Frankenstein is perceived as a horror story.

Frankenstein is perceived as a horror story. When we analyse the

monster, however, the story becomes much more complex. Discuss this

statement with close reference to Shelley’s presentation of the

monster in the novel.

Frankenstein is a novel with great hidden depths and a whole new

outlook on life itself.

Frankenstein was written in 1818 by Mary Shelley. The novel was a deep

insight to a number of things, this including the gothic period. In

her 1831 introduction to the novel, Shelley declared her desire to

‘curdle the blood, and quicken the beatings of the heart’

This was the first of many signals to the reader that Frankenstein

should be placed in the genre of the gothic

Frankenstein was written with a great ‘scare factor’ from Gothicism

which is part of the Romantic Movement. At that period in

time-Gothicism was extremely popular as it was exciting, dark and

dramatically horrifying.

The book had a tendency to tap into people’s fears. It made the

impossible become reality and the absurd become believable.

However, Frankenstein was much more than just a horror story and

because of this, it was written to deal with more complex

issues/themes. Frankenstein was written with such great detail and

invisible links to more larger arguments. It deals with issues such

as; is it right to play God? Is it right to judge on appearances?

Also, HOW and WHY a physically hideous murderer is the most

sympathetic character in the novel.

The novel also contains elements of science fiction with victor and

his ‘great experiment’. At that period in time, science and technology

was just beginning to progress at such an alarming pace and inventors

were extremely enthusiastic towards science. Victor Frankenstein ...

... middle of paper ...

...nthusiasm for science and the French revolution meant she

was used to seeing corpses. This was also incorporated within the

novel when she made references to bringing the dead back to life.

Mary Shelley’s presentation of the monster shows us that we should

never judge on appearances and there is always more to a person than

what meets the eye. So in an odd way then, Shelley leaves us to decide

whether we think ‘the monster’ IS human or NOT and the ways our

experiences shape us into the people we become.

In addition to this-the story of Victor Frankenstein and his great

creation is much more than a typical horror story. It is an insight to

Mary Shelley’s life and a way of describing her pain and loneliness.

So, to conclude Frankenstein is a ‘horror’ story which in fact is

enormously realistic and covers everyday issues and a diverse amount

of themes.