Frankenstein

Book Summary

Victor Frankenstein grows up in Switzerland surrounded by a loving family and accompanied by his adored cousin Elizabeth. He is fascinated by ancient philosophers whose works looked for an “Elixer of Life”. After the death of his mother he attends a university in Germany where he applies his newfound knowledge of science to manufacture a human being of enormous size and strength. When his creation comes to life, Frankenstein is horrified by his own work. The creature, seeing how appalled his creator is by him, flees into the woods and disappears. Years later, Frankenstein returns home after hearing of his youngest brother’s death. Justine, a dear friend of the Frankenstein’s, is falsely accused and convicted for the murder. Having been rejected and feared by every human he has met, the creature considers all of humanity to be an enemy. He demands that Frankenstein create a female companion for him so he won’t be so lonely and promises to never contact him again. Frankenstein, hardened by his brothers death, refuses him the companion. In a fit of desperation and rage, the creature promises to make his creator as miserable as himself. In his vengeance, the creature murders Frankenstein’s friends and family, including his cousin and wife Elizabeth. When the creator and his creature are at last equally alone, Frankenstein seeks his own revenge and pursues his enemy into the arctic wastes where Frankenstein meets Walton and recounts his tale.

Written by:

Jacklyn Popp

Art During this Time Period

Frankenstien by Mary Shelley was written and published in 1818. This was a time of change for a lot of the world, in the art world things were changing as well. This book was written during the peak of the Romanticism era, an era of art, literature, and an intellectual movement. It originated in Europe at the end of the 18th century, and was its strongest during 1800-1850. Romanticism came about in part as a response to the Industrial Revolution, it was against the aristocratic social life and political norms that were apparent during this time. It also went against the scientific rationalization of nature. Romanticism was most prominent in the visual arts, music and literature. The movement expressed strong emotion as an authentic source of aesthetic experience, placing an emphasis on emotions such as apprehension, horror and terror, and awe. Artists for the first time felt the freedom of expression. All of these traits which can be linked back to Frankenstein and the way it was written. The defining nature of Romanticism may be approached from the primary importance of the free expression of the feelings of the artist. One of the major artists during this time was German painter, Casper David Freidrich, who is best known for his painting, Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, made in 1818. This painting was very popular during this time because it exemplified everything Romanticisim was about. The painting depicts a man in the foreground standing on a rocky peak with his back to the viewer, this is so that there is no particular face on the person, allowing it to be anyone, eve the viewer. The man in the painting, or "wanderer", gazes out on a landscape covered in a thick sea of fog that fades out into the distance, the unknown. This went along with the time when the world was still somewhat of a myserty and people were still making discoveries of new land. Much like Walton, himself who has set out on this journey to discover a new place, the north pole.

Written by:

Melanie diMuro

Frankenstein Used in Different Fields of Study

After reading Frankenstein, there are so many fields of study I could see this book being used in. "In other studies you go as far as others have gone before you, and there is nothing more to know; but in a scientific pursuit there is continual food for discovery and wonder" (Shelley, 50). The obvious field would be scientific studies. The entire beginning of the book discusses Frankenstein's drive to give life to inanimate matter and how obsessed he gets with the idea, but then once he does, the repercussions for that. Science courses could read this as almost a warning tale of how far to push science and the natural world before it becomes too much. Aside from science, philosophy plays a big role in the story and combines with science to drive Frankenstein. "Natural philosophy is the genius that has regulated my fate; I desire, therefore, in this narration, to state those facts which let to my prediction for that science" (38). Since in philosophy it is such a broad study of general and fundamental problems, such as connected with reality, existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language, I think the entire book has great examples of these throughout. The monster would be a great character to study for philosophy, studying his existence, his reasoning, and the way his mind works as opposed to the human mind. Psychology would be another great field of studies, by really getting into the minds of the characters of not only Frankenstein and the monster, but also Walton. Studying Frankenstein's insane drive to create this "thing", while watching the development of the monster as almost you would watch a child, and how Walton plays into all of this. They could also make the connection of why all three of these characters share the common need for a companion, and why is that so important, really broadening the discussion on the book. Overall this book has so many aspects that play into it. There could be many educational fields that could draw out different meanings and interpretations.

Written by:

Melanie diMuro

Mary Shelley was born on August 30, 1797 in London, England. Both of her parents were noted writers and Mary never met her mother, who died of complications only four weeks after giving birth. Mary enjoyed writing from a young age and enjoyed reading the books in her father's extensive library. In 1814, Mary started a life with Percy Shelley, who was a huge fan of her father's writing. In February 1815, Mary gave birth to a daughter who unfortunately died only a month later. The couple then moved to Bishopgate, England, and had a son named William. In the summer of 1816, a tour of continental Europe was proposed. At a stop in Switzerland, the couple and Mary's stepsister rented a house near Lord Byron, a famous British writer. The bad weather led Byron to suggest that they write ghost stories to pass the time, and that is where the story of Frankenstein first came into shape.

Written by:

Madeline Hemphill

In 1818, it seemed like it was hard to get good feedbacks from critics during this time. Many poets may have been famous after publishing their poems but John Keats was not one of them. Keats was one of the main figures of the second generation of Romantic poets. Even though Keats was one of the main figures in the second generation, he was not famous or well-known during the years he was alive, but after his death in 1821. His works were not well received by critics when he was writing and alive. After his death, he had not only gained fame but influenced other poets too. John Keats was the oldest of four and went to school in Enfield. It was there that he got interested in classics and history. At the age of 13, he focused on reading and studying. It was after that, that he won his academic prize in the summer. In 1818, it was a difficult time for Keats after his brother’s death from tuberculosis. He moved to Wentworth Place and it marked the beginning of his annus mirabullis, which was his most mature work. Most of his works were written in Wentworth Place. Keats composed 5 of his 6 great odes in April and May. Even though not a lot of people admire Keats poetry during that time, it had influenced a lot of people.

Written by:

Mao Moua

Poetry During this Time

Frankenstien has been adapted so many times in this day of popular culture. When people hear about Frankenstein, the last thing they think of is Mary Shelley and her 1818 version. Instead, they see the giant green monster running up and down the streets, or even "Frankenweenie", Disney's adaptation about a dog that has been hit by a car and brought back to life. The dog then turns into a monster with stiches all over him--which is the common perception of what Frankenstein looked like. It is interesting that this story has been adapted so many times, and how the story has changed so many times in the past 200 years. It kind of reminds me of the story "A Christmas Carol", because it was a very old story that has been redone many times and has also been redone into a Disney animated version. I am curious to read the rest of Frankenstein to see how close the true story is to all of the adaptations.

Written By:

Kathleen Heaslet

Pursuit of Knowledge in Frankenstein

The entire book of Frankenstein is built on the pursuit of knowledge and what is going too far, what is dangerous. But, there are different circumstances in which knowledge is gained for both Victor Frankenstein and his creation. Frankenstein is shown to recieve a big portion of his knowledge from the books he reads for school as well as knowledge he collects from speaking to his professors. Shelley treats this kind of knowledge as general knowledge on obtains from the act of trying to gain and retain as much as possible, with no repercussion. What eventually turns this into dangerous knowledge is when Frankenstein blindly tries to use what he knows to take advantage of nature and the world around him. This is shown as going too far. Now lets look to the "monster". He is "born" and abandoned before he is able to be taught a single stitch of anything. He must use his infantile mind to navigate the world, no help. He has to learn to observe the world around him and in doing so, he sees the beauty of the world how it is. This is where he and Victor definitely differ. Victor sought to change the natural world, because he thought he could, while the "monster" only wishes to be a part of what he already sees as beautiful. In this novel, themes are abundant. This theme, though, ties in to the mention of the sciences and humanities. The pursuit of knowledge ties into the sciences in the fact that with the knowledge that Victor had to create a life, he also gained the ability to create new knowledge in the creature.

Written by:

Reilly McNamara

Letter to Frankestein

To Frankestein,

I know that it is important to you to give life to the dead but I think you should look over some things before you do it again. First of all, I know that you wish to bring back the dead one day and that you wished to see those you loved but your Mom did died calmly (Shelley, 43). She did all she wanted to do and she said all she wanted to say. I'm sure she wouldn't want you to suffer through all you have from creating this "monster" as it is called. Also, if you want to bring back the dead, the one you bring back shouldn't kill others that you love that are still alive. If you didn't want to bring life to the dead, then others would still be alive.There is more to life then looking back to those who died. You should be looking forward into life and cherish being with those you still have with you before they die too. Bringing someone to life doesn't mean everything else will be alright. You have to think how others around you feel too. It was selfish of you to bring life to the dead and not think of what would happen afterwards. What else would you think would happen after bringing the dead back to life?Instead of focusing on the dead, it would be better to focus on those around you. You have great friends and family who care about you. Your Dad writes to you because he is worried about you that is why he is always asking if you are up to something. If he didn't care, he wouldn't even be asking you constantly. Along the way you also met some great people, like your Professors and friends (50). I am sure that even if you didn't bring back the dead, they will still be your friends. It's not what you do that makes them like you but it's who you are.

Written by:

Mao Moua