Mary Shelley's Frankenstein as a Novel of Ideas Rather Than a Novel for Entertainment

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein as a Novel of Ideas Rather Than a Novel for Entertainment

"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 light of the

creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its

limbs."

This is the birth of the monster, one of the most important parts of

the book, and it doesn't even get its own sentence. There is very

little suspense because of this, but the scene is well set. It is dark

and it is gloomy, a scary atmosphere. This lack of suspense can make

the modern reader bored. Is this lack of suspense done on purpose, or

is it simply because of when it was written? Is it supposed to not be

interesting, so that the ideas stand out more clearly? Is the story

less important than the ideas, or is it that in 1818, this story was

frightening?

There are a lot of ideas in the novel Frankenstein, for example;

Nature vs. Nurture, Monstrosity, Moral and Social Education, Feminism,

Prejudice, Science vs. Mysticism, and Parenting.

The issue of nature vs. nurture comes up because Frankenstein made the

monster physically, and without realising, made him mentally. What the

monster knows and does is because of the way that Frankenstein treats

him. We are asked the question whether the monster would have acted

differently is Frankenstein hadn't abandoned him.

The Monster has learned by reading books, and could be classed as

educated, but he doesn't have any moral or social education. He has

not learned the difference between right and wrong, because no one is

there to teach him. The monster is amoral, and is Shelley's

mouthpiece. It is looking from the outside, in on the world created by

humans.

In the end of the book, Frankenstein dies and the monster kills

himself. They were different people, but they were similar.

Frankenstein cut himself off from the world, whereas the monster was