Themes to Explore in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein







 Themes to Explore in  Mary Shelley's FRANKENSTEIN

Taking into account the philosophy of the time, think about the role of the creator, Victor Frankenstein, with the role of a divine creator (God, if you) and how one might see the disastrous effects that occur when man attempts to usurp God’s perceived role as creator. You don't have to agree or disagree with the premise - just be aware of how a 19th Century reader may interpret Victor Frankenstein's wanderings onto the hallowed grounds of creation.


Analyze the warning Mary Shelley implicitly gives regarding out of control
scientific discovery and the havoc it may wreak in nature.

Analyze the significance of the subtitle of Frankenstein and the symbol-
ism of the Prometheus myth as it pertains to Victor and his creation of the monster.

Consider Gothic literature and analyze how Shelley’s novel is a classic
example of Gothic literature.

Taking a feminist perspective, analyze the roles of nature and women in Frankenstein, and the effect male dominated science has on both.

Think about the role of nature in romanticism and specifically in the novel,
Frankenstein.

Research romanticism in literature and analyze how Shelley’s novel is an
example of romantic literature.

Contrast and compare Mary Shelley’s novel with any novel that deals with issues of nature versus technology; man as creator challenging the gods’ preeminence as creators; or with the loss of man’s innocence in pursuit of knowledge. One book you might want to consider would be BRAVE NEW WORLD.

Compare and contrast the warning implicit in Shelley’s novel against
rampant, out-of-control technology, and any event in technology,
science, commerce, warfare, and/or terrorism that proves or disproves
her concerns about modern science and scientific inquiry.

Compare and contrast the story of Frankenstein with the biblical story of the Garden of Eden and the tree of knowledge. Compare and
contrast Victor’s role with that of Adam. Discuss Victor’s role in relation-
ship to his creation of the monster to God’s relationship to His creation Man.

Do a little research into Mary Shelley's life - you might want to take a look
at the blog I posted on her life - and see if the tragedies she experienced may
have colored the themes she explored in her masterpiece. She had already experienced
the loss of her mother a few weeks after her birth, a cold rejecting relationship with her stepmother, a scandalous love affair, social disgrace, poverty, and the death of her first born daughter - all by the age of nineteen, the age at which she wrote FRANKENSTEIN. Do you think that she may have worked through any, all or none of these issues through her art?

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