Frankenstein

Or the Modern Prometheus

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Lord Byron

John William Polidori

Claire Clairmont

Background Information: Romanticism

• Based on the following image, please write a brief description of the painting.–What is the dominant image?–What is on the periphery?– Include details discussing the color, medium, and

style.

Caspar David

Friedrich

Wanderer above the Sea of Fog

• Next, based on your previous description, please write a brief analysis that addresses:–Why does the painter choose to make certain

images dominant and other marginal?– Does the painting evoke a certain mood or theme?

How? Why?– How might the title of the painting affect your

analysis

Mood & Themes

• The mood and themes in the painting are also reminiscent of the mood and themes in Frankenstein.– Nature as a healing force– Use of the supernatural– Emphasis on human individuality– Belief in innate goodness– Advocacy of free thought– Use of intense emotion– Nature as a powerful and destructive force– Evocation of terror and horror

Romanticism & Gothic Literature

• Shift from order and reason to emotion and imagination

• If science explains our existence, where is there space for feeling, reflection, thinking, exploration, and emotion?

• Romantics believed that science could NOT fully grasp the essence of “human.”

• “Head vs. Heart” OR “Sense vs. Sensibility”

Structure of the Novel

• Preface – Mary Shelly explains the circumstances under which she wrote Frankenstein.

• Letters #1-#4 - Captain Robert Walton of England is on an expedition to the North Pole. He writes a series of letters to his sister, Margaret, to pass the time and to keep in touch.

Structure of the Novel

• Chapters 1-2: Victor’s Early Life• Chapters 3-5: Creation of the Monster• Chapters 6-10: Consequences of Creating the

Monster• Chapter 11-16: The Creature’s Story• Chapters 17-24: Aftermath• End of the Novel: Walton’s Conclusion

(Letters)