Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Biography

Transcription

1 Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Biography It was apparent that the life of Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin Shelley was going to be out of step with the ordinary from the moment of her birth on August 30, She had both unorthodox parents and an orthodox family structure: her father, William Godwin, was a celebrated philosopher and historian who had briefly been a Calvinist minister. A cold, remote man who overate grossly and borrowed money from anyone who would give him a loan, he had little time for anything but his philosophical endeavors. This intellectual single-mindedness was somewhat modulated by his passion for Mary Wollstonecraft. With the possible exception of William Blake, Wollstonecraft was the most influential of the Enlightenment radicals. Having declared herself independent at the age of twenty-one, she ran a school with her sisters and was the respected friend of the philosopher Samuel Johnson. While in France, she had an affair with an army captain which ended in the birth of her first daughter, Fanny. After the soldier abandoned her and the child, she returned to England and attempted suicide. Happily or unhappily, she failed, and began writing in a variety of genres. It was her revolutionary feminist writings, however, that won her lasting fame. The first meeting between Godwin and Wollstonecraft took place at a dinner party at Godwin's home. Drawn to each other by virtue of their shared philosophical beliefs, the two began an affair begun in the autumn of When Mary discovered that she was pregnant, the couple decided to marry in order to legitimate both of Mary's children. The couple, however, in adherence to their enlightened views, continued to live and work independently. The pair remained devoted to each other, and Godwin was devastated when Wollstonecraft died shortly after the birth of their daughter, Mary. Although he was fond of his daughters, the task of raising them alone proved too much for Godwin, and he immediately set about finding a second wife. His proposal to Maria Reveley, who would later become Mary's best friend, was rejected. He later married Mary Jane Clairmont, the first woman to respond to his overtures. This second wife proved to be a cruel, shallow woman who neglected Fanny and Mary in favor of her own children. Mary (who was so lively that her father had nicknamed her Mercury) was frequently whipped for impertinence; rebellion came naturally to the headstrong Mary, and she refused to be subdued. Though the girls were given lessons in domesticity (cooking, cleaning, and other wifely duties) Mary could not feign interest in such pursuits: she would simply take up a book and let the dinner burn. Her father was the most important person in her life, and his favor meant everything to her. She excelled in her lessons and could hold her own in adult conversation often with the great minds of her time from a remarkably early age. Around the age of eight, she began reading the writings of her mother. By the time she was ten, she had memorized every word. Mary spent hours at her mother's grave, reading or eating meals when the atmosphere at home was particularly bad. This habit continued well into her teens, when she was sent to live at Ramsgate with a Miss Petman. This move was prompted by Mary's frailty and inability to concentrate at home. From Ramsgate, she journeyed to Scotland to stay with Baxter, a close friend of her father's. Living with the Baxters was the happiest time that Mary had thereto

2 known. When she returned to London a year later, she had grown into a woman. She became closer to her father than ever before, and the two engaged in constant philosophical debate. This served, predictably, to augment her stepmother's hatred. The poet Percy Shelley, a devoted follower and friend of William Godwin's, began spending a great deal of time in the Godwin home. Although he was married, his presence made an immediate impression on Mary, who began to read poetry at his inducement. Shelley's genuine admiration for the works of Mary's mother earned him her trust she invited him to accompany her on her visits to her mother's grave, and the two became inseparable. Their intellectual kinship was passionately felt by both of them, and they rapidly fell in love. Godwin was furious at this development, and immediately barred the poet from his home. The couple, however, refused to be separated and began a clandestine correspondence. With the help of Mary's stepsister, they were able to elope. Setting up housekeeping in London was expensive, and money was very tight for the newly married pair. Relations between them were somewhat strained: Shelley's first wife Harriet belatedly bore him a son, and his good friend Thomas Hogg became enamored of Mary. To make matters worse, Mary became pregnant; the child, a daughter, died shortly after birth. Mary fell into an acute depression. Having conceived a dislike for London (perhaps as a result of their misfortunes), the couple began traveling: in the English countryside, in France, and elsewhere. Mary was writing profusely, and published Frankenstein in No one could have predicted the extent of the book's popularity: it would remain the most widely-read English novel for three decades. Although it was maliciously rumored that Percy Shelley was the book's true author, Mary was catapulted to the forefront of the struggle for recognition then being waged by woman writers. Tragically, Percy Shelley drowned in a shipwreck in Though Mary was desolate, she remained dedicated to her son, Percy Florence. She spent the remainder of her life championing her husband's neglected poetry, and was eventually successful in forcing its publication. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley died in her sleep at age fifty-four. Frankenstein caused a literary sensation in London. It has its origins on tales of terror and science: it is the product of the eighteenth century vogue for Gothic novels of horror and the macabre, and it is an innovative work in its introduction of a synthetic human character as a protagonist. The novel exploits powerfully analogies to the Biblical and Miltonic accounts of the newly created Adam and Satan, and deals critically with two central Romantic ideas. First, the scientist Frankenstein instances the Faustian and Promethean spirit of overwhelming creative ambition which dehumanizes the protagonist and lead to his destruction and the death of all those individuals he loves. Second, the being whom Frankenstein creates represents the Romantic (and post-romantic) concern with human alienation and isolation. He profoundly needs sympathy and relationships, but he is cut off from humanity by his origin and monstrosity; since his overtures to human beings evoke only horror and disgust, his love, rejected, turns to murderous hate.

3 Plot Type Gothic romance, type of novel that flourished in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries in England. Gothic romances were mysteries, often involving the supernatural and heavily tinged with horror, and they were usually set against dark backgrounds of medieval ruins and haunted castles. The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole was the forerunner of the type, which included the works of Ann Radcliffe, Matthew Gregory Lewis, and Charles R. Maturin, and the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Gothic literature is fiction which uses strange, gloomy settings and mysterious, violent, sometimes supernatural events to create suspense or terror. Romantic literature tends to emphasize the uncommon; it presents extraordinary people in unusual circumstances and tends to stress the past and man s interaction with nature. The frame structure of literature refers to one or more narratives told within the enclosure of a larger narrative. It is also called the story-within-a-story technique. Subtitle The subtitle The Modern Prometheus refers to the figure in Greek mythology who was responsible for a conflict between mankind and the gods. In order to help the people, Prometheus stole Zeus's fire from the sun. The people were thereby given an advantage to the animals since fire gave man the ability to make weapons and tools. Prometheus was severely punished by Zeus who chained him to a rock in the Caucasus. Every night, Prometheus was visited by an eagle who ate from his liver. During the day, however, his liver grew back to its original state. It also refers to the story of Prometheus plasticator who was to said to have created and animated mankind out of clay. These two myths were eventually fused together: the fire that Prometheus had stolen is the fire of life with which he animated his clay models. Because of the creating aspect, Prometheus became a symbol for the creating artist in the eighteenth century. Victor Frankenstein can indeed be seen as the modern Prometheus. He defies the gods by creating life himself. Instead of being the created, Victor takes God's place and becomes the creator. Just as Prometheus, Victor gets punished for his deeds. He is, however, punished by his creation whereas Prometheus was punished by the god from whom he stole fire. Themes

4 This classic novel (first published in 1818) contains several themes: 1. the scientist's responsibility for the consequences of his own actions; 2. the fatal hubris of stepping beyond "natural" human knowledge to create new life (i.e. become a god); 3. the basic need for human acceptance and relationships, without which one cannot become truly human, or develop a moral sense; and 4. unjust persecution of an outcast from society. Characters in the novel Frankenstein Victor Frankenstein: Genovese scientist who creates an intelligent but grotesque monster; he abandons his creation and keeps its existence a secret; begins but fails to complete a mate for the creature. the monster: eight-foot tall, hideous creation of Victor Frankenstein; Intelligent and sensitive; tries to become part of humanity and is rejected; seeks revenge on his creator. Robert Walton: Artic explore whose ship is icebound in the Artic seas; picks up Victor Frankenstein and befriends him and brings him back to health. Hears Victor story and promises to destroy the monster. Frankenstein s narrative told through series of letters to his sister in England. Alphonse Frankenstein: Victor s father who is very sympatric towards his son. Wishes to see Victor and Elizabeth married. Dies of a broken heart after Elizabeth dies. Caroline Beaufort: Victor s mother who was taken in by the Frankenstein family after her own father died. Dies of scarlet fever just before Victor leaves for Inglostadt. Elizabeth Lavneza: orphan who is adopted by the Frankenstein family; Victor s cousin. Marries Victor and is killed by monster on their wedding night. Henry Clerval: Victor s boyhood friend who nurses Victor back to health after the creation of the monster (Ingolstadt); studies Oriental languages. Killed by monster in Ireland. William Frankenstein: youngest brother of Victor. Monster strangles him in woods outside Geneva. Monster takes locket containing picture of Caroline Beaufort from him. Justine Moritz: young girl adopted into Frankenstein household. Unjustly accused of killing William because she had the locket that William had had and hanged for his murder. Beaufort: merchant and friend of Alphonse Frankenstein; Caroline s father. M. Waldman: chemistry professor at Ingolstadt who encourages Victor to pursues sciences that can explain the big questions about the origins of life. M. Krempe: professor of natural philosophy at Ingolstadt; tell Victor that his studies of old alchemists were a waste of time and that he should begin his studies anew

5 Mr. Kirwin: Irish magistrate who accuses Victor of Clerval s murder; hears Victor s tale about the monster the Turk: Safie s father; involves Felix in a plot to escape the French authorities and causes the DeLacey family to be put in prison, stripped of their wealth and exiled from France. Felix: oldest son of the DeLacey family; teaches Safie and the monster to read and write; drives monster away from their cottage Agatha: daughter of Delacey family DeLacey: old blind father of the Delacey family; monster appeals to him for protection and friendship Safie: the young Arabian whom Felix marries. Locations in the novel Frankenstein Russia: location from which letters are written to Margaret Saville; Walton begins his Artic expedition from here Geneva: birthplace and home of Frankenstein family; deaths of Caroline, William, Justine and Alphonse Frankenstein take place here Ingolstadt: university where Frankenstein discovers the secrets of life; creates and abandons his monster here; nursed back to health by Clerval Chamounix: town in the Alps where Frankenstein stays prior to climbing the glacier and the mountains Montavert: glacier where monster meets Frankenstein; monster tells his story to Frankenstein Germany: location of Delacey cottage; monster observes family from hut and learns to speak, read and write from the family. Rejected by the family England: location of walking tour Frankenstein and Clerval take while Frankenstein is planning the female monster Orkney Islands in Scotland: Frankenstein begins and destroys the second monster Ireland: Frankenstein is washed ashore after destroying the second monster; Clerval is murdered by the monster Villa Lavenza: Elizabeth s inheritance from her father; Elizabeth and Frankenstein plan to spend their honeymoon here; Elizabeth is murdered here.

6 Review for Frankenstein Review the biography of Mary Shelley and the information about the novel in the introductory packet. What happened at each of the following locations: Russia, Geneva, Ingolstadt, Chamounix, Montavert, Italy, Germany, England, Orkney Islands in Scotland, Ireland, Villa Lavenza. Describe each of the following people: Victor Frankenstein the monster, Robert Walton, Alphonse Frankenstein, Caroline Beaufort, Elizabeth Lavneza, Henry Clerval, William Frankenstein, Justine Moritz, Beaufort, M. Waldman, M. Krempe, Mr. Kirwin, the Turk, Felix, Agatha, DeLacey, Safie. Be able to answer the following questions: 1. Why and how was this novel created? 2. What is the subtitle of the novel and explain the Greek myth that is associated with the subtitle? How is one of the major characters in the novel like the major character in the Greek myth? How are their punishments similar? 3. What is the plot type of this novel and how is it defined? What causes this novel to be classified in this manner? 4. What are the two major themes of this novel? Which character is most closely associated with each theme? How is each theme developed in the novel? Exam format: Events in the novel to location matching 15 points Multiple choice novel plot and information about author. 25 points Quotations match speaker to quote. 15 points. Character identification matching 15 points Essays taken from questions above 20 points