Mary Shelley's life
What was the main event in her teenage life?
She eloped to France with the Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley.
T/F the Gothic architectural style's definitive feature is the pointed arch
True!
Where is Robert Walton, the explorer, going to at the beginning of the story?
He is on an expedition to the North Pole
What is the name of the creature ?
Frankenstein's monster
How can you define the narrative structure?
Epistolary
Embedded narrative (a story in the story)
What did Shelley's father do?
What is the setting characterised by?
It is characterised by obscurity and uncertainty, and horror, caused by evil and atrocity; night and darkness, mysterious, gloomy atmosphere;
ancient settings: isolated castles and mysterious abbeys with hidden passages, underground cellars, secret rooms.
Who is Victor Frankenstein?
A Swiss scientist.
Who do people think wrote Frankenstein?
What is the role of Science?
The latest scientific theories of chemistry and electricity influenced Mary Shelley.
Where did she write Frankenstein?
The writing of Frankenstein took place at Villa Diodati, on the banks of Lake Geneva.
What defines Gothic architecture
is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century
Who is taken aboard and tells his story?
Robert Walton.
Why did Zeus punish Prometheus?
For creating fire and helping humans advance
What are the literary influences?
Rousseau
Gothic stories
The myth of Prometheus
What did Shelley's mother do?
Feminist Activist
What are the gothic elements of Frankenstein?
The setting:
The Arctic / ice landscapes – desolate, cold, isolated, and dangerous.
Victor’s laboratory – secretive, eerie, and filled with scientific horrors.
The Swiss Alps, mountains, and forests – natural beauty mixed with isolation and danger.
Atmosphere / Mood
of gloom, suspense, and dread.
The novel frequently describes storms, darkness, and cold that mirror the characters’ inner turmoil.
Victor’s obsessive experiments create a sense of horror and foreboding.
The Creature’s presence introduces unease, mystery, and fear.
Supernatural / Science as Gothic Horror
The creation of life from dead bodies
The Creature – an unnatural being that evokes fear, revulsion, and the unknown.
Lightning and storms – symbolize uncontrollable power and serve as Gothic motifs.
Victor is tormented by guilt and obsession.
The Creature experiences loneliness, abandonment, and rage.
Characters suffer from isolation and secrecy.
Isolation
Victor isolates himself in his laboratory to create the Creature.
The Creature is socially isolated, rejected by humans.
Arctic landscapes emphasize complete physical isolation.
Themes of Death and Decay
Victor uses dead body parts to create life.
The novel explores death, mourning, and the consequences of tampering with nature.
Gothic fascination with decay mirrors Victor’s moral and emotional decay.
The Sublime
Alpine vistas, glaciers, and storms evoke awe and fear simultaneously.
Nature mirrors human emotion and intensifies horror.
Doppelgänger / Duality
Victor and the Creature reflect creator vs creation, highlighting moral and psychological consequences.
The Creature embodies Victor’s fears, guilt, and ambition.
What happens at the end?
Frankenstein dies on Walton’s ship, wishing he had killed his creation. The monster, upon seeing his creator’s dead body, disappears into the Arctic declaring that he will kill himself.
How does the scientist create the monster?
Using dead body parts
List three themes.
1. The quest for forbidden knowledge
2. The double
3. Social prejudices
Why did people think that Mary Shelley's husband wrote Frankenstein?
Because he wrote the introduction.... long with people didn't think women could write gothic books
What are 5 elements of a Gothic Novel?
Setting in a castle, in mysterious abbeys, ...
An atmosphere of mystery and suspens
Supernatural or otherwise inexplicable events.
High emotion
Women in distress (heroine) and a villain
What did Frankenstein create?
A human being by combining parts he had taken from corpses.
How do you connect Frankenstein to Prometheus
Victor Frankenstein is like Prometheus because he creates life and suffers for it.
To whom does Walton write letters?
His sister, Margaret Walton Saville.