Frankenstein Context

When was the French Revolution?

• Started in 1789 - the 1790s was the era of socio-political anxieties, hence, the political unrest in France

What was the French Revolution about?

• The rebellion against monarchies and imperialism, emphasising the need of liberty and equality 

What happened to the churches during the French Revolution?

• Catholic churches were suppressed, their power was taken away, monarchies were declining

What happened in the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution?

• The Reign of Terror - e.g, the Storming of the Bastille, the execution of King Louis XVI 

How can the French Revolution link to Frankenstein?

• From a Marxist perspective - the exploitation of proletariat by the bourgeoisies

• The creature is emblematic with the French revolution - he has become brutalised and radicalised by oppression

What is Burke’s view on the French Revolution?

• Opposed it - violated the tradition of ‘abstract Enlightenment’ principles (rise of dictatorial regimes) as the revolution dismantled institutions like the monarchy, leading to chaos

How does Burke’s view on the French Revolution relate to Frankenstein?

• Hubristic attempts to radically control nature - destructive monsters

How does Paine’s view on the French Revolution relate to Frankenstein?

• Supported the French Revolution - it was a necessary step to dismantle the oppressive monarchies, it was strongly against the DRoK

How does Paine’s view on the French Revolution relate to Frankenstein?

• The noble intentions of the Creature deteriorate and has become brutalised and radicalised

• He just suffers from the wrongness and the monstrosity he suffers at the hands of others

Which political text did Jean-Jacques Rousseau write?

• Political treatises (the Social Contract), arguing for a legitimate government 

• The Social Contract proposes that a society forms when people give their liberty to the ‘general will.’ 

What was Rousseau’s view on the French Revolution?

• He argued that government authority should come from the unity of people, not from the DRoK

How does Rousseau’s view on the French Revolution relate to Frankenstein?

• Society corrupts inherent goodness through injustice, like the Creature (a noble savage) who was originally innocent and free

What is Rousseau’s concept of ‘popular sovereignty?’

• He argued that government authority should come from the collective, not from the DRoK

What is Locke’s ‘Blank Slate’ theory?

• Tabula Rasa - ‘Blank Slate’

• Human beings are born innocent and inherently neutral, they were taught into corruption by society

How did the Luddite disturbances relate to Frankenstein?

• Protesting against industrialisation

• Marxist perspective - challenging capitalism and societal neglect

How did the Pentridge Uprising relate to Frankenstein?

• Violent protesting against extreme poverty and oppression

• Fear of the ‘monstrous mob’ as a result of neglect, resulting into severe violence

How did the Industrial Revolution relate to Frankenstein?

• Vast divide in terms of childhood between the rich and poor implied

• Social injustice was prevalent in society

Who were Mary Shelley’s parents?

• Charles Godwin

• Mary Wollstonecraft

Which political text did Godwin write?

• He wrote An Enquiry Concerning Political Justice - 1793 - argued for the overthrowing of corrupt institutions and promoting equality

How does Godwin relate to Frankenstein?

• He criticises the corruption of society and the exclusion of individuals - the Creature, who was radicalised into vengeance

Which political text did Wollstonecraft write?

• She wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Women - 1793 - was promoting women’s rights and equality

How does Wollstonecraft relate to Frankenstein?

• She criticises the patriarchal society and the forced subjugation of women (passive, vulnerable)

Who was Edmund Burke?

• A Philosopher, known as the founding father of conservatism

Which philosophical text did Burke write?

• A Philosophical Enquiry - explores how the ‘sublime’ is a distinct but psychological experience arising from both emotional and sensory responses

How did A Philosophical Enquiry relate to Frankenstein?

• The beautiful world of nature is destroyed by the sublime horror of irresponsible science and forbidden knowledge

How does the Sublime relate to Victor Frankenstein?

• Victor retreats in isolation within places that are Sublime (The Alps), as this awe-inspiring scenery reflects on his destructive creations

How does the Sublime relate to the Creature?

• The Sublime is ambiguous - it reflects on how physically horrifying the Creature is, however, he is an empath, and is an intellect

What were the Romantic poets inspired by from the Gothic?

• The Imagination, the Supernatural, the Individual and transgression

How have the Romantic poets altered the Gothic genre?

• They turned the Gothic genre inwards, focusing on the inner sufferings of the tortured soul - ideas such as the the cursed Wanderer, the rebel, and the Byronic Hero was created 

How did Wordsworth influence Frankenstein?

• He had romantic ideals of nature being a sublime, restorative force

• ‘Tintern Abbey’ - appreciation of nature, which Victor is unable to enjoy (guilt)

How did Coleridge influence Frankenstein?

• He wrote about themes of isolation, transgression and guilt

• ‘Ancient Mariner’ - consequences of hubris and usurping nature

Define the Sublime?

• An experience of overwhelming greatness and power that inspires mostly awe and terror

Define a Byronic Hero?

• A character archetype (heroine) characterised by a rebellious, cynical (self-centered) nature with mysterious traits

How is Victor Frankenstein the Byronic hero?

• Victor has flawed traits (hamartia) such as intense ambition, intellectual arrogance, isolation and ultimately, self-destruction

What is Galvanism?

• Electrical energy was intrinsic to biological matter - animating dead animal parts with electricity

How does Galvanism relate to Frankenstein?

• It challenges the threshold between life and death, but the exploitation of galvanism is destructive

Who is Humphrey Davy?

• He suggested that chemistry might provide the secret of life - he claims that it could ‘modify and change’ nature’s creations

How does Humphrey Davy relate to Frankenstein?

• God has intentionally given his creation a purpose - usurping this results in disastrous consequences

Who is Erasmus Darwin?

• Charles’s grandfather - he explores life and life’s origins, focusing on being an ‘observer’ of life rather than a ‘master’ 

What themes did Shelley outline in the 1818 version?

• Personal responsibility (unchecked scientific ambition, responsibility for creation, isolation)

What themes did Shelley outline in the 1831 version?

• Fatalistic, unavoidable destiny (Victor as a victim of fate, dangers of forbidden knowledge)

What is intertextuality?

• When literature is embedded within another text

• Frankenstein: Prometheus, Paradise Lost, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, The Sorrows of Werter, Plutarch’s Lives

How is Prometheus related to Frankenstein?

• Prometheus is the archetypal rebel hero who stole fire from the Gods

• Victor’s reckless pursuit for knowledge is parallel to Prometheus’s, condemning him to a tragic, eternal suffering

How is ‘Paradise Lost’ related to Frankenstein?

• Satan is ostracised from Heaven and stays in Hell with the other fallen angels

• The creature identifies with Adam (abandoned) and Satan (vengeful, outcasted)

How is The Rime of the Ancient Mariner related to Frankenstein?

• The Mariner shoots and kills an albatross. He ends up alone as his crew dies, ruminating in his guilt

• Victor is heavily punished for his crimes against nature. He isolates himself

How is The Sorrows of Werter related to Frankenstein?

• A man has an unchecked, obsessive passion over a woman. He spirals over it, committing suicide

• The creature relates to the loneliness and despair - he yearns for connection

How is Plutarch’s Lives related to Frankenstein?

• A book of moral instruction, human society, virtues and ideals

• The creature gains an insight of how corrupt and destructive society can be

How can the novel be interpreted from a Marxist view?

• Political allegory, highlighting the neglect and the exploitation of the proletariat from the bourgeoises

How can the novel be interpreted from a Romantic view?

• Criticises the precepts of Romanticism - the sublime is not a source of inspiration, but is aligned with the destructive power of Victor (total disintergration)

How can the novel be interpreted from a feminist view?

• Nature is a victim to Victor’s pursuits, and the novel criticises the rejection and domination of the female

What is the typical role of the monster in Gothic novels?

• In earlier high Gothic fiction (18th century), the monster is an evil being that has to be excluded from society so that order can be restored

How is the role of the monster blurred in Frankenstein?

• Shelley subverts the Gothic convention of the monster, who is inherently sympathetic - the civilised and the uncivilised are ambiguous

What are some Doppelgänger concepts seen in Frankenstein?

• Duality of the self/alter ego

• Creator/Created

• Parallels

• Externalisation of repressed parts of psyche

How is Freud’s Psychoanalytic theory related to Frankenstein?

• Superego, Ego and the Id

• The Creature is symbolic of Victor’s repressed subconscious desires (Id)

How is Freud’s ‘Unheimlich’ - the uncanny - related to Frankenstein?

• Humans encounter something bearing resemblance to something they know - one element has changed

• The ‘unexpected’ outcome of the creature

How is Oedipus’s complex related to Frankenstein?

• Victor’s obsessive pursuit for creation without a woman is a displacement of his desire for his mother

How is Machiavellianism related to Frankenstein?

• Victor is the epitome of Machiavellianism

• He is sadistic and ruthlessly strove for forbidden knowledge