Comparing Obsession in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Aldous Huxley’s After Many A Summer Dies the Swan
Authors leave fingerprints on the works they write. Underneath the story, hidden
amidst the words, lies a worldview, a concept of humanity, a message. Mary Shelley’s
Frankenstein is an entertaining story meant to give the reader goose bumps late at night,
but the telling of the story also reveals Shelley’s concept about the basic fabric of human
nature. In the same way Aldous Huxley in After Many A Summer Dies the Swan weaves
a tale that is part story and part commentary on how humans interact and think and self-
destruct. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley portrays obsession as an anomalous aspect of
human behavior resulting when people move away from their basically good nature,
while Aldous Huxley portrays obsession as the most intrinsic of all human qualities. This
paper will contrast the basic views presented in each book about the origin of obsession
and its relation to human nature, giving examples of how the authors’ views are
embodied in their characters.
In the novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley presents a view of human nature that is
largely positive so long as it does not wander into the dangerous realm of obsession. She
speaks of human endeavors and discoveries as being valuable and good. The young
Victor is enchanted by scientists who have “performed miracles” by “penetrating the
recesses of nature” (45). The discovery and contemplation of the natural world is a means
by which characters find serenity and calm, and thus come in tune with the beauty of
their humanity. In the midst of the sublime wilderness, even Victor contemplates “divine
ideals of liberty and self-sacrifice” (1...
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...nts human
nature as basically good aside from the selfish obsession perpetuated by withdrawal from
normal society and human behavior. Huxley offers a bleaker view, portraying self-
obsession as an innate quality ensnaring all of his characters unless they are freed to
transcend their
humanity and seek another level of consciousness. If Shelley and Huxley were here
today, debating the merits of their stance, Shelley may might utter the
words of Pete Boone, “I suppose I’ve been too optimistic.” And Huxley, adjusting his
thick glasses, might reply as Propter did, “Too optimistic in certain directions, and at the
same time too pessimistic in others” (188).
Works Cited
Huxley, Aldous. After Many a Summer Dies the Swan. Mattituck, New York: American
Reprint Company, 1976.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. New York: Barnes and Noble Classics. 2003.
In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley highlights on the experiences her characters undergo through the internal war of passion and responsibility. Victor Frankenstein lets his eagerness of knowledge and creating life get so out of hand that he fails to realize what the outcome of such a creature would affect humankind. Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, highlights on how Frankenstein’s passion of knowledge is what ultimately causes the decline of his health and the death of him and his loved ones.
Frankenstein in a Historical Sense Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was published in 1818 during the Romantic era. Romanticism describes the period of time from the late 18th century to the mid 19th century. This period was seen as a response to the Enlightenment; overall there was an increase in the desire to understand the world in an objective matter (lecture). Though Romanticism is commonly viewed as a literary and artistic movement, Mary Shelley gives evidence on the development of Europe in a historical sense through her novel, Frankenstein. Through the motifs and personal experiences of her characters, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein gives insight on scientific development, emerging roles of women, and how the individual is viewed as the lower class during the early 19th century.
In society, most people have an obsession to some extent, these may include such things as a hobby – collecting antiques; or even as simple as having to have things a certain way. For others though, obsession has a different meaning, they might become obsessed with one special object, or possibly attaining a certain goal. They might go about achieving this goal no matter what the consequences to others might be. Mordecai Richler’s book the Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, illustrates one such case of obsession, the title character, Duddy Kravitz becomes obsessed with his grandfather’s saying, “ ‘ A man without land, is nothing.’”, thus starting Duddy on his quest to attain a piece of land. Throughout his quest, Duddy has no regard for the feelings or the relationships he destroys in the process, weather it in his family relations, business relations, or even his personal relations to those that are closest to him.
Preoccupations…are fixed ideas, not necessarily false (like delusions) but overvalued. They take on extraordinary importance and take up an ordinate amount of thought time. One idea often returns and returns…Characteristically, the worry grows and becomes unrealistic (par 16).
Mary Shelley’s novel arises several questions relevant to the present day. A question that arises from the novel is whether man is born evil or made evil from his life experiences. The debate on whether how far man should pursue knowledge exists today as well as other questions challenged in the novel therefore “Frankenstein” is a popular novel at present as much as it was in the past.
...10) K101 An introduction to health and social care, Unit 4, 'Developing Care Relationships', Milton Keynes, The Open University.
The idea for the novel of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein came to her one night when she was staying in the company of what has been called ‘her male coterie’, including Lord Byron and her husband, Percy Shelley. Mary Shelley’s whole life seems to have been heavily influenced by men. She idolised her father, William Godwyn, and appears to have spent a good part of her life trying very hard to impress both him and her husband. There seems to have been a distinct lack of female influence, her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, having died weeks after her birth, being replaced by a neglectful step-mother. These aspects of her life are perhaps evident in her novel. The characters and plot of Frankenstein were perhaps influenced by Shelley’s conflicting feelings about the predominately masculine circle which surrounded her, and perhaps the many masculine traits that we see in novel were based upon those of the male figures in Shelley’s own life. In this essay I will attempt to show some of these traits.
The most prevalent theme in Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” is that of obsession. Throughout the novel there are constant reminders of the struggles that Victor Frankenstein and his monster have endured. Many of their problems are brought upon by themselves by an obsessive drive for knowledge, secrecy, fear, and ultimately revenge.
Obsessions are the unpleasant thoughts or impulses that cause the person with the disorder to have lots of anxiety and edginess. The thoughts may include things such as perfect order of things in a house, perfect hygiene, or the fear that they are going to hurt someone. Obsessions can be violent or sexual.
Storment, Suzanna. "Frankenstein: The Man and the Monster." Commentary page. October 2002. Washington State University. 8 April 2003. http://www.wsu.edu/~delahoyd/frank.comment3.html.
I know that by doing my job, no matter how different each patient may be, that I have made a difference in someone’s life. I am very content in my job knowing that there is an increasing need in healthcare. With the demand of healthcare today, there will always be a demand for physicians, and with the need of physicians there will always be a need for medical assistants. In this profession the rewards and opportunities will only continue to grow, and there is not a better place to than here in America, because like Ralph Waldo Emerson (journalist, poet, philosopher, and essayist) once said, “America is another name for
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Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is a gothic science fiction novel written in the romantic era that focuses on the elements of life. The romantic era was sparked by the changing social environment, including the industrial revolution. It was a form of revolt against the scientific revolutions of the era by developing a form of literature that romanticize nature and giving nature godliness. This element of romanticized nature is a recurrent element in Frankenstein and is used to reflect emotions, as a place for relaxation and as foreshadowing. Frankenstein also includes various other elements of romanticism including strong emotions and interest in the common people.
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