Frankenstein

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Frankenstein

• Mary Shelley

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Romanticism

• The Romantic period is a movement from one way of
  thinking to another.
• A shift from faith in reason to faith in the
  senses, feelings and imagination.

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Romanticism

• Also a shift from interest in urban society and
  its sophistication to an interest in the rural
  and natural.
• A shift from concern with the scientific and
  mundane to interest in the mysterious and
  infinite.

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Romanticism

• The most important belief is the importance of
  the individual, imagination and intuition.

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Romanticism

• The Romantic period also saw the resurgence of
  revolt and radical political thought to change
  the status quo.
• These ideals led to the revolutions in France and
  America.

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Romanticism

• The Romantic movement was at odds with the
  Industrial Revolution, with the corruption and
  pollution of the growing large cities, and with
  the capitalistic motives of many businessmen.

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Romanticism

• The literature of the time period reflected
  societys conflicts.

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Romanticism

• It was a time when a group of English Romantic
  poets, including Percy Shelley, wrote lyric
  poetry expressing their beliefs that imagination,
  rather than mere reason, was the best response to
  the forces of change.

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Romanticism

• The term Romantic is a word that suggests a look
  backward and forward in time.
• The poets looked back to Shakespeare and Milton
  for inspiration, but also created new forms of
  lyric poetry.

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Romanticism

• The romance genre also allowed writers to explore
  new, more psychological and mysterious aspects of
  human experience.
• The gothic novel is also created in this time
  period.

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Romanticism

• The word gothic was originally applied to
  architecture, specifically to huge, atmospheric
  medieval cathedrals with glowing stained glass,
  pointed arches and gargoyles.
• Gothic novels have an atmosphere of mystery and
  use elements of the supernatural.

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Frankenstein

• Mary Shelley had a very tumultuous life.
• Her parents were well-known reformers her mother
  dies shortly after her birth.
• She eloped with Percy Shelley, who was already
  married, when she was 16.

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Frankenstein

• Two years later his wife killed herself and their
  unborn child, so Mary and Percy were married.
• They created a literary circle with other writers
  of the time. They often would have all-night
  discussions about scientific and supernatural
  topics.

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Frankenstein

• It was after one of these nights that Mary
  Shelley had a dream that became the inspiration
  for Frankenstein.
• It is her only work to remain in print since its
  first publication.

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Frankenstein

• It has survived more than a century of academic
  scorn to reemerge on college campuses in the
  1960s.
• More than 28 movies and television plays related
  to the story have been produced since 1910.

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Frankenstein

• The monster was given a shadowy and elusive
  presence by its creator.
• This allows us to create the image for ourselves.
• The monster possesses familiar impulses to seek
  knowledge and companionship.

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Frankenstein

• The monster has taken on the name of the creator
  in popular culture, which shifts our focus from
  the man to the monster, reversing Shelleys
  intentions.

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Frankenstein

• Frankensteins lack of recognizing the creature
  as his own--in essence, not giving the monster
  his name--is the monsters root problem.

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Frankenstein

• Themes
• Overreaching ambition
• Humans and nature
• Injustice
• Friendship vs. isolation
• Education
• Fate and destiny