FRQ FRANKENSTEIN
WHY IS IT A FRAME STORY
-ALLOW THE READER TO GAIN DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES OF CHARACTERS -BRINGS SUSPENSE, FROM BEGINNING, FLASHBACK AND PRESENT IN LETTERS -VICTOR AND WALTON FOILS
fc and f mirrrors
. Frankenstein and the Creature do not share a blood relationship and they appear to be completely different people. Yet when we analyze their personalities, one could come to the conclusion that they are a mirror image of each other. First of all, they both share a strong love of knowledge, but they can't control their obsession with it so it often results in something negative. Victor Frankenstein becomes obsessed with the science of the natural world and life. He becomes obsessed to such an extreme degree that he creates the Creature, his biggest mistake. The Creature on the other hand because obsessed with humans. He observes a family and becomes obsessed with learning about them. He learns that humans are shallow, judgmental and superficial. He concludes that he will never be loved by humans for his appearance and fosters a sort of hate for humans. He then proceeds to go on a murderous rampage that was a result of that hate. Another common interest is their love of nature. They both admire nature for its serenity and beauty, often retreating into it when they need to relax. Their ways of describing nature with such deep emotions shows the fondness they feel for it. On another level, their reactions to certain events share a similarity. For example, when the Creature lost his wife to be, he reacted violently. He threatened Frankenstein and then materialized his threats when he murdered Elizabeth and Harry. After the murder of Elizabeth and Harry, Frankenstein reacted with anger too. He stated he had never once hated someone with such a passion and vows revenge. They both love humans. The Creatures love can be seen through how he saved the little girl apart from being rejected by the family he so dearly adored. When Frankenstein would find out about another murder, he would immediately think about his other family and hope they were well. Also, when Frankenstein lost his family he was done, claiming to be the most wretched man alive and his sole purpose at that point was no longer to live because he had lost the reasons he had to live; his purpose now was to get revenge. These things also prove how they are easily influenced by bad influences and when they are hurt they are capable of committing acts of violence.
Creation archetype
. Victor Frankenstein's creation has become the archetypal monster of literature and movies. "...but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same color as the dun white sockets in which they were set, his shriveled complexion and straight black lips."
Rime of Ancient Mariner?
Both are about knowledge. Frankenstein is addicted to knowledge in his younger years leading to his creation. The mariner is cursed by knowledge because he must enlighten people on his desolate tale such as the wedding guest. This brings up the Prometheus factor because they both went past the bounds that humans should go....Victor with the creature and the Mariner with killing the albatross. Another key factor is their desolation. Victor is constantly tormented by his guilt and becomes ill and disconnected from the world. This is extremely apparent when he is creating the monster; he is paranoid and unsociable. The Mariner is obviously very alone because eventually all his ship mates drop dead and he is left alive to be tormented. There is a nature aspect in both. Shelley goes into great detail when Henry and Victor are traveling the European countryside. And obviously, the Rime of the Ancient Mariner has a predilection towards nature. The ocean, water snakes, the albatross, which pretty much leads to the main idea which is the appreciation of nature.
Tintern Abbey?
Clerval, like the speaker, almost has an appetite for nature and simply revels in the joy of being with nature. Thus, the poem highlights Clerval's passion for nature. By including a poem, the emotions of the speaker become reflected in Clerval. But then, just as the older speaker differs from his younger self, Victor differs from Clerval. Although Victor isn't physically older than Clerval, Victor is mentally older because he has gone to college and has definitely experienced the darker aspects of life. While Victor does appreciate nature, he doesn't love it with the same passion that Clerval does. By making the parallels and connections between the two poems, I see how Victor's burdens make him so different from the inexperienced Clerval. The passage in which the Tintern Abbey is used is surrounded by Victor's description of his friend, Henry Clerval. Of how connected to nature Henry is, and how at home he seems in it. Henry is not loner type of fellow, in fact Shelley makes it a point at other times to express how much more social Henry is then Victor. So Henry's affiliation with nature is not the same as the solitude Victor seeks in it.
What does fire symbolize in Frankenstein
DESTRUCTION -BURN DOWN HOME -ANGER, SELF DESTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE -CREATE CIVILIZATION, WITH FIRE BECOMES CREATOR
Books (Paradise Lost, history) significance
From the history of the cottagers, the creature learns to admire virtue and despise vice. His education is greatly furthered by his discovery of an abandoned leather satchel, in which he finds three books: Milton's Paradise Lost, Plutarch's Lives, and Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther. He regards these books as his treasures, and they are of infinite importance to him: they alternately transport him to the highest ecstasy and cause him the most crushing despair. The creature is enthralled with Werther's meditations upon death and suicide; with Plutarch's elevated regard for the heroes of past generations; and with the grand themes presented in Paradise Lost. He reads all of the books as though they were true histories, and regards Milton's story of the struggle between God and his creations as completely factual. In his mind, the biblical story defines his own. He does not see himself as Adam, however, but as Satan: unlike Adam, he is alone, without a Creator to protect him or an Eve to sustain him. He is full of envy, wretched, and utterly an outcast.
Modern Prometheus
Prometheus' relation to the novel can be interpreted in a number of ways. The Titan in the Greek mythology of Prometheus parallels Victor Frankenstein. Victor's work by creating man by new means reflects the same innovative work of the Titan in creating humans. Victor, in a way, stole the secret of creation from God just as the Titan stole fire from heaven to give to the man. Both the Titan and Victor get punished for their actions. Victor is reprimanded by suffering the loss of those close to him and having the dread of himself getting killed by his creation.
why are there so many references to frankenstein in paradise lost
The most critical aspect of Frankenstein that Paradise Lost contributes to is the confusion of identity throughout the story. Although there are many parallels between Paradise Lost and Frankenstein, the most significant connection between the two is that of the monster as both Adam and Satan. Through the conflicting roles of Adam and Satan, Paradise Lost with Frankenstein mainly represents the confusion of the Monster's identity and whether he is truly a monster or just misunderstood. his is a question posed by Adam to his creator, God, in Paradise Lost and represents Adam's confusion and uncertainty of why he was created. Adam questions his existence as well as his view of his creator this couldn't be a more fitting way to compare the monster to Adam. In Frankenstein, the monster actually reads Paradise Lost and states that he greatly compares the story to his own situation and this quote foreshadows the monster's inner conflict. Adam's question is the most important allusion in comparing the monster to Adam because, like Adam, he is uncertain as to why he was created and why he had been created with no tie to any other being in existence. The two are both alone and at the mercy of their creators and out of uncertainty both Adam and Satan are unsure of whether they are good or evil in nature, or better yet what good and evil even are. With that being said, there were many differences between Adam and the monster regarding their creations that add even more questions of why Victor created him.
Victor archetype
archetype of a creator god. archetypal mad scientist Victor states, "After days and nights of incredible labor and fatigue, I succeeded in discovering the cause of generation and life; nay, more, I became myself capable of bestowing animation upon lifeless matter."
why so many different versions of frankenstein
different genres can be displayed concept of horror changes over time ex: -LOVE from Clerval/Elizabeth -HORROR AND HATE from creation -SCIENCE FICTION
Elizabeth archetype
virtuous, passive woman. Shelly describes Elizabeth's reaction to Caroline's death when she states, "She (Elizabeth) veiled her grief, and strove to act the comforter to us all."
