Hey folks! I hope everyone enjoyed Frankenstein as much as I did. Looking back at my introduction on Frankenstein, I realize that I failed to mention that I had made an attempt to to read it about five years ago. I attempted at a time when I was seeking out gothic fiction from the same era (or earlier) or even similar gothic pulp fiction from the late 1800's (Poe) to the early 1900's (Lovecraft) onward. At the time I was seeking cobweb laden castles riddled with trap-doors, secret passages, and the faint stirrings of ghosts. Approaching Frankenstein at that time was a mistake; there were no castles, "the monster" was all too human, and Frankenstein was a miserable crybaby. Needless to say, I got bored with it halfway and read The Monk by Matthew Lewis instead (and loved it, by the way!) Now, I must admit that I am glad that I approached Frankenstein once again. This time I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Is this a gothic novel? Although it lacks the aforementioned castles and cobwebs as well as other gothic archetypes like sinister authority figures or ancestral curses, it is indeed a gothic novel. Try to remember the misty mountains the monster resides in or the fog shrouded lake where Frankenstein disposes of his abandoned female creation and you will see the similarities. But, I believe that it is Shelley's deviation from the standards of gothic fiction that helped cement her book as a classic that is still read today.
I mentioned earlier the alternate title "The Modern Prometheus" for purposes of discussion. As I doubt there will be any actual discussion, I will touch on it lightly for any readers who happen by. To sum up the Greek myth of Prometheus; humankind tricked Zeus into accepting displeasing offerings as sacrifices so Zeus hid the mystery of fire from humanity. Prometheus stole it back and gave it to mankind. Zeus punished him by having him chained to a rock and having an eagle eat out his liver daily only to have it grow back overnight. In comparison to the novel Frankenstein we can see that it is the concept of forbidden knowledge and the punishment that goes with it that Shelley is trying to address. Prometheus loses his liver each day, Frankenstein loses his friends, family, wife, wealth, and life for the forbidden knowledge of the mystery of life.
For those who are curious about the differences between the film and book, I will mention some of the main ones here. First, just to let you know, there are no similarities other than a few names and locations. The monster is large in both works but in the novel he is also swift and intelligent as well as devious and emotional, not the lumbering moaning creature portrayed by Karloff. In the film, Frankenstein has a castle where he derives life from the power of lightning. In the book he creates the monster in his apartment but can't remember how. He also does not see the creature for months after he made it because it escaped immediately. As you can see the differences are quite stark and can go on in this vein for several paragraphs.
The theme of abortion also permeates the novel. I personally feel this is almost too obvious (and weak, at that) to be worthy of discussion but I will bring it up briefly because it is commonly discussed in conjunction with this work. Frankenstein's creation can be considered an "abortion" in the way that created it and then dismissed it and even tries to kill it. His second creation is a closer abortion in the way that he gathers the parts and disposes of them before it was "born". I am not a fan of this applied metaphor because it breaks down under scrutiny, Frankenstein's creation more closely parallels "child abandonment" than anything else. If you put it to closer scrutiny, the creature ran away when it came to life so really the theme is closer to a "wayward son" premise. Frankenstein was not disgusted with it as he built it (though he was delirious) so who is to say he did not have the capacity to teach it and raise it?
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