Frankenstein and Literary Context Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering the literary background, themes, character roles, historical contexts, and sci-fi/Gothic characteristics from the Frankenstein study notes.

Mary Shelley

The author of Frankenstein; her personal experiences with loss, her mother's death after childbirth, and her interest in origins shaped the novel's focus on life, death, and creation.

The Modern Prometheus

The subtitle of Frankenstein, referencing Victor Frankenstein's use of science to reach beyond human limits and gain power he cannot control.

Frankenstein Versions

The two publication versions of Frankenstein: the 1818 original version and the 1831 revised version.

Epistolary

A literary form where a story is told through letters.

Frankenstein Setting and Structure

A story featuring three narrators, set in Geneva, the Swiss Alps, and the northern ice.

Victor Frankenstein

The protagonist and scientist of the novel who creates life to overcome death, but fails to accept responsibility for his creation.

The Creature

The antagonist and created life in Frankenstein; unlike Hollywood stereotypes, he is intelligent in the novel but becomes enraged due to Victor's neglect, rejection, and mistreatment.

Mary Wollstonecraft

Mary Shelley's mother and a famous feminist author whose death after childbirth influenced Mary's interest in life, death, origins, and knowledge.

William Godwin

Mary Shelley's father, a philosopher who believed in individual rights.

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Mary Shelley's husband, a famous poet and follower of William Godwin.

Byron's Challenge

A challenge by Lord Byron to his guests to write the best horror story while trapped inside due to unusually gloomy, cold weather caused by volcanic ash.

Galvanism

The scientific idea that electricity could stimulate muscles and potentially restore life, providing a realistic scientific base for Frankenstein.

Prometheus Myth

The Greek myth of a Titan who stole fire from gods for humans and was chained to a rock and attacked by an eagle; symbolizes humans reaching beyond normal limits and gaining uncontrollable power.

Romantic Period

A literary period influenced by the French Revolution, emphasizing personal expression, emotion, imagination, questioning old limits, and new ways of viewing the world.

Gothic Novel

A fearful literary genre named after Gothic architecture that uses dark settings, danger, mystery, and uncertainty to explore identity struggles and disorder.

Haunted Gothic Manor Symbolism

A recurring Gothic symbol representing a crumbling way of life.

Gothic Culture of Fear

A cultural atmosphere influenced by historical events like the American and French Revolutions, revolving around fears of entrapment, personal violation, evil defeating good, and chaos defeating order.

Knowledge and Technology Themes

Themes in Frankenstein highlighting that knowledge can be used for good or evil, and scientific progress can alter modern life in helpful or harmful ways.

Nature vs. Nurture in Frankenstein

The thematic debate asking whether behavior comes from inborn traits or environment; illustrated by the Creature beginning innocent but turning violent after neglect and mistreatment.

Major Warning of Frankenstein

The central lesson that ambition and knowledge become dangerous when individuals ignore responsibility and consequences.

Science Fiction Characteristics

A genre based on valid scientific research that gives believable predictions of future scientific achievements and examines the benefits and dangers of scientific thought.