‘Frankenstein Is Not Merely Intended to Entertain; There Are Messages Shelley Wants the Reader to Recognise.’

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‘Frankenstein is not merely intended to entertain; there are messages Shelley wants the reader to recognise.’ Mary Shelley did not just write ‘Frankenstein’ to entertain the audience but there are certain morals that she wants the readers to be understand; in particular, the pursuit of knowledge and responsibility. Knowledge is power but it can also be dangerous in the wrong hands. Everyone is responsible for their own actions and certain roles expect certain responsibilities. ‘Frankenstein’ was written as a result of a proposal by Lord Byron. Shelley and some others were to write and tell a horror story. At the time, a doctor called Darwin was doing an experiment. He was said to have preserved a piece of vermicelli in a glass case until it moved by itself. This made Mary think that maybe life could be given to a corpse. Thus ‘Frankenstein’ was written following a vivid nightmare she had after talking about the experiment. As mentioned before, at the time the book was written, there were technological advances. This made everyone hungry for knowledge, some people purely because they wanted to become famous like Darwin. This was the case for Walton (the narrator).He wanted to be remembered as one of the greatest explorers known to man; ‘I shall satiate my ardent curiosity with the sight of a part of the world never before visited, and may tread a land never before imprinted by the foot of man.’ He believed that he had knowledge and that his quest to find more knowledge would end in prosperity. He said in his letter; ‘But success shall crown my endeavours.’ Victor Frankenstein also wanted knowledge; ‘It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn...’ He wanted to have fame and fortune and to also be remembered by the future generations. There is no harm in seeking knowledge to have fame but both Victor and Walton wanted the
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