Victorian age e nozioni

During the Victorian age, there was the so-called ‘’Victorian compromise’’, that came from the utilitarian philosophy; it was introduced by some philosophers, in particular by Bentham, who claimed that everything had to be judged according to its utility; the aim of this philosophy was to create a material happiness. In fact, it brought competition and explotation in society. However, the Victorian establishment refused to accept the existence of a materialistic philosophy, so it tried to cover the negative aspects of society under a veil of respectability.

During the 19th century, the woman condition started to improve. In particular, in the middle of this century, women started to have access to colleges and professions and they also influenced the society with their philantrophic work, thanks to the single voices of protest of Mary Wollstonecraft’s ‘’A Vindication of the Rights of woman’’ and Stuart Mill’s ‘’The Subjection of woman’’. During the Victorian age, two important steps were taken: the first colleges or women and the law, that allowed women to have a property after their marriage. At the end of the 19th century, women started to take a degree and work like nurses, doctors, or journalists. They could vote in 1918 for the first time.

‘’Frankenstein’’ can be defined a gothic novel, because it is characterized by an atmosphere of suspense and danger, expressed, for example, at the beginning of the text ‘’The creation of the monster’’, when Mary Shelley describes the setting and the time; they are mysterious and frightening. ‘’Frankenstein’’ can be also defined a purpose novel, because it is written to diffuse a particular idea: the criticism of the wrong use of the science; in fact sometimes it can cause horrible damages. In the text ‘’The creation of the monster’’ this is expressed by Dr. Frankenstein, who regretted he ever created a terrible corpse.