Lecture Notes on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and its context within literature.

Frankenstein

A novel by Mary Shelley, often considered the first science fiction novel, published in 1818.

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Author of Frankenstein, born in 1797 to progressive political philosophers William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft.

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

A poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge that influenced Frankenstein, featuring themes of guilt and redemption.

Romanticism

A literary period characterized by emotion, nature, and the individual, spanning approximately from 1789 to 1850.

Publication date of Frankenstein

1818, with significant differences from the later 1831 edition.

Protagonist of Frankenstein

Victor Frankenstein, who creates a sentient creature through unorthodox scientific experiments.

Influences on Frankenstein

Works such as The Tempest, Faust, and Paradise Lost influenced Mary Shelley's themes of creation and responsibility.

Gulf of Spezia

Location where Percy Bysshe Shelley drowned in 1822.

Caliban

A character from Shakespeare's The Tempest, often seen as a reflection of the creature's status in Frankenstein.

The mad scientist archetype

A recurring character type first popularized by Frankenstein, representing unethical scientific exploration.

The role of motherhood in Frankenstein

Explores themes of creation and loss, reflecting Mary's own experiences with motherhood.

Galvanism

The process of generating electricity through chemical means, relevant in discussions of life's principles during Shelley's time.

The significance of the 1816 summer in Geneva

A pivotal moment where Frankenstein was conceived during a ghost story contest among Mary Shelley and her peers.

Albatross

A bird in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner symbolizing guilt and the burden of a crime.

Major themes of Frankenstein

The dangers of unchecked ambition, responsibility for creation, and the search for acceptance.

The Victorian period

A literary period marked by social responsibility and empire-building, from 1837 to 1910.

Mary Shelley's personal tragedies

The death of her children and the suicide of her parents contributed to the themes in her work.