In chapter 10 of ‘Frankenstein’, we are able to see the ruthless nature of Victor’s character through Shelley’s use of language. During Victor’s very first discussion with the monster, Frankenstein says “Begone! I will not hear you. There can be no community between you and me; we are enemies. Begone, or let us try our strength in a fight, in which one must fall.” The duality of Victor can be seen here as in the beginning of the novel, Victor was a committed man who followed the dream of what he loved to give his family the very best.
But they also have similarities. First of all it’s philosophical works, they help us to start thinking. It is said that: “good question is half the answer” and this books ask us this good question. The main question, which Mary Shelley posed in her book, it’s alienation from your family, your friends and all society as whole. First of all lets discuss what is alienation and how we understand this term.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein can easily be interpreted through the lens of Freud’s theories of Psychoanalysis, albeit the obvious psychological implications evident in Shelley’s novel. Shelley’s work can be viewed as a commentary on the internal struggle of the psyche (between the Id, Ego, and superego)—but also the greater struggle and tension between the psyche and the greater Society (Civilization). Both Frankenstein and his monster highlight Freud’s theories of the “Pleasure Principle”, Taboo/Incest, Society vs. the Ego (Self), Phallic symbolism, Childhood and the Oedipus Complex, and repression. In the beginning of Frankenstein’s narration, he tells the story of his father who becomes like a “Protecting spirit to the poor child, who committed herself to his care”. This can be viewed as a incestuous relationship, because Frankenstein first takes in young Caroline into his care as a father figure but soon “after the interment of his friend he conducted her to Geneva, and placed her under the protection of a relation.
Analyse how Frankenstein and Blade Runner imaginatively portray individuals who challenge the established values of their times.. Despite being created 200 years apart, the novel ‘Frankenstein’ by Mary Shelley and the film ‘Blade Runner’ by Ridley Scott both imaginatively portray individuals who challenge the established value of their times. Using film techniques in Blade runner and using literary devices in Frankenstein, characters such as Victor, Walton, Tyrel and Deckard all question the act towards the “normal” social attainment of their time including creation. As a building requires a builder, creation demands a creator; it is through creation we have a glimpse of power and wisdom. In the novel ‘Frankenstein’ By Marry Shelley, we see that she puts forward the theme in the novel that knowledge is dangerous and cannot be trusted with too much power.
Randel develops meaning behind the places of Ingolstadt and the Northern Lights, Geneva, England and Scotland, Ireland and Evian to prove his thesis of the importance of political geography. He often refers back to the French revolution and uses that to compare to Shelley’s portrayal of her opinions on the political geography of each place. Randel believes that the tale Frankenstein is a metaphor for the French Revolution. Throughout the essay Randel is associating Frankenstein, Frankenstein’s monster and the victims of Frankenstein’s monster to people like Jean-Jacques Rousseau, King Charles I, Lord Viscount Falkland, and John Hampden—all of which are big contributors to the French Revolution. Although Randel puts forth some peculiar evidence, he is able to explain and utilize historical facts to further strengthen his argument.
The role of the monster is deprived in a variety of different ways throughout gothic fiction and images of the monster can be found in writings by the prophetic historian and social commentator Thomas Carlyle, 1795-1881, both in The French Revolution, 1837, and in his many comments on the growing strength and articulation of the mass of industrial workers and their increasing political demands. The novelist Charles Dickens, 1812-1870, inherited from his reading of Carlyle a strong sense that society was becoming mechanized so that people were beginning to be transformed into a robotic state. In Mary Shelley’s book Frankenstein, 1818, creates a phenomenal creature which makes the reader question humanity and the way people are treated. The monster although uneducated becomes eloquent and brave but is still seen as an outcast due to his grotesque appearance and the fact he has had no parenting. The French Revolution, which began in 1789, resulted in the overthrow of the French monarchy and ultimately helped Napoleon Bonaparte to seize control in 1799.
Shaped by their distinctly different contexts, Shelley and Scott strive to convey this notion, through bold cinematic and literary techniques, characterisation and themes, of the fatal path humanity has placed itself on. Mary Shelley’s seminal novel, Frankenstein 1818, is a moral fable combining conflicting paradigms of Romantic idealism and Enlightenment rationalism. Shelley delves into these ideologies in a classic gothic horror story that presents the unequivocal issues concerning the ethics and consequences of the pursuit of knowledge and scientific experimentation. Influenced by the increasing popularity of galvanism, Shelley effectively illustrates her apprehensions through the character development of Victor Frankenstein and his juxtaposition against nature. Victor admits his deep desire for ‘immortally and power’ through ‘penetrating the secrets of nature’, which is manifested in his technological innovation of the creature, highlighting the extreme yet realistic potential for technology to create human life.
Whilst texts may be fictitious constructs of composers’ imaginations, they also explore and address the societal issues of their eras. This is clearly the case with Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, which draws upon the rise of Galvanism and the Romantic Movement of the 1800’s, as well as Ridley Scott’s film Blade Runner, reflecting upon the increasing technological advances and the predominance of capitalism within the late 20th Century. Despite their differing contexts, Shelley and Scott ultimately warn us of the dire consequences of our desire for supremacy and scientific progress, concepts which link the two texts throughout time. Composed in a time of major scientific developments, including Galvani’s concept of electricity as a reanimating source, Shelley’s “Frankenstein” utilises the creative arrogance of the Romantic imagination to create a Gothic world in which the protagonist’s acquisition of the divine privilege of creation has derailed the conventional lines of authority and responsibility. Her warning of the dangers of such actions is encapsulated within Victor’s concerning words of “how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge”, whilst Shelley’s use of a fragmented epistolatory narrative adds a disturbing sense of truth and realism, foreshadowing the dark consequences of Frankenstein’s actions.
Allusions: Deepening the Reader’s Thoughts An allusion is a rhetorical device that makes a reference to a literary work that is outside the text being read. Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein provides many examples of literary devices, including allusions. Allusions are also used to further explain things that normally would have insufficient information in the text itself. Whether it's another novel, poem, or myth, Shelley’s utilization of allusions relates the characters in Frankenstein to the characters in the referenced works, deepening the reader's understanding. The complete title of Shelley's unique book is Frankenstein: Or, The Modern Prometheus.
This rethinking is achieved by Shelley’s engaging and simultaneously challenging the typical romantic tropes, which results in the production of a novel that is “more complex than we had earlier thought” (Goodall 19). The introduction of Gothic elements to Frankenstein questions the facile assumptions of romanticism, thereby redefining and contextualizing the romantic text. In short, the argument can be made that through Frankenstein, Shelley not only engages with Romanticism,she exceeds much of what her contemporaries were writing by taking the movement one step further. Before discussing this aspect of Shelley’s work, it is necessary to lay forth the ideological groundwork underlying Romanticism as a literary movement. The romantic period was characterized by a marked departure from the ideas and techniques of the literary period that preceded it, which was more scientific and rational in nature.