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| Elle Fanning as Mary Shelley (2018) |
1. THE OVERREACHER
Victor Frankenstein is defined "The Modern Prometheus" in the subtitle of the novel. As Prometheus defied Zeus stealing the fire from him to bring it back to Mankind, the Swiss scientist protagonist of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel defies any natural law and God himself for his great ambition: to create, not to generate, life. To give life to an inanimate body.
Both Prometheus and Dr. Frankenstein are OVERREACHERS, special types of rebels who
- try to go beyond the limits imposed to Mankind by God or Nature
- are moved by great ambition
- are usually punished with death (not Prometheus, since he was a Titan, a semi-god)
Both Prometheus and Dr. Frankenstein are OVERREACHERS, special types of rebels who
- try to go beyond the limits imposed to Mankind by God or Nature
- are moved by great ambition
- are usually punished with death (not Prometheus, since he was a Titan, a semi-god)
2. THE DOUBLE
There are two examples of this theme in Mary Shelley's novel. Two characters recognize in an "alter ego" their wrong side, the fawls in their personality:
1. Captain Walton recognizes in Dr Frankenstein his own great ambition, which might lead him to self -exhaustion and death, and decides to stop his exploration of the North Pole, in order to avoid risking his crew's lives and his own. So Dr Frankenstein is an alter ago/ the double to Captain Walton.
2. Victor Frankenstein recognizes in the horrible creature he has created the embodiment of his own "awful" ambition. This is why he is so terrified by the vision of his "living experiment".
3. SOCIAL CRITICISM & ROUSSEAU'S GOOD NATURAL MAN
Mary Shelley was influenced by J.J. Rousseau's ideas. Rousseau believed a human being was born innocent and uncorrupt , then the injust social system and its prejudices spoilt and corrupted him. This is exactly what happens to Frankenstein's creature who was naturally good when he came to life but was then turned into a monster and an evil murderer by the prejudices of all the human beings he met, starting with his creator. He was rejected and wronged because of his ugly appearance.
4. SCIENCE AND MORALS
Frankenstein is considered the forerunner of the science fiction genre. The authoress, fascinated by physiology, chemistry and physics, reflects on the relationship between science and morals - something we call bioethics nowadays - wondering what the destiny of someone who overcomes the border might be.
5. NARRATIVE FEATURES
Frankenstein has a complex structure. It is an epistolary novel with three different levels of narration, three narrators and different points of view. The technique used is usually called "Chinese boxes".
1. Captain Walton recognizes in Dr Frankenstein his own great ambition, which might lead him to self -exhaustion and death, and decides to stop his exploration of the North Pole, in order to avoid risking his crew's lives and his own. So Dr Frankenstein is an alter ago/ the double to Captain Walton.
2. Victor Frankenstein recognizes in the horrible creature he has created the embodiment of his own "awful" ambition. This is why he is so terrified by the vision of his "living experiment".
3. SOCIAL CRITICISM & ROUSSEAU'S GOOD NATURAL MAN
Mary Shelley was influenced by J.J. Rousseau's ideas. Rousseau believed a human being was born innocent and uncorrupt , then the injust social system and its prejudices spoilt and corrupted him. This is exactly what happens to Frankenstein's creature who was naturally good when he came to life but was then turned into a monster and an evil murderer by the prejudices of all the human beings he met, starting with his creator. He was rejected and wronged because of his ugly appearance.
4. SCIENCE AND MORALS
Frankenstein is considered the forerunner of the science fiction genre. The authoress, fascinated by physiology, chemistry and physics, reflects on the relationship between science and morals - something we call bioethics nowadays - wondering what the destiny of someone who overcomes the border might be.
5. NARRATIVE FEATURES
Frankenstein has a complex structure. It is an epistolary novel with three different levels of narration, three narrators and different points of view. The technique used is usually called "Chinese boxes".
Unlikely the many Gothic tales written before, the characters in this novel are not flat and there is a certain psychological insight.
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