November 11th 2014

Frankenstein

Gender

This creature asserts his right to a female of the same species (Page 118)
Victor Frankenstein casting the bride as his possession
o When he does decide to create one for his monster, only after he thinks about her
preference
o This goes back to Adam & Eve, she is a companion creature, her preference is not
addressed
Elises point about the Gothic
o Failure of the domestic sphere and the home
o Catastrophic failure of the home
Result of the monster seeking vengeance (targeting and executing Viktors
Family)
Page 161, the act that is supposed to create a domestic haven actually leaves
the woman exposed
Page 158, Elizabeth reiterates to Frankenstein, wondering if he loves another
Creature is a figure for deviance, deviance from the norm, this is a deviant union
Sympathy
o Between individuals with kin relations, beginning with the obsessive desire for a friend
Viktor becomes this friend
Outside of the kinship sympathy
o Adam Smith, Theory of Moral Sentiments. (1759)
Sympathy emerges from sensibility (Pamela)
A bodily response to sensory input
Imaginative response as well
Not by design, a natural physical response to someone elses suffering
Page 78
Page 99, gives an account of letters
Decisive shift from epistolary novels
Leah Price, The Anthology and the Rise of the Novel (2000)
o In the early 19th century many readers gained access to 18th century novels by reading
anthologies
o They were retellings of 18th century novels, usually abridged