| FrC 14I Spring 2014 |
|
(Site navigation is not working.) |
Frankenstein was first published in 1818 and largely written before Mary Shelley was twenty. She was married to the romantic poet Percy Shelley and shared with him many of the ideals of Romantic art. In broad outlines, British Romanticism has to do with the pre-eminence of feeling and of the power of the imagination. Romantic artists deeply believed that poetry is inspired and can lead one into the deepest understanding of the workings of nature. One can also find in her novel influences of her father’s political philosophy. William Godwin, her father, believed that human beings by nature were good, until social conditions corrupted them.
Some cultural historians have recently connected Romantic art to what has been referred to as Romantic Science. Early 19th century scientists (in those days called natural philosophers) believed they could discover the principles of life. Many thought it had something to do with electricity—and so they sought the elan vital through their studies of chemistry and magnetism. Alexander von Humboldt, the greatest natural philosopher of this time, conducted many experiments with electricity, some of them on himself. Sir Humphrey Davy, who would become a pioneer of modern chemistry, achieved his first fame as a poet. So there was not such a great divide in the early nineteenth century between the natural philosopher (scientist) and the poet as there is now.
Some questions to ponder as you begin reading the text:
• The full title of this text is Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus. Drawing on your knowledge of Greek mythology, what does this full title suggest about the character Victor Frankenstein? (The introduction, v-viii has helpful background on what Prometheus may have meant to Mary Shelley and her more educated readers.)
•
• What do we learn about Walton—the writer of the letters and recounter of the story that Frankenstein tells him? Why are they drawn to one another?
• What does Walton seek?
• Why does Frankenstein unfold his tale to Walton?
• What kind of background—i.e. parents, upbringing—did Victor Frankenstein have?
• What do we learn of the education of Victor Frankenstein?
• What is it that Frankenstein is seeking? What are his motives?
Study Questions for Chapters 11-17:
• What are the first things that the Creature experiences and what are the first things that he learns? (Chapter 11)
• What do we learn about the Creature’s nature (emotions, ways of thinking and feeling) from his observations and reflections of the De Lacey family and Safie? (Chapters 12-15)
• What does the Creature learn about humans and their history from his observations of the De Laceys and his readings of Plutarch, Paradise Lost, and The Sorrows of Young Werther? (Chapters 12-15; response to readings, Chapter 15)
• Why is the Creature so drawn to the De Lacey family? What is the result of his being spurned by them? (Chapters 12-15) Allied to this, what is the effect on the creature of learning about his creator (Victor Frankenstein)? (Chapter 15, page 130) Is the Creature justified in having the feelings that he has toward his creator and more generally, the human race? (Chapters 15-17).
Some questions to ponder as you conclude the text:
• What are your final judgments about Frankenstein and the Creature?
• Note Victor Frankenstein’s own self judgment (p. 211). Then notice how he views himself in a crucial speech on p. 217. Does he leave anything out of his consideration?
• How do we feel about the Creature at the very end of the novel? (See pp. 219-221) What do we learn here about what makes us human?
• Consider again the myth of Prometheus alongside this story of a “Modern Prometheus.” What connections do you make between Frankenstein’s conduct as a scientist and the moral questions that engage us as citizens (or students of science) in a highly technological society?
• What are the questions that the text raises for you?