THURSDAY
First frame of Frankenstein: background/ how it came to be
-beginning XIXth century
-Mary Shelley overheard a discussion about galvanism at her father’s house, who was himself a writer
Galvanism: introduced by Italian scientist Galvani, who was able to make a dead frog’s legs twitch violently when applying an electrical shock to its nerves
-Galvanism IDEA: animate lifeless bodiesm manipulate life, limbs ----------- today: defibralator, electric schock for ppl in cardiac arrest
-SCIENCE vs. HUMANITY: SC-artificial organs, transplants, plastic surgery, cloning (i.e. Dolly the Sheep), botox, in vitro fertilization, sex change (= changing what nature gave to you)
HU-Morality, God, “Did I request thee, Maker [….] to promote me?” (first page of the book)
Controversy:
Unknown effects on clone, social differences can be deepened, Darwin=adding to controversy that God was not creator, SCIENCE= HUBRIS
Science works for us and against us
-anecdote: Prometheus who stole the Forbidden Fire (=knowledge) from the Gods===Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus (Parallel)
-the novel came out of a contest to write a ghost story at Lord Bryon’s house outside of Geneva (hence location) (see Author’s Introduction)
-idea for novel came from nightmare (Nightmare=feels real) that Shelley had at house (see xxvi of intro)
-she describes as “hideous progeny” Author=Scientist
FRIDAY
-Romanticism: “hippie movement of the XIXth century” REVOLUTIONNARY= as in Physics; a turn, change (1789-French Revolution: artists and novelists wanted to change as well)
-Revolution: Mary Wollshomeft=”bluestocking” Vindication of Women’s Rights; precursor to feminist movement
-Gothic: type of story set in remote, dark, and dreary places. Only 1 person goes in and finds, usually, monster
-Father of Mary Shelly, Percy Shelley, was a Romanticist: met M.S. mother; seduced her “on her mother’s grave,” as story goes
-Percy Shelly invited poets (sometimes crazy) intellectuals, elites and others to his home when little Shelley was born. Percy raised Shelley because mother died giving birth.
-One poet: Samuel Taylor COOLRIDGE recited a poem which stuck with MS, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” (found in the first few chapters of Frankenstein)
-Important: Dreams were important for Mary Shelley (after losing a child during birth, she dreamt of bringing it back to life next to fire=Prometheus, and rubbing its head)
Second Frame of Frankenstein the letters from R. Walton:
-Walton writes letters to sister who lives in Saville, England (light humor), on his voyage to the North Pole (wants to do something good for humanity, as does Frankenstein, later in the book) he is lonely, in search of true friend, loves the Sciences (“saciate my ardent curiosity”)
-chronological order
-location goes from St. Petersburg, to Archangel(?) to no true location (similar to fantastic novels) he moves away from civilization
-One day, sees human-like creature on the ice-sheet, then an hour later, see a man on a dog sled, who comes on his boat: curious question “Where are you goin?”
Then?……
Letters 1-5:
• It is set in a mysterious, icy place Anything can happen
• Robert Walton: doesn’t connect with anyone in the ship, makes no friends. Does the trip for glory; “ardent” repeated He is determined & hungry for knowledge.
• Victor Frankenstein gets on board, he:
Loves science, appears to be an obsession (he is monomaniac)
Is extremely cultivated
Appears to be sketchy on board (p.10: “Two days passed…”) he is described as a “creature”; he is frustrated, in despair, wild and mad, which makes everything more intense.
Is picky; he doesn’t want to go back to civilization, and we can imagine that he is chasing the monster (although it normally should be the opposite, which shows some signs of guilt).
• Walton warns Frankenstein about the dangers of science (p.12)
• Walton then writes down the story that Frankenstein tells him it could be distorted. Is this what Victor Frankenstein said? Or is it exaggerated? He is an unreliable narrator (shifting into a new voice).
• 4 different voices in total (and 2 replace the other one): Mary Shelley + her husband, and Walton + the voice of Victor Frankenstein.
• “It was a dreary night” Only begins at chapter 5; this shows that although the whole story begun by a dream, Mary Shelley organized it, emphasizing how it is something that could happen to anyone. It isn’t a fantasy, and it is a novel dealing with something really Introduction to SCI-FI (Mary Shelley was the 1st author).
• Victor realizes too late that the experiment was a mistake; the idea grew too fast in his mind.
• Got caught up in what his chemistry teacher said
• He went to the extreme by creating an 8ft monster – normally a prototype should be created. Imagining that the monster is in proportion with his dreams could be a way of interpreting this.
• However, this isn’t a dream this is a nightmare.
• V.F. wanted to create something good for other people, believing he was being altruistic: “Many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me.”
• The novel is filled with ironic situations:
Victor is curious, but he runs away from the monster.
He wants to save lives, by creating a monster.
• The loss of his mother aspired/inspired him to reanimate
• The situation becomes too big for him to handle, as he didn’t know what he was doing he isn’t a professional scientist.
Pages 38-39:
• Frankenstein gets too caught up in his passion, once again showing that he is monomaniac.
• He isn’t really thinking, he’s too caught up in the moment.
• “Like a hurricane” description that shows that he is destructive
• He describes the setting as a “workshop of filthy creation” which, since it was written after, demonstrates his disgust.
• Setting: alone in his cell at the top room (the attic) Gothic. + The height may illustrate his arrogance, and the fact that he is an over-reacher: “pursuing nature to her hiding places.”
• Victor is an artist (so impulsive, passionate about what he does), and therefore appears to be antisocial while creating the monster. This is ironic because it is the opposite of what a scientist should normally be: logical.
• What is the limit?
• Also, we find that there is something wrong in what he’s willing to do for his experiment (killing animals, etc…).
• Victor isn’t a Black & White character.
• He respects nature by destroying it.
• During his childhood he was:
Spoilt (along for so long before his other siblings joined him; 7 years).
The father believed the books he was reading were ridiculous, thus making him even more eager to read them.
TOPICS:
• Science – Ethos + Responsibility
• Creation/Creativity: Art Dangers (dangerous members of society)
• The Nature of Human Nature How are we born? (Environment, etc…)
• Parenting: Nurture
• Victor & Creature Their relationship
Chapter 5:
• Disturbing dream: Elizabeth and the mother morph into one Elizabeth takes the role of the mother.
• We discovered that all of the woman that die are adopted, or orphans (The mother, Justine, and then Elizabeth – which we can predict because of what happened in the dream).
• Climax; the turning point – time is sped up – V.F. rushed into everything without thinking.
• The consequences last forever; which outlasts the pleasure of the dream he has.
• Frankenstein is horrified when the monster opens it’s eyes, which shows how irresponsible. The eyes made him grasp the reality, as eyes represent the soul of a person, which means that the monster is actually a real person. Catastrophe.
• Monster = part of Victor, even his shadow.
27- 09- 10:
Community:
-people in an area
-people who share a common background
-people who share a common history
Victor is rejecting what he created; he’s refusing communication, rejecting his ideas and his son.
-4th narrator: creature. The reader is getting into the heart of the book.
The creature is understandable but he is a killer. He’s the only one of his kind; there is no community for him. He has to look at another family to understand what love is. He’s civilized and animal IRONIC. Sympathy from the reader.
-Education: creature talks about its meaning. 2 aspects of education:
-growth within a person
-schooling
Life education makes you who you are. Social education and culture complete each other. There’s a balance between both which makes us functional human beings. It is necessary to be civilized.
Society affects our education. Knowledge:
Fire: symbol of man evolution and discoveries. He burns himself with knowledge. He got too close to it; like Victor and sciences. Burning: consequences.
Monster’s happiness of knowledge. “Of what a strong nature is knowledge” p. 131 but knowledge also made him unhappy.
p. 94: 1st time he sees himself. Realizes that he can never be loved.
28- 09- 10:
Adam and Eve ashamed. Guilt. Despair. Regrets. Destructive knowledge. “Ignorance is bliss:
Human nature : want to know more. Temptation. Forbidden knowledge. Curiosity
Victor: adam and eve because he made a baby. But creatures suffers from consequences. Victor ate the forbidden fruit that is science and the creature was casted out of the Garden of eve.
The creature also kills because of his knowledge. Initial goodness. Innocence at birth of men.
Education: bad, corruption on the goodness. Victor is his god but Victor seems like Satan.
Scence of power: physique. But still conscience; wouldn’t have hurt Felix. He did kill William by impulse but Justine’s murder was pre-meditated.
ID impulses. Monster within us.
Benevolent by society. Experiment.
30- 09- 10:
Nature of men (benevolence of monster). Ignorance is bliss
Urges. Freud. Unleeshed if pushed too far.
Book education vs. life education
Chap 10: Mont Blanc. Alpes. Mountains. Towards the sky. No witnesses
p. 79: Trees. Creepy background. Trying to find consolation but does not deserve it. Violated nature.
Sublime. Devine. Beauty and terror. Wildness. Darkness vs. Whitness of mountains. From solace to wild place.
About to see creature: karma.
Mutability: things change. Night : dream ideas
1 thought can pollute and envade the day. There’s a fine line between good and bad.
Turning point for Victor. Monster is going to pollute his life.
Should he or shouldn’t he?
Faire deserves compation.
Creature: hypocrite. Infairness. Double infairness.
1 problem now a 2nd problem.
She could hate him. Contradiction. Lonely- sharing of loneliness.
Creature less nice than before. Knows he has the power. P. 146 “ slave […] you are my creator, but I am your monster; obey”
• 10- 10
Who’s got the power?
Physically: creature. But does Victor care/!
1st time in the book that Victor thinks about his choices.
Night, moon. Mutability factor. Darkness. Confusion.
Now thinking it through for the 1st time.
Incest Victor and Elizabeth. Creature and Creaturette.
The creature is becoming a monster.
His experience with humans turned him into a monster. Haunted. Hypocrite. Disgust.
