Caitlyn Noll
AP English 4 B3
Mrs. Lacy
November 28, 2016
Frankenstein’s Tone and Mood
It is likely that when Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein during a competition among friends to write the greatest ghost story she had not the faintest clue how impactful the piece would be on literature. This novel is a Romantic and Gothic novel similar to other pieces of the time. The author utilizes nature, mystery, setting, and imagery frequently throughout the novel to convey the tone and mood. This book is a unique concoction of….
Frankenstein, a novel by Mary Shelley is a Romantic and Gothic piece with many characteristics similar to other pieces of the time. Some of those utilized by the author include nature, mystery, and setting. These devices assisted
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Frankenstein uses mysterious circumstances to have Victor Frankenstein create the creature. This is found in the raising of the dead and other aspects of the unknown unexplored fields of science. Frankenstein possesses an atmosphere of mystery and suspense pervaded by a threatening feeling enhanced by the unknown accompanying the monster. During the letters at the beginning of the novel, when describing the creature as “a being which had the shape of a man, but apparently of gigantic stature” (9) it is not yet clear as to what Frankenstein is speaking of, unknowns like these are frequent throughout the book due to the concentric nature of the story, many questions are created based off of stories chronologically later than the rest of the book. Frankenstein has a way of making things sound overtly dramatic, “as if possessed of magic powers, the monster had blinded me to his real intentions; and when I thought that I had prepared only my own death, I hastened that of a far dearer victim,” (175) while surely Frankenstein does not have magic powers the reader is left with a question as to who could possibly be a “far dearer victim” (175). The mystery behind the identity and the aforementioned magical powers are very unsettling. The wording of this passage also calls attention to the unpredictability of Frankenstein’s actions as his creation of the creature brings man into uncharted territory, …show more content…
While parts of the novel take place in areas of continental Europe such as Switzerland and Germany while others take place in the Arctic region. This change of pace provides contrast and clearly separates the different sections of the book. Secondly, the buildings themselves are impactful, places such as Frankenstein’s laboratory …. Science experiments were not known to the average reader; thus this was an added element of mystery and gloom to the setting. The prospect of raising the dead would disgust the typical reader, causing terror and disbelief, Shelley takes full advantage of this to enhance the strange feelings that Frankenstein generates in its readers. This can be seen through settings like the morgue, many of the skin crawl provoking settings gain their eeriness through vivid imagery, such as when “It was a dreary night of November” (42). At this point Shelley’s use of rain and darkness create a suspenseful atmosphere. imagery throughout the book is extremely Gothic, such as the grotesque description of the monster’s features, the eerie environment of Victor’s laboratory in the middle of the night, and the undead quality. The monster’s features are a paradox, him being both beautiful yet repulsive.
Frankenstein is a characteristic Romantic and Gothic novel because it utilizes nature, mystery, and setting to convey tone and mood.
Frankenstein shares many of the common characteristics
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is a gothic novel that tells the story of scientist, Victor Frankenstein, and his obsession with creating human life. This leads him to creating a gruesome monster made of body-parts stolen from grave yards, whom upon discovering his hideousness, the monster seeks revenge against his creator, causing Victor to regret the creation of his monster for the rest of his life. Shelley uses the literary elements of personification, imagery, and similes to give a vivid sense and visualization of Victor Frankenstein’s thoughts and feelings as well as to allow us to delve deeper into the monster’s actions and emotions. Throughout the novel, Shelley uses personification of various forces and objects to reflect the effect in Victor’s actions.
Frankenstein Lit Analysis Rough Draft Since the beginning of time, Man has always pursued knowledge, but this pursuit is always kept within certain boundaries, especially while searching for the truths behind the creation and origin of life. As this quest for knowledge continues, men can become consumed with the perilous thoughts and ponderings required to attain this wisdom. In her novel, Frankenstein, Mary Shelley explains how the pursuit of forbidden knowledge can become dangerous through symbolism, allusion, and foreshadowing proving each effectively to the reader. Employing symbolism as her first technique, Shelley uses this in the way many other enlightenment authors do. The strongest use of symbolism is prevalent while Victor is contemplating
The gothic fiction novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley centralizes on humanity and the qualifications that make someone human. The content of the novel Frankenstein depicts a monster displaying human traits that his creator Victor does not possess: empathy, a need for companionship, and a will to learn and fit in. Throughout the novel Shelley emphasizes empathy as a critical humanistic trait. The monster displays his ability to empathize with people even though they are strangers. On the other hand Victor, fails to show empathy throughout the novel even when it relates to his own family and friends.
Frankenstein did not take into account the feelings of the creature. Frankenstein wanted to be the first to create the life, but did not think ahead. His initial ambition is to help the people, and perhaps his creation will benefit the humankind, however, he lets his ambition take over, and does not think of what the creature will act like or do. He creates the creature but only to suffer and in return he suffers as well. Frankenstein’s actions to not take care of the creature causes the death of those around him.
Light and Dark in Frankenstein Throughout Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the reader is torn between the forces of good and evil, as well as which characters represent which force. Perhaps the most masterful element of this novel is conveying how an individual can not be judged as wholly good or evil, and how having elements of both traits greatly forms the human experience. By using the motifs of light and dark to represent the positives and negatives of humanity, Mary Shelley is able to effectively convey character traits, depict transitions of good and evil within characters, and employ haunting symbolism and imagery into the novel and transform it into a literary masterpiece. The use of light and dark as imagery in the novel could not be
Dreanna Hypes Lit comp per 7 Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, tells the horrific story of Victor Frankenstein, a scientist devoured by ambition, seeks to revive life to the deceased. Thus, a horrific monster is created. Terrified of its unsightly stature, Dr Frankenstein flees his creation, neglecting it severely a result, the monster. Lonely and depressed, seeks revenge on his creator, killing several members of his family and his closest friend. Throughout shelley uses imagery and toner to amplify the horror
Throughout the book Frankenstein, Mary Shelly uses nature imagery to show the character’s emotions and mood. Mary Shelley often uses nature and the character’s surroundings to reflect the character’s mood. In chapter 11, the monster is alone during the winter, having to survive in this unfamiliar world he is cold and frightened especially during the cold winter nights. “It was dark when I awoke; I felt cold also, and half frightened, as it were, instinctively, finding myself so desolate.” (Shelly, 105)
Being a horror movie, the dark scenes theme is carried out through the entire movie. In the beginning, Dr. Frankenstein and his assistant digging up a dead body from a cemetery where there are slanting grave markers and gnarled trees, followed by the creepy house/ laboratory that sits high on top of the hill in front of the stormy skies where Dr. Frankenstein’s not so perfect, “perfect” monster is strapped to the table just waiting to be brought to life. (Worland 160). When speaking specifically about Dr. Frankenstein’s house/laboratory it has very specific themes that run through German Expressionist films such as the house being at the top of the hill, and the long narrow architecture, the pointed top of the building. All of which play into the unrealistic architecture that takes place throughout the movie.
The monster continues by reassuring the creator of his independent intelligence and power over the creature by telling Frankenstein, “This you alone can do”. Here, the creature assumes a role of submissiveness and reliance on Frankenstein. Frankenstein’s monster gains the sympathy of the reader who, despite condemning the murder of innocent people, commiserate with the lonely creature who is in search of an acquaintance, which he will likely never find. The monster also displays power and aggressiveness over Frankenstein; “You are my creator; but I am your master; obey!” The monster wants to desolate Victor’s heart, not by killing him directly,
Natural landscapes in "Frankenstein" help the author to bring out the theme of sublime Nature, dangers of forbidden knowledge and monstrous results of wrong actions. Nature is visible throughout "Frankenstein" in all its glory and contrasts. Natural surroundings have been shown to have therapeutic powers. The natural beauty of St. Petersburg beckons Robert Walton to keep heading towards the North Pole. The immortal beauty of the mountains and lakes is contrasted with the ephemeral nature of human existence and grief.
Written during the ninteenth century, the gothic Frankensteinnovel by Marry Shelly, tells the story of a young educated student Victor Frankenstein, who creates a grotesque but fantastic creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment, which leads to different tragic events. Shelly writes about the creation of the creature and how he is first introduce to his livelihood and this world. In this novel Shelly uses different types of literary techniques to convey the expression of the creature as a baby just learning about life and the world, and by employing innovative literary techniques such as imagery, setting, theme, and characterization, she creates a feeling of sympathy on the readers. This feeling is created through Shelly establishment of pity on the readers by reavealing the creature’s loathsome creation, habitat, or even existence.
In the novel Frankenstein,by Mary Shelley, the mysterious and unnatural origins of the character of Frankenstein’s monster are an important element. The Monster, having been created unethically and haphazardly, is at odds throughout the novel, resulting in his alienation from society and prolonged feelings of anger, desertion, and loneliness. Shaping his character, his relationships with other characters, and the meaning of the work as a whole, the Monster’s origins are what define him. The Monster faces rejection and violence every time he attempts to make contact with the new, foreign world he has been thrust into.
Frankenstein Literary Criticism Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus, is filled with motifs of Nature and companionship. During the Romantic period or movement, when the novel Frankenstein was written, nature was a huge part of romanticism. Nature was perceived as pure, peaceful, and almost motherly. As we read the novel through Victor Frankenstein 's perspective, we the readers can see how romanticized-nature is perceived as by those who find comfort in nature. This novel also contains, in addition to romantic elements, heavy-filled gothic scenes and descriptions.
In Mary Shelley’s iconic gothic novel, Frankenstein, Romantic themes are strongly represented in order to propagandize Romanticism over the elements of knowledge and the Enlightenment. In her novel, Shelley uses gothic nature settings to foreshadow dark events that are about to happen in the novel. She also uses nature to intensify the effect that is brought during significant scenes, a strong example being, when Victor Frankenstein’s monster approaches him after a long period of time. Nature and its use to influence mood is one of the most paramount themes of both Frankenstein and Romanticism.
The novel Frankenstein has a unique way of expressing how the setting functions as a whole. Mary Shelley used an early 1800s setting in Switzerland and London to show how Victor made it through this extraordinary adventure. There were multiple themes that affected how the setting functioned in the novel. Nature, weather, and season all affect the mood of the characters. These things all have a great impact on the setting of the book.