Frankenstein A03 Flashcards
(20 cards)
What is the significance of Frankenstein also being called the modern prometheus?
Greek mythology reference - prometheus was subject to eternal punishment for stealing fire from Zeus. He was depicted by aeschylus in prometheus bound as providing man with science. Shelley may be warning against rapid scientific by suggesting it inevitably leads to consequences of suffering.
what were the social developments during the time in which Shelley was writing during the 19th century
1) Animal vivisection (the act of dissecting dead animals to replace human parts) was cause for huge questions about scientific responsibility.
2)The year Frankenstein was written - 1818 - saw the first scientific report on the study of blood transfusion
3)Galvanism (science of electricity) was also upcoming, under social eye due to the fear of a scientist who made a dead frog twitch - blurs the line between reality and the gothic supernatural.
Biographical context?
1)Shelley’s mother died in childbirth, and sister committed suicide during the time of writing the book
2) She wrote this book during her time in Switzerland, staying through stormy, rainy weather with Percy Shelley and Lord Byron - Exemplifying the dominance of Nature.
What was common societal belief around the mentally ill and the working class in 19th century England?
Working class - referred to as ‘Monsters’, judged first on status.
mentally ill/disfigured often cloistered away or hidden from society
Name two ideas from Jean - Jacques Rousseau - a famous philosopher from the 19th century
Man was born free, but it is the bad societal influences that disrupt the innate goodness in us.
He also suggested that people would be happier away from the ‘confines’ of Urbanisation.
What significance does the French Revolution and industrial revolution play to ideas in Frankenstein?
French revolution - A time of political turmoil where questions were being raised of the roles of authority within society (point needs expansion)
Signifies a shift from religion to a secular world where power passed from faith in God to man.
This, as well as the industrial revolution, (1760 - 1820) threatened romantic ideas of nature and the individual.
What is the significance behind the alternate title?
The Modern Prometheus:
Prometheus, according to Greek mythology, Stole fire from Zeus in order to give to the humans. In a more perhaps applicable version is the idea that he stole fire from Zeus in order to mold humanity out of clay.
He was punished by Zeus through being tied to a rock for birds to peck at him.
Warning figure fr
uhhh but arent humans a good thing? that i dont get
Paradise Lost?
Story (poem) by Milton
Story suggests that Satan, once an angel, rebelled against God as a consequence of paternalistic tyranny.
Satan, ridden with hate for god, disguises himself as a snake and convinces Eve to eat the Forbidden fruit.
This poem is mentioned as a poem read by the creature, and perhaps reflects the creatures own life. After rebelling, becoming the ‘fallen angel’ and casting revenge on Frankenstein, even after all this, he still remains the Monster, as Satan remains Satan.
What real life figure can be linked to Walton’s quest for the north-east passage?
Robert Mclure - British explorer who spent 4 years stuck in arctic ice in the mid 1800s
How can the georgian era be linked to themes in Frankenstein
(1811-1837) - Georgian scientists traveled the world collecting plant and animal specimens to complete scientific experiments. Link to Victor attempting to ‘pursue nature to her hiding places (chapter 4)
What was the enlightenment?
A movement of the 17th and 18th century that emphasised the importance of science and reason
What is the sublime?
A theory explored by Edmund Burke in his ‘philosophical enquiries’ which suggested that the natural world has the power to evoke the deepest emotions of awe and terror
What relationship did the romantics have with the enlightenment?
Rejected the enlightenment, instead placing value on personal experience and the natural world rather than reason. Although they didn’t reject science entirely, they critisised rapid scientific progression and the industrial revolution for their impacts on the natural world.
What was physiognomy?
A popular pseudo-science of the 19th century that suggested a person’s character could be determined by their physical appearance, an idea championed by the physicist Lombroso, who claimed that ‘criminals could be identified by physical attributes’
How can graverobbing and the murder act be linked to Frankenstein
The stealing of bodies from graves for scientific experiments became increasingly common in the 19th century. Fears of bodies being used for science were solidified by the Murder act of 1752 which decreed that if a person was convicted of murder, their body would be given over to science. Shelley may have been capitalising on Christian fears of this practice to demonise enlightenment experimentation.
How might Shelley have felt ‘othered’?
After returning to England from a trip around Europe with Percy Shelley, the couple faced social ostracism, especially as William Godwin (father) cut her off in belief that she had brought shame on the family by eloping with Percy Shelley in 1814. Shelley’s experience of social rejection may have led her to explore suffering associated with ‘othering’ through the monster.
What was Galvanism?
The belief of scientist Luigi Galvani that animals could be reanimated by electricity. He investigated the effect of electricity on dissected animals throughout the 1780s and 1790s.
Who was Giovanni Aldini?
The nephew of Galvani, known for having run an electric current through the deceased criminal, George Foster, in 1803.
