Mary Shelley; Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus., Appunti di Inglese

Scarica Mary Shelley; Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus. e più Appunti in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! Mary Shelley (1797-1851) Life and works Mary Shelley was born in a family that was influenced by the ideas of the French Revolution. Mary Shelley’s mother died 10 days after her birth and her father married Mary Jane Clairmont. Mary Shelley soffered a lot because of her stepmother. Her house was visited by some of the most famous writers of the day, in this way she knew her future husband: Percy Bysshe Shelley. They fled to France and later they rent a country house near Byron’s villa, Villa Diodati. There she started to think at ‘Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus’. In 1818 she published anonymously Frankestein, because Women cannot publish novel at that time. Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus. Plot and setting Victor Frankenstein a Swiss scientist wants to create a human being. He create a monster by joining parts from humans bodies, the results is ugly and Victor soon understands that he has made something terrible. He abandons the Creature expecting that it will die alone. However the Creature survives and learns how to read and write, but he is a monster rejected by society and his own creator. The Creature decides to seek revenge from Victor by killing everyone he loves. Victor decides to hunt the demon but after the exhausting research he died. At this point, the monsters understands that his life has no meaning without its creator and decides to jump into the sea. Origins Mary Shelley writes that the reading of horror stories and her personal anxieties inspired her. The influence of science Mary Shelley together with her husban were interested in science and chemistry. She knew all the lastest scientific theories. In frankenstain she talks about the theme of science and its responsibility to mankind. Literary influences The monster is Rousseau’s natural man, a man in a primitive state, not influenced by civilisation. He soon understands the state of nature and of civilisation; infact we can see the influence of Locke in his education by experience. The myth of Prometheus talks about a giant who stole the fire from te gods in order to give it to men. He challenged the divine authority exactly how Frankenstein does. He’s an example of an overreacher. Narrative structure The form of the novel is epistolary, Walton’s sister recives the letters, but the novel is told by different narrators: Walton informs his sister, Margaret Saville, that has the same initials of Mary Shelleys.