FRANKENSTIEN
Introduction - Frankenstein is still to this date considered as the marvel that came out of the pen of Mary Shelly, the daughter of philosopher William Wollstonecraft and feminist Mary Godwin. Early reception of the novel was conditioned by the presence of Gothic traits, a darkly blooding protagonist haunted by his past; violation of taboos; violent extremes in nature and in the human psyche. Thought the cruder paraphernalia of horror is missing. The novel has come to acquire the status of a "classic" a cautionary tale relevant for as long as humans attempt to create something new, from engineering social utopia to genetic engineering, a remarkably subtle and complex narrative that's seems to address important political and ethical concerns of the late twentieth century. The critical acceptance accorded to science fiction as a Genre that's asked serious questions about science and society, and often uses gothic tropes to do so also help the status of Frankenstein.
Plot Summary - The novel begins with explorer Robert Walton looking for a new passage from Russia to the Pacific Ocean via the Arctic Ocean. After weeks as sea, the crew of Walton's ship finds an emaciated man, Victor Frankenstein, floating on an ice flow near death. In Walton's series of letters to his sister in England, he retells Victor's tragic story. Growing up in Geneva, Switzerland, Victor is a precocious child, quick to learn all new subjects. He is raised with Elizabeth, an orphan adopted by his family. Victor delights in the sciences and vows to someday study science. Victor prepares to leave for his studies at the University of Ingolstadt, when his mother and Elizabeth become ill with scarlet fever. Caroline dies from the disease, and Elizabeth is nursed back to health. Victor Frankenstein is thrilled to be at university. He throws himself into his studies and discovers what no one else has. It is possible to create life, specifically in the form of a human. Victor now doubles his efforts and manages to create his own human. However, Victor is disgusted by the creature's grotesque appearance and guttural speech. He abandons the creature and endeavors to forget that it ever existed.
The murder of his young brother brings Victor back home. While there, he again encounters his creation. The creature confronts Victor with a horrible request: to make another creature to be his companion. If Victor agrees, the creature will leave him and all mankind alone. If he doesn't, the creature will not rest until he has destroyed Victor and his family." Characters The story of Frankenstein mainly revolves around three primary characters: Robert Walton -- the narrator; Victor Frankenstein -- the creator of the monster; and the monster -- the destroyer. However, other secondary characters play important roles in the novel as well. The following are the main characters:
• Henry Clerval- Victor's closest friend and companion, who balance his emotional and rational pursuits, Clerval nurses Victor back to health, playing the role of protector and comforter after Victor runs from the creature when the creature comes to life.
• Alphonse Frankenstein- Victor's father is described by his son as "respected by all who knew him for his integrity and indefatigable attention to public business." Victor's father, very sympathetic toward his son. Alphonse consoles Victor in moments of pain and encourages him to remember the importance of family.
• Elizabeth Lavenza- Wife of victor adopted by Frankenstein's, Elizabeth and Victor share more than the typical sibling affections for each other; they love each other. She in many ways alter ego of Victor Frankenstein. She gets killed by the monster on her wedding night.
• Felix de lacey- A hard-working son who cares for his family and his beloved fiancee' Safie. His unasked-for kindness to Safie's father, a foreign convict, stands in contrast to his cruel dismissal and beating of the creature.
• Mr de-lacey- The blind father of Felix and Agatha, Mr. De Lacey serves as a surrogate father to the creature. The creature notes his benevolence towards his family, and notes that "he would talk in a cheerful accent, with an expression of goodness that bestowed pleasure even upon me. Mr. De Lacey is the only one in the book who does not judge or fear the creature. He is the only friend the creature has.
Frankenstein- an overview
• The novel takes place in the late 1700's in various parts of Europe especially Switzerland and Germany, and in the Arctic. The novel was published in 1818 in England at the height of Romantic Movement.This time however also witnessed French and American Revolution. The post revolutionary period was also marked by economic suffering and social disorder, as the new industrialism transformed English Society. Shelley's readers lived in hopeful, but also disturbingly turbulent times, and that is what we witness and most evident in the novel.
• The story is foretold through the medium of letters which Captain Robert Walter writes to his cousin Seville living in England. It is through the letters that we know the locations and the intentions of the captain. Later the letters also reveal the story of Victor Frankenstein and that of growing friendship /Fondness between Captain Robert Walter and Victor and eventually his death.
• Mary Shelley's use of language in chapters shifts the novel from a hypothesis without consequences to that of a reality without full control or understanding with very real consequences. Shelley's words become intensely descriptive, in order to provoke contemplation on the part of the reader. She creates a setting that both captivates and horrifies the reader by revealing that Frankenstein seems to have lost all sense of reason, driven only by his compulsion regardless of the consequences. Shelley firsts describes the monster in detail for the reader so that when she reveals Victor's description, his words are so confusing...'beautiful yet repulsive' they force the reader to question his true intentions. Quotes
• "...partially unveiled the face of Nature, but her immortal lineaments were still a wonder and a mystery." (pg. 25) In this passage, Shelley gives nature a gender and physical attributes to something not human. This is an example of personification, a tool used to by authors to make something inanimate more lifelike and expressive. Calling nature a "her" and then using the word lineaments (a word meaning 'one of the outlines, exterior features, or distinctive marks of a body or figure, particularly of the face') makes the idea of nature come alive and give Frankenstein more ability to be intimate with the idea of nature. • Victor implores Walton not to follow his example, warning, "Learn from me... how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow." Here, Shelley seems to argue that ignorance is bliss.
• Frankenstein reveals, "I was seized by remorse and the sense of guilt, which hurried me away to a hell of intense tortures, such as no language can describe." This theme of self-loathing remains throughout the rest of the book.
• Victor laments, "William, Justine, and Henry-they all died by my hands." Frankenstein is very earnest in his belief that he is the cause of their deaths, and he is even more horrified by the thought that they won't be the last victims of his poor judgment. Personifications and Symbols • Light Light symbolizes enlightenment in Frankenstein. Walton expects to find the secrets of the universe unveiled in the North Pole, which he describes as "a country of eternal light." Light also accompanies nearly all of Victor's epiphanies. When he first discovers natural philosophy, he says, "A new light seemed to dawn upon my mind." When he discovers the secret to creating life, he describes his feelings as if "a sudden light broke in upon me." He envisions pouring a "torrent of light into our dark world" through the creation of a new species. Yet light that's too bright is also blinding, and both Victor and Walton fail to see or consider the dangerous consequences of their quests for enlightenment.
• Fire The complete title of Shelley's novel is Frankenstein, Or the Modern Prometheus. Prometheus was the titan who, in Greek mythology, gave the knowledge of fire to humanity and then suffered severe punishment at the hands of the Gods for his generous actions. In Frankenstein, VICTOR attempts to give the gift of the secret of life to humanity, but ends up suffering grave punishment as a result: the MONSTER he creates destroys his family and his life. Fire appears throughout the novel as a dangerous force used for sustenance (as when the monster discovers fire) and punishment (as when the monster describes demons suffering in the lake of fire in hell).
• The Primary tension in the novel is between Frankenstein and his monster, a 'doubling' of the creature and his creator, which suggests that monstrosity and 'normalcy' may not be the binary opposites that they appear to be. Put differently, the story can be said to be about the 'making' of a monster, both literally, in Frankenstein's laboratory, and metaphorically, through social process. • Themes of the novel Search for love: This theme reflects a strong theme in Shelley's own life. The monster knows he is horrid and will never be loved, although he attempts to find love several times. He is constantly rejected and disappointed. Frankenstein, he, searches for happiness through love, but he meets with tragic loss of several loves. Tragic, weak women: Frankenstein actually begins to make a second female monster, to provide companionship for his own first creation, but he then destoys it and dumps the remains in a lake. Frankenstein's wife dies tragically, as does the accused Justine.
Summary Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus is the most famous novel by Mary Shelley, wife of the poet Percy Shelley. It has been done considerable damage thanks to its innovation and its author's audacity in confronting issues of such a controversial nature as artificially creating life in the early nineteenth century. The novel was immediately enormously successful, spawning a stage production that made Frankenstein's creation - the so-called 'monster' - mute for the first but not only time. The novel was published initially in 1818 although later versions exist in which the author succumbed to pressures to tone down certain elements. This is the more polished 1831 edition, which is the most common edition of the text. The original is a masterpiece of Gothic literature however. It is narrated by an explorer, Walton, who writes the story in letters home. However, the bulk of the story is told by Victor Frankenstein who narrates his own creation of a man from bones he has stolen and with the power of electricity. In the centre of the concentric circles of narrative is the creature himself, by far the most sympathetic of the narrators, who is forced by an unsympathetic world to acts of violence and cruelty and finally the murder of Frankenstein's wife when the 'father' refuses to create a companion for the creature. The novel's settings of Swiss mountains and Arctic desolation are perfect for Mary Shelley's tale that was originally conceived abroad in the wet summer of 1816 with Byron and her husband in a night telling ghost stories. None of the narrators are wholly to be trusted or liked, but each learns from the others and their mental torment is mimicked in the 'sublime' or rugged and vast landscapes Shelley describes so vividly.
Shruti Chhabra, is a English Literature major and psot graduate in journalism. I am a freelancer and can be reached on shrutiash@gmail.com.
0 comments:
Post a Comment