An In Depth Look At Frankenstein

Outline - An In Depth Look at Frankenstein

1) Introduction

a) Hook - "It is easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging our responsibilities." Josiah Charles Stamp

b) Thesis - In the Gothic novel Frankenstein, Shelley shows the reader how the human desire to acquire and utilize knowledge and technology can be a double edged sword for humanity, and if not utilized carefully and responsibly, can harm and possibly destroy us.

2) Biographical Information

a) Birth - August 30 1797 in London, England

b) Death - February 1, 1851 in London, England

c) Highlights - well educated poet and novelist, married Percy Bysshe Shelley

3) Plot Summary

a) Opens with the letters of Captain Robert Walton to his sister

b) Victor Frankenstein born in wealthy household

c) Frankenstein, because of his love of science, produces a monstrous creature

d) Monster rejected by creator, later rejected by other humans

e) Monster becomes hateful, begins spree of terror searching for creator

f) Frankenstein agrees to create partner for monster, sabotages new creation

g) Victor reaches North Pole searching for monster, narrates story to Captain

h) Frankenstein dies, monster appears, vows to destroy self

4) Elements of Fiction

a) Dynamic Characters

i) Victor Frankenstein

(1) Begins wealthy, enthusiastic, curious

(2) personal conflict with ego, conflict with creation

(3) Becomes obsessed with destruction of creation, mirrors somber tone

ii) The Monster

(1) Begins ignorant, outcast

(2) Unwanted, unloved, learns from personal experience with De Lacey's

(3) Becomes obsessive, destructive

b) Tone:

i) Happy during some family moments

ii) Somber, mysterious throughout most of story

iii) Later portion of book feels cold, figurative

c) Imagery:

i) Frequent use of night and darkness, adds to mystery and suspense

ii) Creation described as an "interesting creature," shows both the creature and creators detachment from society

iii) Transition of monster from nurtured by nature to cold hearted murderer represented in transition of setting, ends story in the cold, empty north

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5) Conflict

a) Victor Frankenstein vs. Self

i) Attempts to dodge responsibility for creation

ii) Becomes sick after creating life, understands moral boundaries

iii) Deals with guilt of knowing his creation killed the people he loves

b) Victor Frankenstein vs. Monster

i) Monster attempts to make Victor see consequences of actions

ii) Frankenstein avoids appeasement when attempting to resolve conflict

c) Monster vs. Self

i) Monster struggles with personal identity

ii) Strikes back at Victor who abandoned the monster as an experiment as opposed to embracing the spark of life he created

d) All conflicts underlie theme of "morality vs. science," and responsibility

6) Conclusion

a) Personal appeal, reinforce personal responsibility

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An In Depth Look at Frankenstein

Perhaps influenced by the late Mary Shelley's famous novel, fellow Englishman Josiah Charles Stamp was quoted as saying, "It is easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging our responsibilities." Living during an era nearly 100 years prior to Stamp, a time of rapidly developing technology and ideologies, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley penned the novel Frankenstein, addressing our questions of personal responsibility in changing times. In the Gothic novel Frankenstein, Shelley shows the reader how the human desire to acquire and utilize knowledge and technology can be a double edged sword for humanity, and if not utilized carefully and responsibly, can harm and possibly destroy us.

A number of events throughout Mary Shelley's life can be attributed to having an impact on what would soon be known as her most popular piece of writing, starting at her birth in London in 1797. Born Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, she was the daughter of the philosopher, William Godwin, and his wife, Mary Wollstonecraft, author of A Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792). Mary's mother died shortly after her birth, leaving her progressive and politically savvy father to oversee her education. Complications at birth were common in the women of this family; Mary Shelley would later lose three children all shortly after birth, no doubt impacting Shelley's fear of bringing life into this world (Boyd). Also worth noting, Shelley's relationship with her father grew to be become strained as time passed, which can be seen in some of her early writings (Seymour 57-86). Tensions between Mary and her father further spiked around

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1814 when Mary met and fell in love with Percy Bysshe Shelley, a popular and also well