2. major characters Victor Frankenstein
The Monster—also referred to as the Daemon (pronounced as demon) or the Creature…not Frankenstein
Captain Walton—narrates the outer frame of this frame story

3. Motifs and Symbols Motifs: objects, events, that reoccur throughout the story
Nature
Biblical
Fire and Ice
Light
Satan
Adam and Eve

4. Fire & ice The monster discovers power of fire
FIRE = Knowledge
ICE = Discovery
The monster discovers power of fire
A reference to Greek myth of Prometheus
Monster burns to death at end of story
Wants to discover new route
Captain Walton explores the arctic circle
Ice almost crushes Walton’s ship

5. light Equals knowledge
Captain Walton pursues “Country of eternal light.”…“where the sun is always visible.”
The natural world is a place of dark secrets, hidden passages, and unknown mechanisms; the goal of the scientist is then to reach light.
Victor's interest in "real" science dates from the moment he sees lightening destroy a tree.
The light of science is good until you get too close—or pursue it too far.

6. Satan The most arrogant and favored of all angels, as the story goes…
Lost favor with God/Creator
Damned to Hell
“…would rather reign in hell than serve in heaven…”
Monster identifies with Satan

7. Adam & eve
The first man, created in his image, the first woman created from his—Adam’s rib…
Temptation
Lose favor with God
Monster identifies with Adam and Eve…he loses favor with his creator

8. LITERARY ALLUSIONs
A literary allusion is a writer’s comparison of his or her characters to characters in other well-known works of literature.
The value of an allusion lies in its ability to garner much information in only a title or character name.
By alluding to a work with which everyone is familiar, all of the connotations of the one work are transferred to the new one.

9. J. Milton’s paradise lost
An epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. It was originally published in 1667 (though written nearly ten years earlier) in ten books, with a total of over ten thousand individual lines of verse.
The Christian story of the Fall of Man: the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden.
Milton's purpose, stated in Book I, is to "justify the ways of God to men" and elucidate the conflict between God's eternal foresight and free will.

10. Paradise lost Fundamental story within Western culture
Proud and inquisitive creature being cast out
Being ostracized as a horrible thing

11. The modern Prometheus
The Greek god who was in charge of giving out gifts to the various creatures on Earth.
By the time he got to mankind, he was out of gifts.
He decided to go against his orders and gave man fire (symbolic of knowledge).
The other gods were angered by his disobedience (partly because now man was too godlike).
Prometheus’s punishment, chained to rock to have his liver devoured for eternity.

12. Tabula rasa Latin for Clean Slate
The monster is initially a Tabula Rasa
No history, no family, nothing to help determine who he would become.
Parent figure, observations of others and books shape his personality—for good or for bad.

13. Knowledge is dangerous
UNIVERSAL Theme
Knowledge is dangerous
Theme similar to story of…
Pandora’s Box
Adam and Eve and the serpent
Modern science: development of Atomic bomb
and cloning

14. Gothic/Romantic style
Romantic style was a reaction against the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution
Enlightenment
Reliance on reason/science
Knowledge is good
Counter to supernatural
Ignorance of nature/emotion

15. Romantic Literary Style
Industrial Revolution did not honor virtues of nature--
The “Romantics” believed the Industrial Revolution relied too much on machinery…and not enough on humanity, emotion, and instinct.
Romantics sought solace in nature
Nature was soothing; therapeutic
When faced with problems, go to the mountains or some place “exotic”.

16. Romantic Literary Style
Other characteristics:
Love of the common man
Settings in exotic places
The supernatural
Nationalism—because nationalism was a popular movement at that time (first half of 1800’s) in places like Italy and Greece
The classic artistic ideals of Rome and Greece

17. Gothic style Closely related in time and style to Romantic style
Major Characteristic: characters experience a pleasing sense of terror
Characters enjoy extreme emotion—overly dramatic

18. Gothic style Typical trademarks of Gothic literature
Settings take place in Castles
Rain/Storms are usually present
Scenes take place at night
Supernatural events (i.e. ghosts)
Vampires/Werewolves
Decay and Death
Brooding characters
Madness/Mystery/Secrets

19. Something to think about when reading…
Plot events
Something to think about when reading…
What events occur to the monster that make him turn against humans?
How does this text reflect it’s time period?
How does Shelley use literary allusions and motifs to further her messages?