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Since the beginning of time, we have believed that the act of childbirth is miraculous, and one of the most selfless things a person can do. In addition, when one is created, one is inevitably born with a genetically predisposed look. However, nowadays, it is common for someone to judge a person based on things in particular, but not limited to a slender physique, or a beautiful face, in essence ones looks, rather than their personality. Therefore, it seems befitting to say that we are shallow and petty, and thus avoid talking to people who do not fit into this particular criterion, ultimately isolating ourselves from them. Throughout Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, also known as The Modern Prometheus, this notion of alienation, is an illuminating theme that is manifested throughout the story. Another theme is that of creation, in which Victor Frankenstein, a main character in the book, usurps the role of God by giving life to a creature in his laboratory, but by artificial means, rather than conceiving one legitimately. Furthermore, the underlying factors of creation, that are carried out by Frankenstein, as well as the alienation suffered by Victor Frankenstein’s monster from Victor, and from society, will be made unequivocal.
Creation, why is one drawn to the idea of it? Is it perhaps something that is within us all, an innate desire that we all possess, that desire being the power to give life to something, and in doing so, playing the role of God? In Victor Frankenstein’s case, these are definitely questions that one might ask. When we are introduced to Victor, we come to learn that he has a thirst for knowledge, and is passionate about following his dream of understanding the miracles of the world, particularly, the miracle o...
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Halberstam, Judith. "Society Unfairly Associates Physical Deformity with Monstrosity." Readings on Frankenstein. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego, CA: David L. Bender, 2000. 59-67. Print.
Lahey, Benjamin B.. "Gender and Sexuality." Psychology: An Introduction. Boston: Mcgraw-Hill High Education, 2007. 407.
Mellor, Anne. K. “Abandonment and Lack of Proper Nurture Shape the Monster’s Nature.” Readings on Frankenstein. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego, CA: David L. Bender, 2000. 68-77. Print.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. Or, The modern Prometheus. 1818. Berkshire: Cox & Wyman Ltd, 1994. Pg 55. Print.
Small, Christopher “The Monster Modeled on Milton’s Adam.” Readings on Frankenstein. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego, CA: David L. Bender, 2000. 47-52. Print.
Thompson, Terry W. "Shelley's Frankenstein." The Explicator 64.2 (2006): Pgs 81+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 31 July 2010.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus. Edited with an Introduction and notes by Maurice Hindle. Penguin books, 1992
in Frankenstein: Contexts, nineteenth century responses, criticism. By Mary Shelley. Ed. J. Paul Hunter. Norton Critical Edition.
A predominant theme in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is that of child-rearing and/or parenting techniques. Specifically, the novel presents a theory concerning the negative impact on children from the absence of nurturing and motherly love. To demonstrate this theory, Shelly focuses on Victor Frankenstein’s experimenting with nature, which results in the life of his creature, or “child”. Because Frankenstein is displeased with the appearance of his offspring, he abandons him and disclaims all of his “parental” responsibility. Frankenstein’s poor “mothering” and abandonment of his “child” leads to the creation’s inevitable evilness. Victor was not predestined to failure, nor was his creation innately depraved. Rather, it was Victor’s poor “parenting” of his progeny that lead to his creation’s thirst for vindication of his unjust life, in turn leading to the ruin of Victor’s life.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein: A Norton Critical Edition. Ed. J. Paul Hunter. New York: W. W.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus. Edited by: D.L. Macdonald & Kathleen Scherf. Broadview Editions. 3rd Edition. June 20, 2012
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. Ed. D.L. Macdonald and Kathleen Scherf. Orchard Park, NY: Broadview Press, 1999.
Works Cited Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein: A Norton Critical Edition. ed. J. Paul Hunter. New York: W. W. Norton, 1996.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus. Edited with an Introduction and notes by Maurice Hindle. Penguin books, 1992
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus. The 1818 Text. New York: Oxford UP, 1998.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein: A Norton Critical Edition. ed. J. Paul Hunter. New York: W. W. Norton, 1996.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus. Edited with an Introduction and notes by Maurice Hindle. Penguin books, 1992
Shelley, Percy Bysshe. "On Frankenstein." The Athenaeum 263 (10 Nov. 1832): 730. Rpt. in Nineteenth-
Frankenstein and his abominable creation are two characters inexorably linked with eachother, as father and son, as inventor and invention, and even as reflections of eachother. Their conflict deals with themes of the morality of science and the fears of child birth, and their characters are drawn from a wealth of experience and reading. Shelley’s doppleganger of mankind is like a twisted vision of reality; based in some sense on reality but wildly taken out of proportion, the monster is so inhuman that it cannot reconcile itself with its master or the world of humanity. Its tragic story serves as a warning of what mankind could become as well as a reflection of Shelley’s own personal demons, and her creation has changed the face of literature.
Shelley, Mary. "Frankenstein." The Presence of Others. Eds. Andrea A. Lunsford, John J. Ruszkiewicz. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997. 230-235.
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s Frankenstein (sometimes also known as The Modern Prometheus) is the classic gothic novel of her time. In this eerie tale, Dr. Victor Frankenstein – suffering from quite an extreme superiority complex – brings to life a creature made from body parts of deceased individuals from nearby cemeteries. Rather than to embrace the Creature as his own, Frankenstein alienates him because of his unpleasant appearance. Throughout the novel, the Creature is ostracized not only by Frankenstein but by society as a whole. Initially a kind and gentle being, the Creature becomes violent and eventually seeks revenge for his creator’s betrayal. Rather than to merely focus on the exclusion of the Creature from society, Shelley depicts the progression of Dr. Frankenstein’s seclusion from other humans as well, until he and the Creature ultimately become equals – alone in the world with no one to love, and no one to love them back. Frankenstein serves as more than simply a legendary tale of horror, but also as a representation of how isolation and prejudice can result in the demise of the individual.