Frankenstein Kendall Steen, Sarah Eyler, Kiersten Deatherage, Aden McConnell

Mary Shelley: ● Born August 30, 1797 in London England ● Married poet Percy Bysshe Shelley in 1816 ● Published Frankenstein two years later in 1818 ● Suffered the loss of three children with Percy Bysshe Shelley, only one child survived to adulthood ● Percy Bysshe Shelley drowned in 1822 ● Wrote other works ○ Valperga (1823) ○ The Last Man (1826) ○ Lodore (autobiographical 1835) ○ Mathilde (post-death) ● Died of brain cancer on February 1, 1851 in London England Author Bio

● 19th Century: ○ Romanticism: political and social revolt, attraction to the supernatural, the morbid, and the cruel ● Other Influences: ○ Darwin and his religious views ○ The Industrial Revolution ○ the British Empire’s expanding wealth and influence Historical/Social context

VICTOR: protagonist/ narrator, discovers the secret of life and creates a grotesque monster, keeps monster a secret and feels ashamed of his creation THE MONSTER: Victor’s creation, intelligent, attempts to integrate himself into human social patterns, feels compelled to seek revenge against Victor ROBERT WALTON: seaman whose letters open and close the book, nurses Victor back to health and listens to his story ELIZABETH LAVENZA: orphan adopted by the Frankensteins, married Victor, killed by monster HENRY CLERVAL: Victor’s friend, follows in Victor’s footsteps as a scientist Character Discriptions

Victor Frankenstein is a scientist who has discovered the secret to life. He creates a grotesque monster and later feels ashamed of it. The monster is intelligent and attempts to integrate himself into human social patterns. After being abandoned by Victor, the monster seeks revenge on his creator and wreaks havoc in Geneva. Plot Summary

Dangerous knowledge- while knowledge can be good, thirst for knowledge beyond human limitations can be dangerous. Nature- nature within the text offers peace and spiritual renewal to the characters. Victor finds himself calmed when he ventures through nature, but this feeling fades as he realizes the consequences of creating something that “went against” nature. Almost like he is being punished by nature itself for his creation. Monstrosity- one is a “monster” not only because of their physical appearance, but also because of unjust means of creation. Victor himself can be identified as a monster, because his selfishness alienates him from society. Major Themes

The narrative style in Frankenstein can be described as a multiple narrative, where the plot is told from the points of view of several characters. This way the author is able to fully encompass the storyline and plot through the multitude of characters. The story is told through the words of Walton, the man who wrote the four letters in the beginning of the book. Walton is describing the story told to him by Victor, and victor at times speaks through the view of the creature, thus creating the multiple narratives. Narrative Styles

1.Danger of not raising children properly: If one abandons their creation, then the creator will ultimately pay the price. 2.“Modern Prometheus”: Three central male characters strive for greatness and fail. This failure is said to be what happens when men try to “create” without women. 3.The monster as a mirror: Victor’s monstrosity is reflected in his creation. The desire to destroy the monster can be seen as Victor’s way of trying to destroy the existence of that part of himself. Common Interpretations

SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on Frankenstein.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC Web. 24 Apr "Preface" Frankenstein: Literary Touchstone Classic Prestwick House 2005 eNotes.com 29 Apr, 2015 Works Cited