Victor mentions the “sublime shapes of the mountains” in the chapter before the creature kills Elizabeth on their wedding night. This chapter is interesting structurally because it uses sublime settings to restore a sense of ease to Victor, before the next chapter shatters his false sense of security. However, while the use of sublime settings is sometimes used positively to reflect the beauty and power of nature as well as Victor’s mood, it is also used by Shelley to highlight Victor’s isolation – another example of how it is impossible to say whether places or characters are more important because they both co-operate in Gothic literature. Shelley uses the sea in particular as a place that reflects Victor’s anguish, isolation and nature as a tormented Gothic protagonist. At one point Victor states, “I looked upon the sea; it was to be my grave”.
People are, in theory, all bound to a certain set of natural laws and moral codes and country rules, and part of the Romantic dogma is to break free of these bounds. This is precisely what Victor was attempting to do with his reanimation experiments: “Life and death appeared to me ideal bounds, which I should first break through, and pour a torrent of light into our dark world,” (M. Shelley 52) he says, further cementing his existence as a Romantic character. Mary Shelley was a self-professed lover of Coleridge, especially his poem, “Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner,” so it comes by no surprise that she also has references to his poem “The Eolian Harp,” which is another topic breached by several of the Romantic poets because of its place in classical poetry as well. The poem grants the idea of somewhat of a breeze of inspiration playing on the heart of the subject (Coleridge). Shelley takes this idea into her novel in several places, and means it as a breeze of discovery, not just as a breeze of inspiration.
The idea of doubling is a central theme in Mary Shelley’s gothic novel Frankenstein. This theme reveals itself in a variety of ways, predominantly with the parallels between Frankenstein and his creature, but it also is apparent from the dualities in other characters, the language and images used and in the structure and form of the novel itself. Victor Frankenstein and the physical creature are the most obvious example of doubling. One way in which Shelley shows how the two are a reflection of each other is through the therapeutic way nature affects their souls. Early on in the novel during his nervous breakdown Frankenstein he says that the ‘season contributed greatly to my convalescence.’ This soothing effect nature has on the mind is replicated when the creature, after having endured a hellish, bitterly cold winter alone, finds that ‘spring cheered even’ him, inducing feelings of ‘gentleness and pleasure’.
Blade Runner Essay Question: In what ways does a comparative study accentuate the distinctive contexts of Frankenstein and Blade Runner? Answer: Through texts composers have been able to highlight and examine key ideas relative to their specific context. A text has the ability to bring to the forefront its contextual ideas in a engaging manner. In Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein the context is highlighted through 19th century ideas of Gothicism and Romanticism in an entertaining but concerning manner. Additionally, Ridley Scott’s feature film Blade Runner depicts a dystopian world devastated by capitalism, greed and technology which were primary concerns in the context of the 1980’s.
The concepts of beauty and monstrosity are two of the sub-topics that are discussed within Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein over the course of the story. The ideas and views of attractiveness and hideousness are shown mainly through the eyes of the central character, Victor Frankenstein. As Frankenstein interacts with the other characters around him, he observes the physical aspects of what he sees and makes an assumption off of the person’s appearance. He assumes that a person’s outward form determines how he or she behaves on the inside. Due to his assumption, Frankenstein either treats others agreeably or treats them poorly depending on how they appear on the outside.
Essay of “Of Mice and Men” The novel and film version of “Of Mice and Men” written by John Steinbeck and directed by Gary Sinise, both encompass similarities through the plot and differences through the use of various techniques communication powerful ideas to the responder, whilst portraying the same plot through the two different texts. Through the different techniques used, such as language features used in the novel and the visual features used in the film, both provide the responder with a different picture coming from two different angles, but still maintaining their similarities. The opening of both versions of “Of Mice and Men” introduce to the responder the two main characters, George and Lennie, as well as the setting of both texts.
Another real-life example can be seen in the settlers during the colonization of America. The people in each example all have varied reasons for their questioning, but they all share one significant motive – their relentless curiosity. In the 1818 novel Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley, the first character the reader
Context affects our perceptions of how the texts are received over time. How has your understanding of Frankenstein and Blade Runner been influenced by knowledge of context? Over periods of time, the reception of texts varies as a result of historical events and changing schools of thought. Knowledge of context is crucial in perceiving and understanding the texts Frankenstein and Blade Runner, and to also appreciate their value as didactic tales. Common thematic concerns that run throughout both texts include science, retribution and monstrosity.
Dickens plays with these characters’ emotions and interactions to show us veritable instances of friendship and love. Dictionary.com defines love as ‘a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person’ (www.dictionary.com). It also says that the word love itself comes from Olde Englishe, originating in the year 900 A.D. The bible demonstrates, through Adam and Eve, that love has always existed but it wasn’t until that time that the linguists found a proper term to describe it. The author doesn’t think that the above definition of love is adequate.
Within the occupation of Hitler in Nazi Germany, author Susan Bartoletti recalls, “Though Sophie knew the correct National Socialistic answer to every question, she soon found herself unwilling to give her teachers the answers they wanted but she felt were wrong” (Bartoletti). Soon realizing that the national socialist views conflicted with her own, Sophie did her best to stay committed to her own morals, which overall benefited her mental health by strengthening her resolve. Sophie was also able to healthily cope by confiding her brother, Hans, which aided her in the struggle. The results based on a study done in 2004 in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology showed, “Greater feelings of authenticity were also shown to