In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; Or The Modern Prometheus, Frankenstein’s Creature often compares itself to religious characters and relates to the bible. For hundreds of years, society and European literature utilized religion with religious connotations and importance to stay virtuous through religious belief. Contrary to the past, Shelley’s attempt to compare the Creature to biblical and religious forms, such as Adam and Satan, sees the bible and religion through a secular, romantic lens. With evidence through English and European history, Shelley’s Frankenstein, and providing empirical evidence through English romantic literature, I will argue that Shelley’s use of Biblical tropes in Frankenstein reimagine the bible and religion’s role in …show more content…
Shelley’s mother passed away shortly after giving birth, leaving Godwin’s own philosophy and actions as means of influence on Shelley. In addition to Percy Shelley’s vehement thoughts on religion’s limitations, Godwin was a devout atheist, advocating for liberalism and individuality. And examination of Shelley’s family can be seen in the work of Julie Carlson, a professor of English at University of California, Santa Barbara. Carlson notes that Godwin was both a positive and negative influence on Shelley.
“The events of Godwin’s life were tamer but no less controversial, including his marital embrace of ‘fallen’ women, his rejection of Mary and Percy until they married, his relentless harassment of them for financial and emotional support, and his eventual bankruptcy. Such stories speak to the imaginations of readers both then and now, in part for what they bespeak about modern family life” (Carlson
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Satan was a prominent figure in religious rhetoric as an evil icon taking on the meaning of the worse of creatures. However, Romantic philosophers utilized Satan as means of transferring radical ideas. Percy Shelley “had employed Satan as a symbol of political goodness” in his writing and as a “rebel in a political context” (Faxneld 532). The goal of Romantic authors in using Satan is to directly attack already established norms in society and politics. Satan also allows the authors to express contradictions within political, religious, gender, and social rules since Satan was the symbol for “toppling world power”, hinting at a socialist movement (Faxneld 532). Mary Shelley is using the technique of “startling people by using symbol they instinctively consider evil could be a way to make think more carefully about manners of preconceived notions” (Faxneld 554). Similar to the Romantic technique of responding the the human as a whole, Shelley tries to manipulate something that is common knowledge to most people during the time to persuade the public toward her
Upon completion of this novel, a clearly prevalent and outstanding motif is that of religion and biblical reference. The frequent references to religion come in varied forms from that of biblical role-playing, to that of the fate of our current society. Another related argument that occurs can be the relationship of biblical role-playing and character domination. When all are combined appropriately, a very strong and prominent key motif in this novel is produced. Mary Shelley might have used religion reference as a method of showing us how something that happened during the creation of the earth can be related and brought to us via modern day fantasy creations. It is important for us to realize this connection because it will help us to understand an important deeper meaning of this work.
Frankenstein or the’ Modern Prometheus’ was written by novelist Mary Shelley in 1819, a creation which both supported and condemned religion. For instance it can be argued that Frankenstein embodied a journey, a progression which began with unremitting belief in religion, a desire to show that religion was the truth and to say otherwise would be considered blasphemy. This is illustrated through the novel’s protagonist Victor Frankenstein, who began by arguing that science is corrupt, seek...
The interpretation of the young girl’s ghastly nightmare, fashioned by her own imagination derived the novel “Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus.” Mary Shelley began, putting pen to paper reveling her cautionary tale, a moral lesson hidden within a horrifying story that would awaken thrill and terror in her audience. Mary felt that if this was not accomplished, the novel would not live up to its title “The Modern Prometheus.” She relates to geographic elements that are subsequent the French Revolutionary era, with a strong connection to Greek mythology. In metaphor she illustrates how creature and creator are one in the same and with the symbolic use of sickness and nature creating the foreshadowing for events to come. Mary Shelley divulges though this novel her personal approach on humanity and life’s lessons; formulating the idea that ignorance is bliss and human injustice is wrong by taking in to account the sexiest views of the later eighteenth-century.
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, was the daughter of the radical feminist, Mary Wollstonecraft, and the political philosopher, William Godwin, and the wife of the Romantic poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley. Through these familial affiliations, she was also acquainted with Lord Byron, Samuel T. Coleridge, and other literary figures such as Charles and Mary Lamb. Surrounded by such influential literary and political figures of the Romantic Age, it is not surprising that as an adolescent, at the age of 19, she wrote Frankenstein. Though critically a failure, (British Critic,1818 and Monthly Review, 1818) the novel has never been out of print and has been translated into numerous languages. What is surprising, however, is the enormous body of knowledge contained in the novel. The novel contains references to the fields of literature, poetry, science, education, politics, history, and mythology. How did such a young girl, living a life considered morally objectionable to society and harassed by family and financial burdens, acquire such a vast amount of knowledge in all fields of study that encompassed the important issues of her day? Through examination of biographical information and Mary Shelley's journal entries, we will be able to answer this question. Following, I also plan to highlight Mary Shelley's knowledge of literature with primary emphasis on the works studied by the monster in relation to his origins as well as Mary Shelley's.
...n the story, Victor creates the creature for his own good and does not give any glory to God. Ultimately, he wants others to idol him for his work. However, Victor is a sinner and, like all humans cannot be a God for that mere reason. Romans 3:23 says “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Meaning, as long as we are sinners we will be incapable of being God or playing any of his roles. To conclude, Mary Shelley makes many parallels to God, Adam, and Satan in her novel Frankenstein. The lack of religion in her childhood could be the reason for the controversial topic that the world to this day is still fascinated with. However, throughout the story, it is proved that man is not fit to be a creator like God. The process of bringing the dead back to life is immoral in God’s eyes. As long as man is sinful, humans will be incapable of being a creator.
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 or the Modern Prometheus. Edited with an Introduction and notes by Maurice Hindle. Penguin books, 1992
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is ‘one of the pioneering works of modern science fiction’, and is also a frightening story that speaks to the ‘mysterious fears of our nature’. Mary Shelley mocks the idea of “playing God”, the idea that came from the Greek myth of Prometheus, of the Greek titan who stole Zeus’ gift of life. Both the story of Frankenstein and Prometheus reveal the dark side of human nature and the dangerous effects of creating artificial life. Frankenstein reveals the shocking reality of the consequences to prejudging someone. The creature’s first-person narration reveals to us his humanity, and his want to be accepted by others even though he is different. We are shown that this ‘monster’ is a ‘creature’ and more of a human than we think.
Peter Brooks' essay "What Is a Monster" tackles many complex ideas within Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and the main concept that is the title of the essay itself. What is the definition of a monster, or to be monstrous? Is a monster the classic representation we know, green skin, neck bolts, grunting and groaning? A cartoon wishing to deliver sugary cereal? or someone we dislike so greatly their qualities invade our language and affect our interpretation of their image and physical being? Brooks' essay approaches this question by using Shelley's narrative structure to examine how language, not nature, is mainly accountable for creating the idea of the monstrous body.
Hogsette, David S. "Metaphysical Intersections In Frankenstein: Mary Shelley's Theistic Investigation Of Scientific Materialism And Transgressive Autonomy." Christianity And Literature 60.4 (2011): 531-560. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 9 May 2012.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein: A Norton Critical Edition. Ed. J. Paul Hunter. New York: W. W.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus. The 1818 Text. New York: Oxford UP, 1998.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus. Edited with an Introduction and notes by Maurice Hindle. Penguin books, 1992
Like all works that have been taught in English classes, Frankenstein has been explicated and analyzed by students and teachers alike for much of the twentieth and all of the twenty-first century. Academia is correct for doing so because Frankenstein can appeal to the interests of students. Students, teachers and experts in the areas of medicine, psychology, and sociology can relevantly analyze Frankenstein in their respective fields. However, Peter Brooks explains in “Godlike Science/Unhallowed Arts: Language and Monstrosity in Frankenstein” that Shelly had presented the problem of “Monsterism” through her language. According to Brooks, Monsterism is explicitly and implicitly addressed in Shelly’s language. While this may be correct, Brooks does it in such a way that requires vast knowledge of subjects that many readers may not be knowledgeable in. After summarizing and analyzing the positive and negative qualities of Brooks’ work, I will explain how the connection of many different fields of study in literature creates a better work.
Mary Shelley, the author of the novel Frankenstein grew up in the early 1800’s with her father, a radical philosopher that believed in the equality of the sexes, and her mother, a vindicator of women’s rights. Shelley followed the footsteps of her parents and became a strong feminist advocate, and supporter of gender equality. The development of her novel granted her with the opportunity to express her feminist ideologies in a subtle, and realistic way, unlike any other authors during her time period. Thus, in the novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley incorporates her feminist beliefs with the purpose of portraying the realities of a woman’s life during the early 1800’s.