Frankenstein and Mary Shelley Background

Mary Shelley’s parents and what they’re known for

Mary Wollstonecraft (pioneering feminist writer and philosopher) and William Godwin (prominent political philosopher, novelist, and anarchist).

What happened to Mary Wollstonecraft after Mary Shelley was born?

She died 11 days after Mary Shelley was born due to an infection (puerperal fever).

Mary Shelley’s education

Rich, self-directed education, lacking formal schooling but grew in an intellectual environment.

why Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein

She wrote it due to a ghost story challenge with Lord Byron and Percy Shelley during a stormy summer in 1816.

narrative forms in Frankenstein

Epistolary novels (novels written in letters) and frame story (a 'story in a story').

differences between Romanticism and the Enlightenment

Romanticism values emotion, imagination, individual experience, and the power of nature; Enlightenment emphasizes reason, logic, science, and control over nature.

Paradise the Lost allusion

It parallels Victor as God and his creature as Adam and Satan, showing the creature's feelings of abandonment and Victor's responsibility.

What does the albatross symbolize in Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner?

A good omen; its killing brings guilt, isolation, and punishment, paralleling Victor's transgressions in Frankenstein.

ardent

Characterized by warmth of feeling typically expressed in eager zealous support or activity.

satiate

To satisfy (a need, a desire, etc.) fully or to excess.

fortitude

Strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger or bear pain or adversity with courage.

inestimable

Incapable of being estimated or computed.

conjectures

Inferences formed without proof or sufficient evidence.

Who is writing the letters in Frankenstein and to whom?

Robert Walton is writing the letters to his sister, Margaret, in England.

Where is Robert Walton and why is he there?

He is in the Arctic on a ship to discover unexplored lands and regions.

How does Walton meet Victor Frankenstein?

He meets Victor while their ship is stuck in ice; Victor appears at their ship the next morning.

How does Walton describe Victor’s physical and emotional state?

Walton describes him as 'wretched,' 'frozen from limb to limb,' and a man seemingly haunted by something.

How does Robert feel about Victor?

He feels a close bond with Victor that grows daily, seeing him as a friend weighed down by his past woes.

Why is Frankenstein in the Arctic?

He is searching for the monster he created to destroy it and prevent it from causing more harm.