Mary Shelley's Attitude to Knowledge in Frankenstein

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Mary Shelley's Attitude to Knowledge in Frankenstein

Mary Shelley is a gothic writer, who (through this novel

'Frankenstein') has been able to create a hybrid form of gothic

literature, a gothic/horror genre which allows Shelley to convey a

more realistic terror, one that resides within the psyche instead of a

form outside , an example would be Ghosts. Her knowledge on different

subjects allows her to create a realistic world in the novel, possibly

even criticising her own husband Percy Shelley, who searched for

knowledge and in doing so became egotistical and self obsessed like a

true romantic just like Frankenstein and other romantic characters

like him.

Shelley was always surrounded by intelligent people, which were mainly

her father and his inner circle that also included her husband. These

people encouraged Shelley to educate herself and develop her own

opinions.

Shelley found the gothic genre a perfect place in which she could air

her thoughts, such as a critical view of certain powers in her society

and imply things about the industrial revolution through subtle

remarks in the novel.

The novel itself was a product of Shelley taking up a challenge to

write a ghost story, which was her chance to give a dire warning to

society (through the didactic tone throughout the novel) that,

embraces experimenting and questing for the unknown which so much part

of her culture but at the same time playing on the fears of the

middles classes' lack of knowledge as at the same time graves were

being dug up and bodies used which made this tomb quite fearful to its

readers and intriguing as Shelley brings many ethical issues on the

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... how important knowledge is here.

I personal think Shelley wrote this novel to voice her opinions the

only way she could in such a strict society that did not allow women

to have opinions. Shelley took many things from her own life which she

criticised through the novel to make it more realistic and the only

way she could criticise her own up bringing especially how her father

took her own education.

The fears stated in the novel are still valid today as the morals of

whether we should play god through the technological advances in

science, Shelley's novel has clear moral consequences and a perfect

example of what could happen if we as a society start to follow

Frankenstein's footsteps and create a monster with the same potential

as the one in the book to create havoc and destruction, would probably

destroy us.

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