Concetti Chiave
- Mary Shelley, daughter of William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft, was well-educated in languages and literature, which influenced her writing career.
- Mary Shelley met Percy Shelley in 1812, and their relationship inspired her to write Frankenstein during a trip to Lake Geneva in 1816.
- Frankenstein is an epistolary novel, featuring a complex narrative structure with three different narrators offering varied perspectives.
- The novel explores themes of societal reaction to diversity, as the monster's initial goodness is corrupted by human rejection and fear.
- Frankenstein raises ethical questions about the limits of science, as the protagonist challenges divine power by creating life through scientific means.
Mary Shelley's early life
Mary Shelley, born in
Her father was William Godwin, who knew Coleridge, and her mother was the famous writer Mary Wollstonecraft. She studied history, literature and the Bible and she learned Latin, French and Italian and Greek.
In 1812 Mary met Percy Shelley for the first time. In 1814 they fell in love.
In May 1816 Mary, Percy and their son traveled to Lake Geneva. While there Mary was inspired to write the novel Frankenstein: in fact Byron, Percy and Mary decided to do a competition: each one had to write a horror story. Frankenstein was published in 1818. Mary Shelley in 1851.
Frankenstein's narrative structure
Frankenstein has a complex plot because Mary introduced an innovation in narrative techniques: the work is an epistolary novel, so it is made using letters. Furthermore there are 3 narrators, so 3 points of view:
• Frankenstein refers what the monster thinks;
• Frankenstein also narrates his story to Walton;
• Walton narrates the story of Frankenstein and of the monster to his sister.
So, the story of the monster is inside Frankenstein’s story, which is inside Walton’s version of the facts. This scheme is called
Themes in Frankenstein
Shelley explains that when the monster has been created, he was good: it was men's reactions to him that made him bad. In fact Frankenstein when saw the monster, refused his creation as a father refuses his son. So, the badness of the monster is in part justified.
The work is a Gothic novel, but Shelley talked also about the society’s reaction to diversity and about science: Frankenstein studied how to give life to the monster: he assembled the best parts of different dead bodies and gave life to his creation through electricity. Science has allowed Frankenstein to create life, a task that belongs only to God. So Frankenstein challenged God.
Shelley has also put an ethical question in front of the readers: which should be the limits of science?
Domande da interrogazione
- What inspired Mary Shelley to write "Frankenstein"?
- How is the narrative structure of "Frankenstein" unique?
- What are the central themes explored in "Frankenstein"?
Mary Shelley was inspired to write "Frankenstein" during a trip to Lake Geneva in 1816, where she, Percy Shelley, and Lord Byron decided to have a competition to write a horror story. This setting and challenge sparked the creation of her famous novel.
"Frankenstein" features a complex narrative structure as an epistolary novel, utilizing letters and three different narrators. The story is layered with the monster's tale within Frankenstein's story, which is further encapsulated by Walton's account to his sister.
"Frankenstein" explores themes such as the societal reaction to diversity, the ethical limits of science, and the consequences of playing God. The novel questions the morality of scientific advancement and highlights how the monster's initial goodness was corrupted by human rejection.
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