Mary Shelley: “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus”, Dispense di Inglese

Scarica Mary Shelley: “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus” e più Dispense in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! FRANKENSTEIN “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus” is an 1818 novel by the author Mary Shelley, who wrote it when she was only 19. It can be considered both a development of the Gothic novel and a perfect example of science fiction. Frankenstein is a frame story written in epistolary form. It documents a fictional correspondence between Captain Robert Walton and his sister, Margaret Walton Saville (her name is not casual: her initial letters are the same of Mary Shelley but inverted). The story takes place in the eighteenth century (the letters are dated as "17-"). Shelley uses the epistolary novel because it easily involves the reader: Walton’s letters are written to his sister, but it is as if they were directly addressed to the reader; furthermore, the choice of letters creates suspense and intrigue because the narrative proceeds as fast as Walton is told the story by Victor Frankenstein. Another raison is that letters can make the events sound even more dramatic thanks to the immediate reaction and the subjective point of view of Walton. Because of this subjectivity, Shelley also decides to write other letters that provide insights into minor characters and allow to analyze other characters’ feelings, that wouldn’t otherwise be included in Frankenstein’s firs-person narrative. The novel is also a warning about the dangers of over-ambition: in the beginning, Walton is fully committed into his enterprise but after listening to Frankenstein’s story, he decides to abandon his project. It is, in this way, a moral lesson for the reader too. Summary plot The novel begins with the explorer Robert Walton during a quest with the purpose of discovering what pulls the compass needle to the North. After weeks at sea, the crew of Walton's ship find a man, Victor Frankenstein, almost frozen. They save him and they listen to his story; in a series of letters to his sister, Walton reports Victor's tragic story. Raised in a wealthy Swiss family, Victor grows up with Elizabeth, an orphan adopted by his family. Victor undertakes scientific studies at the University of Ingolstadt, when his mother and Elizabeth fall ill with scarlet fever. Caroline dies of the disease and Elizabeth is cured. For two years Victor is almost obsessed in his studies and projects a plan to recreate and reanimate a corpse, assembled parts of death bodies, using a combination of chemistry, alchemy, and electricity. After bringing the creature to life, Victor feels scared and disgusted by his creation and abandons it. A friend of Victor’s, Henry Clerval saves Victor and restore him to health. Victor is called back home because someone has killed his younger brother, William, by strangulation. Justine Moritz, their housekeeper, is falsely accused of the murder and sentenced to death. Victor knows who the murderer is but cannot denounce the creature. Victor departs to the mountain when he meets the monster, that in the meanwhile has educated himself. It tells him its sad story, made by fear and violence of humans towards him because of its appearance; he just wants to be happy and asks Victor to create for him a female-creature. Frankenstein initially accepts, but then for fear that the two monsters will hate each other and create even more violence, he stops his project. Discovered by the creature he is threatened of revenge: his friend Henry is killed and the blame falls on Victor. He is later released and returns to Switzerland to marry Elizabeth. On their wedding night, as promised by the creature, she is killed too and his father dies of a stroke. In turn, Victor also wants revenge and sets off for the North Pole to look for the creature, where he meets Walton's crew. The final of the story is told by Walton: Victor dies soon, and Walton finds the creature bent over the dead body of his son creator. Walton thinks that it has killed Victor and he accuses it of the murder of innocent people. The creature explains him he truth and tells him that its hatred for humans was born simply because everyone, starting with his creator, despised it for its appearance. In the end, it sets itself on fire, to ensure that no one could understand how to recreate anything like it from its dead body. characters Victor Frankenstein: Frankenstein is a young man with an obsession for science and knowledge. This obsession leads him to the creation of a monster that originates only damages. He is so into his researches that doesn’t even visit his family, he represents the dangers and the responsibilities that come with great knowledge. His scientific achievement becomes the cause of his downfall. He dies alone, searching for the monster. However, Mary Shelley lets the reader decide if Frankenstein is a victim of fate, like he describes himself, or a self-absorbed man that doesn’t take his responsibilities. Robert Walton: Walton is the first character introduced in the novel. He has a great desire of becoming an important explorer. He, in fact, wants to reach the North Pole to finally understand what attracts the magnetic needle of the compass to the Nord. He finds Frankenstein almost frozen. There are some connections between the two characters: they share the same ambition, Walton for the North Pole and Frankenstein for science. They both would sacrifice their life for success, despite the dangers. Also, they both worked hard to succeed in their targets, even if in the end, he decides to abandon his voyage. The frame narrative A frame narrative is a story which contains other stories within it (that are embedded narratives). In the novel, Walton’s letters frame Frankenstein’s story, which contains the monster account. There are also many others short, embedded narrative, such as the De Lacey family’s history (chapter 14) and Elizabeth’s letters. However, from chapter 1 to 4, Walton’s letters, which stat in medias res, set the scene. From chapter 5 to 10 there’s Frankenstein’s story: he is the main narrator and this allows the reader to know his feelings and his motivations. Finally, from chapter 6 to 11, the monster’s account gives the reader its perspective of events and encourages him to sympathise with it. By using this structure, Shelley led the reader to question his judgments of characters and events. (for example Frankenstein is presented by Walton as a wonderful man but this is called into question by Frankenstein’s behaviors and by the monster’s point of view). The gothic novel Reasons why “Frankenstein” can be considered a gothic novel: -Mystery and Fear - Omens and Curses - Atmosphere and Setting - Supernatural and Paranormal Activity - Villain (even if in the novel there are more than one, it depends y the point of view) Elizabeth Lavenza: The Frankenstein family adopted her when she was just a baby. She and Victor Frankenstein were raised together and have a close relationship. Frankenstein constantly praises Elizabeth as a beautiful, holy and kind presence in his life. She is an angel to him, as was his mother; in fact, all the women in the novel are domestic and sweet. On their wedding night, however, Elizabeth is strangled to death by the creature. William Frankenstein: William is the younger brother of Victor Frankenstein. The creature tries to be friendly to him, thinking that the child's youth would make him unprejudiced. However, William is terrified of the ugly creature. In a moment of rage, the monster strangles William to death. Symbolically, William's murder is the novel's turning point and the end of Victor's belief that his actions cannot have consequences. Justine Moritz She is the housekeeper of the Frankenstein family and is treated like a member of the family by them. Through Justine's character, Mary Shelley addresses the issues of equal treatment and the acceptance of those in need of help. Accused of William's murder, Justine is the martyr who goes to her death with grace and dignity. themes nature: Mary Shelley is particularly affected to nature. In the novel we can find a divine and beautiful nature that is able to restore people from their fluctuating emotions. This sublime natural world, embraced by Romanticism, offers characters the possibility of spiritual renewal (rinnovamento). In fact, depressed after the deaths of William and Justine, for which he feels responsible, Victor heads to the mountains. In contrast to this type of nature, we have the non-natural element. The creature is described by Victor as “hideous”, and so demonstrates his failure on creating a new “human being” and reaching in this way God. Victor, in fact, by giving life to the monster and trying to create life, is an overreacher. The sublime nature is also used as a simile to express intense emotions of the characters (chapter 10: “whirlwinds of its rage”) Revenge: The monster begins its life with a warm, open heart. However, after it is abandoned and mistreated first by Victor and then by the De Lacey family, who had adopted it, the monster seeks for revenge. The monster's actions are understandable: it has been hurt by the unfair rejection of a humanity that judges by prejudices. Revenge becomes the only thing it has and became "dearer than light or food." Revenge consumes Victor too: Shelley presents it as an obsession that could turn easily in a disease and that, at the same time, does not satisfy the characters. Ambition: Both Frankenstein and Walton aspire to make new discoveries and are motivated by lifelong ambitions, which are noble because they want to benefit mankind (Frankenstein first intention was to banish disease). However, in their ambitions there’s also a selfish side, that makes ambition become a destructive force: it causes harm to the people who persue it (Frankenstein becomes ill, loses weight and develops a nervous fever and both him and Walton An example of good ambition is given by Frankenstein’s friend, Hendry, whose ambitions is controlled an unselfish. Mary Shelley was a very cultivated woman: in her novel there are many literary references, but she privileges in particular “Paradise Lost” and Prometheus myth, from which she takes inspiration. The language All the three narrators make use of lots of similes and metaphors and hyperboles, which can be superlatives (expression that refers to the most or the least of something) or exclamations. The use of hyperboles marks the fact that all the main characters lack moderation and self-control, and are, in this way, unpredictable and dangerous. By cultivating himself, the monster becomes capable of using eloquent and persuasive language. To convince Frankenstein to listen to him he makes use of rhetorical questions and climax. He covers Frankenstein’s eyes because he wants him to listen and he knows that people will always be prejudiced towards his appearance. His persuasive words are his only hope of getting people to accept him. However, his cultivate language won’t be enough. Paradise lost Paradise Lost is a poem by John Milton based on the book of Genesis of the Bible, that tells the story of God’s creation. Satan has been thrown out of Heaven for rebelling against God (he’s the first overreacher), so he decides to take revenge by corrupting God’s creation, Adam and Eve. Like Adam and Eve, Frankenstein meddles with forbidden knowledge and consequently he suffers misery and isolation (that in this case aren’t a God punishment but a direct consequence of Frankenstein’s faults). There are many references in the novel: The creature, after reading the poem, compares itself with Satan because they’re both outcasts. However, Satan had companion, whilst the creature is completely alone. The creature compares itself to Adam too: on the title page of the first edition of the novel there were three of Adam’s lines from Paradise lost, in which he questions God for creating him. Like Adam, the creature questions Frankenstein for giving him life since his life is so miserable. He also suggests that their relationship should be the one between God and Adam, before Adam committed sin, but he’s treated like Satan: “I am thy creature, I ought be thy Adam, but I’m rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed.” (Chapter 10) Prometheus “the modern Prometheus” is the alternative title of the novel: Prometheus is a character in Greek and Roman myth: in the Greek version, it is forbidden for humanity to have fire, but Prometheus challenging gods and steals it to teach to mankind to use it; in the roman version, he also creates life from clay and water. He will be eternally punished for his actions. In a similar way, Frankenstein creates a man challenging the laws of creation to benefit mankind with forbidden knowledge. He will be punished by the consequences of his own actions.