FRANKENSTEIN by Mary Shelley

The book is relevant because of its structure. The idea of transgression we find in The Ancient
Mariner can be applied here.

Mary Shelley’s mother (Mary Wollstonecraft) was a pioneer in the feminist movement and also
a quite important political writer. She died when giving birth to Mary Shelley.

She was brought up in a liberal atmosphere. At one point she met Percy Bysshe Shelley
(Ozymandias’ writer) who was already married, but still they fell in love and got into a
relationship. Shelley wanted to live with Percy and asked his father for his blessing, which was
not given to her. After that, she felt betrayed and disappointed, since she had been brought up
in a liberal atmosphere where the idea of free love was constantly present. Even though they
eventually got married, Percy kept cheating on her.

She felt guilty because of her mother’s death, plus she herself had many miscarriages, which
would give her nightmares. She had many different problems and anxieties stemming from his
miscarriages, mother’s death and relationship.

The origin of Frankenstein is to be connected with Genova. Polidori, who was Lord Byron’s
doctor, wrote “The Vampyre”, which was criticism towards Lord Byron.

The importance of Frankenstein’s introduction is the state of mind in which she created
Frankenstein. Her anxiety and suffocation is reflected in the book.

On the one hand, Frankenstein is the epitome of the Gothic and also the origin of Science-
Fiction. At that time, people felt what was being described in the book was possible, which was
terrifying for a lot of people.

She included a quotation from Paradise Lost, which in a way is a reflection of what is going to
happen to the creature, as he did not ask to be created and still was expelled from “Paradise”.

The book is dedicated to William Godwin (her father), implying that she did not ask to be
created and still he disowned her. Although it was originally published anonymously because
of the style and the topic, being labeled as masculine, which would make the book harder to
sell if people knew it was written by a woman. The book was a success.

There were two different versions of Frankenstein (Prometheus Pyrphoros (the fire bringer)
and Prometheus Plasticator (the recreator of man).

Prometheus stole fire from Zeus, as a result of which, he was punished.

Structure:

First frame: Walton

Second frame: Victor

Third frame: the monster

Fourth frame: the cottage (at the core of the narration)

Mary Shelly offers different points of view, which is why the book is a frame narrative, that is,
depending on who’s reading, a different moral can be drawn. By using this type of structure,
Shelly provides the reader with different perspectives. Frankenstein is to be read as a
cautionary tale for us (exemplum), right from the first frame. We might relate to these
ambitions (just like in the Ancient Mariner).

We need to bear in mind The Rime, as Shelley had heard Coleridge recite the poem. In the
second letter, there is a quotation from the Ancient Mariner “To the land of mist and snow”
the point being that there are explicit references, and we, as readers, are supposed to grasp
them and project what we know about The Rime.

The first reason these letters are used at the beginning is because there is a dialogue, a device
used in Dracula. The content from the letters helps build verisimilitude in the story. Since this
is a fiction book, the letters are supposed to bring us closer to reality, like the manuscript
found in Robinson Crusoe.

The second reason to use letters is because Mary Shelley wanted to make use of the Epistolary
Format/Genre, as it was originally a female form of writing. Historically, letters were the only
mean of communication for women. Mary Shelley wanted to emphasize the importance of the
female role from the very beginning. Since Mary Shelley lost her mother, this loss contributed
to the fact that her education was biased. The role of education is important throughout the
narration.

In these letters, Walton is thankful and relies on his sister. Together with Victor’s narration,
these letters help Walton find balance. There are many references to Margaret as the
encouraging voice. Once Walton leaves behind this fosterage, he falls into this kind of
ambition/madness, but still, he has the letters.

We must remember Shelley defended the idea of family, since it was something that she did
not have.

In the first frame of the story, Nature is introduced in a classic way (northern breeze),
described as beautiful, and then, there is a paralysis (represented by the engulfing ice, like in
The Ancient Mariner) when Walton needs to choose between going on, risking the life of the
crew, or going back. We need to associate paralysis with isolation. Likewise, Throughout the
book, Victor emphasizes his (negative) solitude, as opposed to the kind of solitude we find in I
Wandered Lonely as a Cloud. As for the creature, he is also lonely and wants a companion. The
creature is an outcast unable to be a part of society. As for Victor, because of his transgression
(creating the monster), he needs to be isolated.

Education is one of the first topics introduced in the first letter. Walton’s education was biased
(neglected). He would only read books connected with exploration and voyages. Likewise, both
Victor’s and the creature’s education is also biased, which is something dangerous. We, as
readers, are expected to get the moral of the book: being able to grasp how important it is to
reject any type of biased education.

As Walton is obsessed with the idea of becoming a conqueror (because of his biased education
and the books he read), he is unable to see the dangers this might pose.

In letter 4, there is a quotation that paves the ground for the moral of the story: “One man’s
life or death were but a small price to pay for the acquire- 20 Frankenstein ment of the
knowledge which I sought… ‘Unhappy man! Do you share my madness? Have you drunk also of
the intoxicating draught? Hear me; let me reveal my tale, and you will dash the cup from your
lips!”. Like in the Ancient Mariner, knowledge equals sorrow.

Letter 4. “Even broken in spirit as he is, no one can feel more deeply than he does the beauties
of nature…” Walton’s perception of Victor (celestial spirit, divine wanderer…) is blinded.
Judging from Victor’s narration, we can tell he is nowhere near the divine wanderer Walton
thinks he is, but rather cursed. He is far from being entuned with nature. He has lost everyone
he loved and keeps wandering to kill the creature (his own creation and transgression). He
himself introduces himself as mad and asks Walton if he shares his madness. The fact that
Walton idealizes everything (including Victor) is another sign of his naiveness. Mary Shelley
wants us to question everything (Walton’s and Victor’s motivation and even the creature’s
behavior).

In the First Chapter, we are introduced to Victor in connection with Elizabeth and his attitude
towards her, which gives us a clue as to the way Victor is going to behave towards the female
nature.

First Chapter. “Everyone loved Elizabeth.” Connected with plot, there is an emphasis on Victor
seeing Elizabeth as his possession. By means of these lines, we can begin to perceive Victor’s
attitude towards the female. Nature is to be perceived as a female, therefore, there is a
transgression on Victor’s part towards Nature, in other words, Victor’s attitude towards
Elizabeth is the same as his attitude towards nature. All the deaths are a punishment to Victor
as a result of his transgression.

On the other hand, education is again introduced in connection with Victor who, just as
Walton did, got a biased education. He is obsessed with Alchemists, Natural philosophy and
the quest for immortality. Therefore, Frankenstein is not only a cautionary tale but also a
criticism towards biased education.

When Victor goes to university, he finds a way to achieve his ambition: quest for immortality.

Chapter TWO: “When I was about fifteen years old…” This is a very important foreshadowing
passage. In the first version of the book, there was no tree but a kite. This passage is significant
because there are 2 main symbols:

1. The tree
2. Fire (to be connected with Prometheus). (exam)

Also, in connection with the creature, there is the idea of duality: the same fire that creates
can also destroy. E.g.: the spark bringing the creature into life and, as opposed to that, the fire
destroying the cottage and the tree. Fire is also to be connected with lightning, which in turn is
connected with nature (a female symbol). Victor wants to be a benefactor to humanity,
seeking to help humanity escape death, and in order to achieve that, he metaphorically steals
the fire from the heavens, God, Nature, etc.

When Victor goes to university, we need to pay attention to the setting (Ingolstadt), a city that
was connected with the illuminati (like in The Da-Vinci Code), which may be one of the reasons
Shelley picked this setting.

There is an emphasis on parental duties (Shelley felt that her father had forsaken her thereby
neglecting his parental duties), projected on Victor’s behavior towards the creature when he
abandons him.
Chapter FOUR. “These thoughts supported my spirits…” This passage has been read in two
different ways, both of them being very significant.

1. First reading: There is the Moon (female symbol and a witness of the transgression)
and midnight labors, breathless eagerness, hiding-places. In connection with the idea
of transgression, there is the idea of rape, that is, this passage can be read as a rape of
the female body, as Victor “forces” the female body to have a creature.
2. Second reading: in connection with the first reading, there is the metaphorical idea of
Victor giving birth to the creature, which also emphasizes the transgression being
carried out behind closed doors, as it is not morally good.

Chapter 5 was originally the beginning of the tale, which focuses on the spark (Prometheus).
Since there is not a detailed account of the process of creation, we can apply these symbols to
many different levels in the tale.

This book is also an example of the extent to which we make ethic judgments on aesthetic
grounds (beauty= good, ugly=bad/evil, according to Platonic tradition). Victor judges and
forsakes his creation because the creature is ugly, thereby neglecting his parental duties
(heavily criticized by Mary Shelley).

Victor was originally convinced that by selecting beautiful limbs and body parts (aesthetic
transgression), the outcome would be positive and beautiful. However, the creature was
deformed. The word monster comes from the Latin monstrare, as a marker of evil).

Victor gets ill and Henry Clerval takes care of him (as opposed to the movie where Elizabeth
does instead). Henry is to be read in feminine terms because of his behavior. Mary Shelley
associates Clerval with beauty, which was usually associated with the female.

Throughout the story, we can find the motif of doppelganger (double) whereby a character
serves as a mirror to the other. Walton and Victor are a good example of this because of their
ambitions and biased education. Also, Clerval is a mirror to Victor before his transgression: “In
Clerval I saw the image of my former self”. The novel is paving the ground for the exploration
of duality that took place during the Victorian Period. “My own vampire, my own spirit let
loose from the grave…”. At one point, Victor feels like he is the one who killed all his loved
ones, as he is the one that triggered everything, therefore, he referred to himself as
“vampire”, as if his dark side came alive and took the shape of a vampire. Likewise, the
creature is the dark side of Victor.

The reason Victor feels comfortable surrounded by ice and cold in Montblanc is because, as he
feels guilty for his transgression, he feels like he needs to be isolated from mankind. Likewise,
the creature is presented as a superhuman, high as a mountain, a projection of the sublime, at
which point, Victor meets the creature, who has no name (like the book itself, which was
published anonymously to be accepted by society). In other words, because the creature has
no name, he is a representation of the role of women in society at that time. The creature is
like an empty slate filled with negative adjectives (fiend, evil, monster, wreck, etc.)

When the creature sees Victor’s reaction, he says: “I expected this reception, all men hate the
wretched”. He expected to be judged that way since he learned that people make judgments
on aesthetic grounds.
By reading the story, we can come to the conclusion that the creature is evil by nurture, which
is connected with the idea of Homo Homini Lupus. There are references to Paradise Lost
whereby the creature feels like a fallen angel.

Chapter 12. “I had admired the perfect form of my cottagers…” There is a contrast in these
lines where the creature still does not know what he looked like. Morally speaking, he sees
himself as beautiful (on the inside), which he possibly projects on his physical appearance. For
the first time, he sees himself reflected, leading him to make an aesthetic judgement based on
his looks. That’s when he realizes he is a monster, but still, he wants to believe there is good in
him. This process of forging his personality may be connected with Lacan, who was the one
elaborating a theory about how personality is shaped by a reflection and feedback we receive
from others.

The cottage is relevant and is employed to highlight the idea of an ideal family (the cottagers).
The cottage is at the core of the story. We must remember that Shelley longed for a family, so
she modeled every cottager following a specific pattern: Felix (happiness), Safie (knowledge),
Agatha (goodness). Therefore, these names themselves are tale-telling.

Chapter 15. “The old man paused and then continued…” The Blind man is the only one who
made a proper and sincere judgement. As opposed to him, the other cottagers, regardless of
their goodness, they’re still a part of society and rejected the creature. The fact that the
creature read Paradise Lost is important because he read it as if it were a true story, which led
him to identify himself with Satan (biased education), as he did not have anyone to tell him it
was a fictitious story. He feels like his situation is even worse than that of Satan in Paradise
Lost: “Satan had his companions, fellow devils, to admire and encourage him, but I am solitary
and abhorred.”

After that, the creature tries to approach the child (as he is still innocent), who gets terrified by
the creature’s presence, at which point he gives up hope, kills the child and becomes vengeful:
“If I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear”, which is the motto he decides to live by.

The creature asks Victor to make a female companion for him, which he refuses to do because
he is afraid of propagation: “a race of devils would be propagating upon the earth.”

When Victor scatters the remains of the half-made creature, this can be interpreted as the
destruction of the female figure.

At the end of the narration, we go back to isolation and paralysis (ice). When Victor is about to
die, he subtly seems to embrace his creation (even when the moral has already been
conveyed): “That he should live to be an instrument of mischief disturbs me, Farewell, Walton!
seek happiness in tranquility and avoid ambition, even if it be only the apparently innocent one
of distinguishing yourself in science and discoveries. Yet why do I say this? I have myself been
blasted in these hopes, yet another may succeed”. These lines leave the door open for a sequel,
a very frequent motif in contemporary horror movies. On the one hand, Victors regrets how
he’s lost everything, but on the other hand, he is too proud (hubris), as if he had a dark side
that makes him embrace his achievement: “yet why do I say this?” implying that someone else
may find a way to perfect his technique and what he’s done.

As for the creature, at the end, he uses the kind of language Satan uses in Paradise Lost in
order to create an unsettling feeling.