Frankenstein and Enlightenment
The Danger of Unregulated Thought in Frankenstein

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; Or, the Modern Prometheus, considered by many to be one of the first science-fiction novels written, is rife with anti-Enlightenment undertones. Shelley's novel, first published in 1818 and republished in 1831, examines the roles of science and religion, and provides a commentary on the dangers of playing God. Considering that Mary Shelley was the daughter of two prominent Enlightenment intellectual figures, Mary ollstonecraft and illiam Godwin, it can be argued that Shelley has an insight into the some of the beliefs and arguments of the Enlightenment and can provide a well thought out argument against the movement. Shelley's anti-Enlightenment attitude focuses on the dangers that may arise through unsupervised education, including the exploration of science and the denunciation or tampering of religion, and how it may impact an individual's perspectives and reasoning.

In Frankenstein, Shelley exploits the Victorian fears of…...

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Works Cited

Kant, Immanuel. Was ist Aufklarung? Modern History Sourcebook. Fordham University.

Web.

Kreis, Steven. "Lecture 9: The Triumph of Science and the Heavenly City of the 18th Century

Philosophe." The History Guide: Lectures on Modern European Intellectual History. 4 August 2009. Web.

Frankenstein
An Analysis of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Mary ollstonecraft Shelley wrote in her 1831 introduction to the reprint of Frankenstein that "supremely frightful would be the effect of any human endeavour to mock the stupendous mechanism of the Creator of the world" (x). These words not only indicate the manner of her thought on the night she conceived the idea for her gothic novel, they also reflect, as she notes, the ideas discussed between her husband Percy Shelley and Lord Byron. The two men represented well the doctrines of the Romantic/Enlightenment Age, and the effects of their idealistic creed seem to be personified in Mary Shelley's "Modern Prometheus," a creature whose deformities are despised by its creator. This paper will show how Mary Shelley uses form, theme, character, tone, language and metaphor to convey why Dr. Frankenstein, in his attempt to "recreate" creation, creates instead the basis of Shelley's cautionary tale on…...

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Works Cited

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. London: George Routledge and Sons, 1891. Print.

Her list includes the following:
culture / Nature

reason / Nature

male/female mind/body ( Nature)

master/slave reason/matter (physicality)

rationality/animality ( Nature)

human / Nature (non-human)

civilised/primitive ( Nature)

production/reproduction ( Nature)

self/other

At first glance, this list seems to capture the basic groupings and gender associations that are at work in Mary Shelley's novel. The Creature exemplifies animality, primitiveness, and physicality, whereas Victor represents the forces of civilization, rational production, and culture. Victor is part of a happy family and has prospects of marriage, as opposed to the wild and isolated monster. The Creature is "other," since he is forced outside the human community and is depicted in association with rugged and uncultured Nature. But second consideration should make us pause. I have been contrasting Victor with the monster rather than with a woman like his fiancee, Elizabeth. This sets up a dualism in which the monster is the feminine member of the pair. here does this leave Nature…...

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Works Cited

Fisch, Audrey a. Creature and Creator: Mythmaking and English Romanticism Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984, 103-32.

Gilbert, Susan and Susan Gubar. The Madwoman in the Attic. The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1979.

Knoepflmacher, U.C. Thoughts on the Aggression of Daughters, in the Endurance of Frankenstein, 119.

Lynch, Jack of Rutgers Newark, Eighteenth-Century Resources -- History. Retrieved on Feb 8th, 2012 from http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/18th/history.html

Frankenstein & omanticism
How omanticism is Demonstrated in Frankenstein

In less than six years, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein will be 200 years old. This novel, indicative of the romantic period, is a compelling narrative with numerous themes and vivid imagery to consider. In the context of romanticism, Frankenstein is a worthwhile piece of literature to examine. Literature and art of the romantic period is characterized with an emphasis on intense emotional reactions, specifically emotions such as horror, terror, and awe. These emotions are central to the narrative of Frankenstein. Such emotions act as catalysts in the narrative and they serve to push the story on long after in has begun. This movement is also characterized by a return to the scientific and what is rational. Victor is, among other things, a devoted scientist.

Nicole Smith sees Mary Shelley as an author who retained a deep understanding of romanticism and also sees her as an…...

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References:

Abdelwahed, Said J. "The Gothic, Frankenstein, and the Romantics." Al-Azhar University, Gaza, 1997.

Brown, Marshall (ed). The Cambridge History of Literary Criticism: Volume 5 -- Romanticism. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, 2000.

Fulford, Tim & Peter J. Kitson. Romanticism and Colonialism: Writing and Empire, 1780 -- 1830. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, 1998.

Lynch, Jack. "Eighteenth Century Resources -- Literature." Rutgers University, Newark, 2006. Web. Available from < 2012 January 24.http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/18th/lit.html>

Frankenstein's creation of the monster is rendered as a kind of horrific pregnancy; for example, where a pregnant woman expands with the child she is bearing and usually eats more, Frankenstein wastes away during his work, depriving himself "of rest and health" (Shelley 43). Rather than expressing any kind of paternal (or maternal) love for his creation, Frankenstein recoils, as "breathless horror and disgust filled [his] heart" (Shelley 43). One can quite reasonably view Frankenstein's desire to create life as a kind of twisted mourning, and the fact that his attempts to give birth without any kind of mother reveals the novel's position regarding the absence of a mother.
In short, the novel views the mother as necessary not only for continuing procreation through her blessing regarding future marriage, but also through the mediating role she seems to play in the creation of life. ithout a mother present, Frankenstein recoils…...

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Works Cited

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. Boston: Cornhill Publishing Company, 1922.

Frankenstein
Geneticists are the modern-day versions of Victor Frankenstein, maverick scientists who, in pursuing their personal dreams and ambitions cross over ethical lines. Mary Shelley was deeply concerned about the potential of science to blur humanitarian issues. In her classic novel Frankenstein, Shelley depicts a driven scientist who, for the love of knowledge and power, creates life. The ramifications of what is commonly called "playing God" include an inhumane mistreatment of the creation. In fact, one of the main concerns over cloning today is the real possibility that cloned human beings would certainly be treated as inferior to naturally born humans. Worse, clones human beings who can think, feel, and cry could be used simply for harvesting organs. Therefore, science clearly has the potential to overstep the boundaries of morality, and Mary Shelley saw this far before the human genetic code was solved. In this light, Frankenstein served as a warning…...

However, he also chooses isolation in his desire to explore the North Pole. And yet, to Brannstrom, the character of obert Walton balances Victor Frankenstein who deliberately chooses to isolate himself from society and the creature who longs to belong to society. According to Brannstrom, "Walton is someone who can strive for distinction but at the same time turn back when his actions might harm others."
Tied to the theme of alienation is the theme of belonging. Whereas alienation includes the isolation of the characters and the loneliness that each felt due to the circumstances they found themselves in, belonging includes the need to be part of something and the responsibility of someone to things or persons it brought forth. Central to the theme of belonging is "paternal negligence and the need for responsible creativity" (Hustis par. 1) as illustrated by Victor Frankenstein. Victor can be likened to a father…...

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References

Brannstrom, Carina. An Analysis of the Theme of Alienation in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. (2006). 10 May 2009 <  http://epubl.ltu.se/1402-1773/2006/049/LTU-CUPP-06049-SE.pdf >

Hustis, Harriet. "Responsible creativity and the "modernity" of Mary Shelley's Prometheus.(how Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus reconfigures and modernizes the Prometheus myth)(Critical Essay)." Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900. Rice University. 2003. HighBeam Research. 10 May. 2009 .

Murdarasi, Karen. "Themes in Frankenstein: A Summary of the Major Literary Motifs." Suite101. (26 May 2008). 10 May 2009 .

Pereira, Karen. "Frankenstein as Mary Shelley's Autobiography." Romantic and Gothic Horror. 10 May 2009 <  http://www.stjohns-chs.org/english/karen/karenfrankenstein.html >.

Frankenstein
Although there are many different and related themes in Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, one of the most important themes is that of revenge. The relationship between the title doctor and his creation is a complex one. Dr. Frankenstein created the creature, and so he is like his father. However, this father later abandons the creature. The abandonment causes the creature to dedicate his life to exacting revenge on his "father." hen the creature learns that all human beings find him ugly, he starts to want to take revenge on all of humanity. Yet the human beings in the novel are also interested in revenge. Dr. Frankenstein especially wants revenge on the creature for killing several people. Therefore, revenge is a complex and significant theme in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Revenge is the common ground between the creature and the human beings.

Instead of being angry at himself for animating a corpse without…...

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Works Cited

"Frankenstein Revenge Quotes." Retrieved online:  http://www.shmoop.com/frankenstein/revenge-quotes.html 

"Revenge." Frankenstein. Retrieved online:  http://frankensteinpro.weebly.com/theme.html 

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. Retrieved online:  http://www.gutenberg.org/files/84/84-h/84-h.htm

As his views on society would force him, to use other body parts of common people and it would be the citizens of the village who would suffer Frankenstein's wrath. This is important, because the underlying class struggle, would be used later on (by historians) to draw parallels about similar incidents that were occurring throughout society at the time. A good example of the different Marxist theories can be seen by looking at the times Shelley would grow up. Where, slavery was common throughout the Western Hemisphere. This would influence Shelley, as she would be exposed to freed slaves and would often hear the stories about the escaped slave running into the village. Where, everyone is afraid about what could happen to them, at the hands of this individual. Evidence of this can be seen with the passage in the novel that says, "Am I to be the only…...

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Bibliography

Themes, Motifs and Symbols. Spark Notes, 2010. Web. 24 Oct. 2010.

Bloom, Harold. "Frankenstein's Monster." Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. New York: Chelsea House, 2007. 61 -- 67. Print

Ectric, Ecric. "Frankenstein Factors." Search Warp, 2004. Web. 24 Oct. 2010

Frankenstein's Influence On Science And Medicine
The scientific concepts presented in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein helped introduce the public to concepts that would revolutionize the fields of science and medicine. First published in 1818, Frankenstein examined the role of science and religion, commenting on the dangers of "playing God." Frankenstein has been considered by many to be the first science-fiction novel written, and many of the concepts introduced have been further explored and developed which have led to the implementation of new and radical medical procedures present today.

Shelley exploits Victorian fears of scientific advancement and technology in Frankenstein. Driven by his desire to learn, Victor Frankenstein utilizes his formal and self-taught education to further develop his questions about science and natural philosophy. Frankenstein's thirst for knowledge leads him to study the works of "natural philosophers" such as Cornelius Agrippa, Paracelsus, and Albertus Magnus. Frankenstein states that with the guidance of these philosophers…...

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References

"The History of Transplantation." (2004). The Gift of a Lifetime: Organ & Tissue

Transplantation in America. 11 April 2011. Retrieved from  http://www.organtransplants.org/understanding/history/ .

Lane, J.A. (1994). "History of Genetics Timeline." Access Excellence at the National Health

Museum. 11 April 2011. Retrieved from http://www.accessexcellence.org/AE/AEPC/WWC/1994/geneticstln.php.

The creature grew fond of the family and perceived them to be his protectors. He laboriously studied the family; he learned about their relations to one another, he felt their moods and he practiced their language. He had hoped to be accepted as a member of the family and developed a plan for revealing himself. He decided to first approach the elderly, blind father; the creature hoped to gain the father's friendship and to be introduced to the rest of his family. On finding the father alone one day, the creature approached the cottage and spoke with the father. The father unable to see the creature showed kindness towards him. Unfortunately, the children returned within minutes and upon seeing the creature thought their father was in danger. The few moments of acceptance were quickly turned to rejection. The family immediately vacated the cottage, never to return.
The creature was convinced…...

What Victor is saying is that in order to create a living being from the dead, he must haunt the graveyards like a human ghoul and experiment on live animals to "animate" "lifeless clay," being the deceased remains of human beings. From this admission, it is abundantly obvious that Victor, like Prometheus, sees "clay" as the foundation for creation, a substance which is part of the earth itself and which allows skilled hands to mold it into any shape or form desired.
In Chapter Five of Frankenstein, "on a dreary night of November," Victor describes "the accomplishment of my toils" while surrounded by "the instruments of life." This is the pivotal creation scene in the novel which some scholars have mentioned as having "not enough substance related to exactly how Victor created his monster" (Smith, 256). In this setting, Victor, full of anxiety and fearful of the unknown, attempts to…...

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Bibliography

Prometheus." Theoi Project. Internet. 2007. Retrieved 21 April, 2007 at  http://www.theoi.com/Titan/TitanPrometheus.html 

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus. Philadelphia, PA: Running

Press, 1990.

Smith, Johanna M., Ed. Mary Shelley: Frankenstein. 2nd ed. New York: Bedford/St.

Victor is the perfect example of how the quest for knowledge can be bad for all. Victor abandons his responsibility as a scientist when he becomes self-absorbed and he abandons his responsibility as a scientist and a father when he leaves the monster to die. However, as it is with life, Victor did not consider the law of unintended circumstances in any of his endeavors. hen the monster does not simply go away and die, Victor must face his responsibility. He loses everything important too him for a tiny morsel of fame that was hardly worth it. Frankenstein is also educational because it teaches us about the importance of the human need to feel accepted in one way or another. The creature would not have resorted to a life of crime had someone paid attention to him. His crime is a direct result of his mistreatment from birth forward.…...

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Works Cited

Brackett, Virginia. "Frankenstein." Companion to the British Novel: Beginnings through the

19th Century. 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Information Retrieved May 10,

2009.

Gould, Stephen. "The Monster's Human Nature." Natural History. 1994. EBSCO Resource

Frankenstein-Movie
eading about cloning is very disturbing. Scientists should not try to play God. Messing with the natural cause of life can have unforeseen consequences. They should remember the classic novel by Mary Shelley "Frankenstein." Its premise also explores the theme of creating a living thing. Though Frankenstein is not about cloning, its theme is similar to the events related to cloning.

This movie is not attempting to be a horror movie. Though there were horror movies in that era, this one followed a more human path. However it sets the path for science fiction movies of this genre. Frankenstein's creation is an intriguing character. He is only a freak of nature who has no understanding of his surroundings and what he is doing there. The movie directed by James Whale is one of the best versions of Mary Shelley's Goth tale.

Dr Henry Frankenstein played by Colin Clive is one of the…...

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References

Review of Frankenstein (1931), Tim Dirks, 1996 ( http://www.filmsite.org/fran.html )

Crazy for Cinema, 2002 (http://crazy4cinema.com/Review/FilmsF/f_frank31.html)

If you reanimate dead flesh then how do you kill it?
Victor, on his death bed, intones to his new friend the Captain of the discovery vessel that ambition in science should be kept in check, even if that means death in anonymity. He first intones that he regrets that he is dying while the beast still lives and then warns the captain to keep his ambition in check.

That he should live to be an instrument of mischief disturbs me; in other respects, this hour, when I momentarily expect my release, is the only happy one which I have enjoyed for several years. The forms of the beloved dead flit before me and I hasten to their arms. Farewell, alton! Seek happiness in tranquillity and avoid ambition, even if it be only the apparently innocent one of distinguishing yourself in science and discoveries. Yet why do I say this? I…...

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Works Cited

Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. Frankenstein or, the Modern Prometheus. New York: Collier Books, 1961.

I. Introduction
A. Hook: Have you ever wondered about the mysterious allure of gothic fashion?
B. Background information: Explain what gothic fashion is and its origins.
C. Thesis statement: This essay will explore the elements of a gothic wardrobe and the reasons why it has captivated individuals throughout history.

II. Elements of a Gothic Wardrobe
A. Dark colors: Discuss the significance of black as the predominant color in gothic fashion.
B. Layering: Examine how layering allows gothic fashion enthusiasts to create a dramatic and mysterious look.
C. Fabrics: Analyze the importance of materials such as velvet, lace, and leather....

I. Introduction
A. Overview of the novel Frankenstein
B. Explanation of the nature vs. nurture debate
C. Thesis statement: The monster in Frankenstein is influenced by a combination of both nature and nurture factors

II. Nature's influence on the monster
A. Creation of the monster by Victor Frankenstein
1. Genetic makeup and physical appearance
2. Inherent qualities and instincts
B. Lack of societal influence and guidance
1. Isolation and abandonment
2. Limited exposure to human interaction

III. Nurture's influence on the monster
A. Relationship with the De Lacey family
1. Learning language and communication skills
2. Developing emotions and empathy
....

Outline: The Influences of Nature vs. Nurture on the Monster in Frankenstein

I. Introduction

Hook: Begin with a captivating statement about the monster in Frankenstein and its enigmatic nature.
Thesis statement: State the argument that both nature (genetics, biology) and nurture (environment, experiences) play significant roles in shaping the monster's character and behavior.

II. The Role of Nature

Genetic Influence:
Discuss the monster's unique physical and intellectual abilities as a product of his artificial creation.
Consider the potential role of Victor Frankenstein's own genetic characteristics.
Biological Drives:
Analyze the monster's basic instincts, such as his need for companionship, food, and shelter.
Explain....

I. Introduction
A. Explanation of the concept of alienation
B. Brief overview of Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein
C. Thesis statement: In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley explores the theme of alienation through the experiences of the characters, particularly Victor Frankenstein and his creation.

II. Alienation of Victor Frankenstein
A. Victor's isolation from society due to his obsession with creating life
B. Victor's alienation from his family and friends as a result of his secretive and questionable experiments
C. Victor's self-imposed alienation as he becomes consumed by guilt and fear of his creation

III. Alienation of the Creature
A. The Creature's physical isolation from society due to his monstrous appearance
B. The Creature's....