTo mould
  me Man, did I solicit theeFrom darkness to
  promote me?

24
Explanation of quote

• These lines appear on the title page of the novel
  and come from John Miltons Paradise Lost, when
  Adam bemoans his fallen condition (Book X,
  743745). The monster conceives of himself as a
  tragic figure, comparing himself to both Adam and
  Satan. Like Adam, he is shunned by his creator,
  though he strives to be good. These rhetorical
  questions epitomize the monsters ill will toward
  Victor for abandoning him in a world relentlessly
  hostile to him and foist responsibility for his
  ugliness and eventual evil upon Victor.

25
Quote 3

• So much has been done, exclaimed the soul of
  Frankensteinmore, far more, will I achieve
  treading in the steps already marked, I will
  pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and
  unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of
  creation.

26
Explanation of quote

• Victor utters these words in Chapter 3 as he
  relates to Walton how his chemistry professor, M.
  Waldman, ignited in him an irrepressible desire
  to gain knowledge of the secret of life. Victors
  reference to himself in the third person
  illustrates his sense of fatalismhe is driven by
  his passion, unable to control it. Further, the
  glorious, assertive quality of his statement
  foreshadows the fact that Victors passion will
  not be tempered by any consideration of the
  possible horrific consequences of his search for
  knowledge. Additionally, this declaration
  furthers the parallel between Waltons spatial
  explorations and Frankensteins forays into
  unknown knowledge, as both men seek to pioneer a
  new way, to make progress beyond established
  limits

27
Quote

• I, the miserable and the abandoned, am an
  abortion, to be spurned at, and kicked, and
  trampled on

28
Explanation of quote

• In Waltons final letter to his sister, he
  recounts the words that the monster speaks to him
  over Victors dead body. This eruption of angry
  self-pity as the monster questions the injustice
  of how he has been treated compellingly captures
  his inner life, giving Walton and the reader a
  glimpse into the suffering that has motivated his
  crimes. This line also evokes the motif of
  abortion the monster is an unwanted life, a
  creation abandoned and shunned by his creator.