Literary Criticism Of Frankenstein

1162 Words3 Pages

Frankenstein is a Romantic Horror novel originally published in 1818, and written by Mary Shelley. As a Romantic Horror novel, Frankenstein is very emotional, passionate, and states the connection between man and nature. This frightening and fearsome tale was the result of a friendly competition between Shelley and friends to see who could come up with the most horrifying ghost story. Mary Shelley set out to create a horrific novel that was also romanticized with gruesome and alarming details that brought the characters to life and portrayed many themes. Primarily set in the 1800’s in the city of Geneva, Frankenstein presents the tale of Dr. Victor Frankenstein, an infatuated, determined, but passionate scientist who discovers how to create …show more content…

Soon, he rescues a dying man on the ice, who ends up being Victor Frankenstein. Frankenstein shares his story to the captain. He shares that after years of hard work and active study, he discovers how to create life and uses what he knows to bring lifeless body parts to life. Quickly, Frankenstein realizes that the creature is a disgrace, and after seeing its appearance he decided to abandon it. However, the monster, new to the world, finds shelter near the residence of a poor family of peasants. And he realized no one else was like him in any way, he says, “When I looked around I saw and heard of none like me. Was I, a monster, a blot upon the earth from which all men fled and whom all men disowned?” Upon spying on this family, the “creation” questions his existence and expresses jealousy of the family’s happiness. After teaching himself the human language, he presents himself to the blind man in the family. The blind man is the only character in the story that does not cast a judgment on the creature, allowing the monster to express his lamentation to him. However, the rest of the family comes back and immediately rejects and judges the creation because of his repulsive image. …show more content…

Although it is older, the contents in Frankenstein remain timeless in today’s literature. Every day scientist try and do the same thing as Victor by recreating life, such as cloning and stem cells, and the world is faced with the same moral issues as in Frankenstein. These actions are constantly being debated and judged for their ethical and moral values. Some people see it as a great thing especially when it’s their work that they have worked obsessively over, while others see crimes against nature. Prejudices cause people to be alienated from society, just like Frankenstein’s creation was rejected from society. Frankenstein did not only prove to be a Romantic Horror novel with portrayed many different themes, but it also changed the way readers view

Open Document