This document provides an analysis of Mary Shelley's novel "Frankenstein" in 3 paragraphs. It summarizes that the novel was first published in 1818 and tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a scientist who creates a monster. However, Frankenstein loses control of the monster and it seeks revenge against him. The document argues that the novel serves as a warning about the thoughtless pursuit of scientific knowledge and development without considering consequences. It presents Frankenstein as representative of scientists who are driven by ambition but destroy themselves through lack of responsibility.

1. PREPARED BY-DAYA VAGHANI
BATCH-2020-22 (MA SEM-1)
PAPER –LITERATURE OF THE ROMANTICS
ROLL NO-07
ENROLLMENT NO-3069206420200017
EMAIL ID -DAYAVAGHANI2969@GMAIL.COM
SUBMITTED TO-S.B. GARDI DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
MAHARAJA KRISHNAKUMARSINHJI BHAVNAGAR UNIVERSITY

2. WRITTEN BY MARRY SHELLEY
FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1 JAN. 1818
GENRE: HORROR, GOTHIC –SCIENTIFIC FICTION
THE MODERN PROMETHEUS

3. • SCIENCE FICTION IS A GENRE OF FICTION IN WHICH THE STORIES OFTEN TELL ABOUT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF
THE FUTURE.
• THE PLOT CREATES SITUATIONS DIFFERENT FROM THOSE OF BOTH THE PRESENT DAY AND THE KNOWN PAST.
• SCIENCE FICTION TEXTS ALSO INCLUDE A HUMAN ELEMENT, EXPLAINING WHAT EFFECT NEW DISCOVERIES,
HAPPENINGS AND SCIENTIFIC DEVELOPMENTS WILL HAVE ON US IN THE FUTURE.
• SCIENCE FICTION TEXTS ARE OFTEN SET IN THE FUTURE, IN SPACE, ON A DIFFERENT WORLD, OR IN A DIFFERENT
UNIVERSE OR DIMENSION.
•

4. MARY SHELLEY'S NOVEL
 SOCIETY WAS OVER HOPEFUL OF SCIENCE.
 THE QUEST OF KNOWLEDGE WAS ONE OF THE MOST ESSENTIAL ASPECTS OF THAT TIME.
 FRANKENSTEIN'S FOCUS IS FROM PAST TO THE FUTURE. BUT THE SUCCESS IS REWARDED AS A HORRIBLE
SITUATION.
 IT IS MARY'S QUESTION TO THE THOUGHTLESS DEVELOPMENT OF MODERN SCIENCE.
 THE NOVEL CAN BE READ FROM TWO MAIN LEVELS;
AS A SCIENCE FICTION
AS A HUMAN NATURE.
 THE WHOLE STORY MOVES AROUND THE INVENTION OF A SCIENTIST AND THE RESULT OF IT.
 DANGEROUS ASPECT OF EXPERIENCE IN THE SCIENTIFIC FIELD IS THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THE NOVEL.

5. VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN
• ONE OF THE REPRESENTATIVE FIGURES OF MODERN SCIENTISTS WHO CREATED
A MONSTER DUE TO HIS EXCESS FOCUS IN THE QUEST OF SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE.
• BUT AT LAST HE LOST THE CONTROL OVER HIS OWN CREATION.
• RATHER VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN COMPELLED TO LOSE HIS OWN FAMILY MEMBERS AND
HIS OWN CREATION BECAME THE REAL CAUSE OF HIS OWN DESTRUCTION.

6. VICTOR'S AMBITION
• THE MONSTER, VICTOR'S REACTION ITSELF, IS A KIND OF SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENT
AROUND WHICH THE WHOLE PLOT STRUCTURE IS DESIGNED.
• THE PROTAGONIST VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN IS A SCIENTIST DRIVEN BY AMBITION OF
SCIENTIFIC CURIOSITY. HIS QUEST FOR ABSOLUTE KNOWLEDGE AND POWER HAS
ENDED IN HIS OWN DESTRUCTION. SO THE NOVEL SHOWS THAT THOUGHTLESSNESS
CAUSES DESTRUCTION TO THEMSELVES.
• SHELLEY SHOWS THE DANGEROUS ASPECTS OF MODERN SCIENTIFIC WORLD.

7. THE MONSTER
• THE MONSTER IS ITSELF A SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION OF THE PROTAGONIST.
• IT IS EIGHT FEET TALL, UGLY AND ATTEMPTS TO INTEGRATE HIMSELF INTO HUMAN SOCIAL
PATTERNS BUT ALL WHO SEE HIM DISLIKES HIM. THE FEELING OF ABANDONMENT COMPELS
HIM TO SEEK REVENGE AGAINST HIS OWN CREATOR.
• ALSO AT THIS POINT IT BECOMES CLEAR THAT MARY SHELLEY IS VERY CRITICAL ABOUT THE
SCIENTIFIC INVENTION AND INTENTION OF CONTEMPORARY PEOPLE IN REGARD TO ITS
FURTHER COMING RESULTS.

8. •
•
“I HAD ARDENTLY DESIRED THE ACQUISITION
OF KNOWLEDGE... I LONGED TO ENTER
THE WORLD AND TAKE MY STATION AMONG
OTHER HUMAN BEINGS.”
It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I
desired to learn; and whether it was the
outward substance of things or the inner spirit
of nature and the mysterious soul of man that
occupied me, still my inquiries were directed at
the metaphysical, or in its highest sense, the
physical secrets of the world.
VICTOR
FRANKENSTEIN

9. THE RESULT OF SCIENTISTS' INVENTIONS
• THE WHOLE NOVEL IS ABOUT SCIENTIFIC AMBITION OF
THE PROTAGONIST.
• IT IS SAID THAT ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT QUEST OF
SCIENTIFIC ASPECT IS THE QUEST OF A NEW KIND OF CREATION.
• BUT MOST OF THE SCIENTISTS ARE UNKNOWN ABOUT HOW THEIR
INVENTION WILL BE RESULTED AT LAST.
• THEY ARE THOUGHTLESS ABOUT THE FURTHER COMING DANGER
AND DESTRUCTION OF SCIENCE.
•

10. THE DEVELOPMENT OF MODERN SCIENCE
• VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN WAS OVER CURIOUS MAN TO LEARN THE HIDDEN LAW OF NATURE
DUE TO HIS FERVENT LOVE FOR SCIENCE.
• THIS EVENT OF THE NOVEL IS VERY SYMBOLIC FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF MODERN
SCIENCE.
• IT ALLOWS TO HAVE THE DEEP THOUGHT IN THE FIELD OF SCIENCE. IN THIS WAY AS THE
PROTAGONIST AND ALL HIS ACTIVITIES IN THE HOLISTIC PLOT STRUCTURE OF THE NOVEL
MOVES AROUND THE SCIENTIFIC SUBJECT MATTER TOGETHER WITH ITS CONSEQUENCES.
• SO THE NOVEL CAN BE ANALYZED AS A SCIENCE FICTION!

11. • HOLMES, R. SCIENCE FICTION: THE SCIENCE THAT FED FRANKENSTEIN. NATURE 535, 490–
491 (2016). HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.1038/535490A
• SHELLEY, MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT, 1797-1851. FRANKENSTEIN, OR, THE
MODERN PROMETHEUS : THE 1818 TEXT. OXFORD ; NEW YORK :OXFORD UNIVERSITY
PRESS, 1998.
• STABLEFORD, BRIAN (1995). "FRANKENSTEIN AND THE ORIGINS OF SCIENCE
FICTION". IN SEED, DAVID (ED.). ANTICIPATIONS: ESSAYS ON EARLY SCIENCE FICTION
AND ITS PRECURSORS. SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY PRESS. PP. 47–49. ISBN 978-
0815626404. RETRIEVED 19 JULY 2018.
• WIKIPEDIA CONTRIBUTORS.
“FRANKENSTEIN.” WIKIPEDIA, WIKIMEDIA FOUNDATION, 18 DEC.
2018, EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/FRANKENSTEIN.
•