Exigence: Bill Hughes’ “‘A devout but nearly silent listener’: dialogue, sociability, and Promethean individualism in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818)” is part of an academic conversation analyzing many late Romantic period poets and authors, such as Mary and Percy Shelley. Essentially, Hughes’ article is a continuation of Marilyn Butler’s work, which argues that “the second wave of Romantic poets, such as Byron, Keats, and Percy Shelley, pursued a neoclassical critical rationalism that retained the spirit of Enlightenment radicalism” (Hughes 1). To put it in Hughes’ own words, “[my] article argues that Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel, Frankenstein, continues that dialogism” (Hughes 2). Furthermore, Hughes analyzes the work of several other prominent …show more content…
There are several reasons why Hughes’ target audience is not the general public, nor a group larger than this group of scholars. To start, this article is printed in The Irish Journal of Gothic and Horror Studies issue 16 which “is a peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary, electronic publication dedicated to the study of Gothic and horror literature, film, new media and television” (Irish Journal of Gothic and Horror Studies). Basically, since this article was submitted to a specialized journal dedicated to publishing academic articles, Hughes must be targeting other scholars in the field. Furthermore, the another author from issue 16 is Dr. Hannah Murray of King’s College who has a “PhD in early national American literature [from] the University of Nottingham” and has “taught American literature at [the] University of Nottingham and University of Leicester” (King 's College London - Dr Hannah Murray). Because the other authors of this journal are also scholars, this is a specialized journal not targeting the general public. Moreover, since Hughes directly mentions some other scholars, such as Marilyn Butler and Franco Moretti, the main individuals to whom Hughes is addressing are the other scholars trying to understand both Percy and Mary Shelley’s commentary of the Enlightenment and Romantic periods. Therefore, Hughes’ writing is not an opinion article trying to reach thousands across the …show more content…
To start, Hughes’ thesis is “Shelley uses the ambiguous Romantic avatar of Prometheus to dramatise uneasy tensions between Enlightenment ideas of progress and sociability” (Hughes 2). Furthermore, at the start of his work, Hughes states, “The Romantic period has often been characterised as marking a shift towards the inward and individual” but later states “many writers in the Romantic period cultivated a sociability that was, in some ways, a continuation of the public rationality of the [Enlightenment]” (Hughes 1). Essentially, Hughes is stating that although the Romantic period emphasized the individual, some Romantic authors such as Mary Shelley express, through their work, problems with an individualistic society. Hughes states, “the creature... is also an index of liberating potential of dark, shapeless matter transformed through marvellous human knowledge and imagination, yet constrained by an oppressive, asocial individualism” (21). These quotes connect to me research as I am currently trying to determine how Shelley constructs human nature through her novel Frankenstein. Currently, my research has consistently coincided with both Butler’s and Hughes’ argument. There are many points in the novel which seem to display individualism as a negative quality. For instance, Shelley displays Frankenstein’s blatant
“‘Cooped Up’ with ‘Sad Trash’” Analysis Dr. Johanna M. Smith, the author of the scholarly article “‘Cooped Up’ with ‘Sad Trash’”, is an associate professor of English at the University of Texas at Arlington. In her article “‘Cooped Up’ with ‘Sad trash’” her approach to the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is one that takes a feminist viewpoint. In her article, Smith divides her argument into two sections, one that focuses more on the notion of an unpayable debt of gratitude, and the other that focuses on Victor Frankenstein’s transition from alchemical science to chemistry and how that relates to the “tensions and conflicts of contemporary gendered science” (324). Both articles, although presented as two separate entities, flow together magnificently and
There are so many guides and commentaries for Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein that it might appear to some that the field is saturated. Audrey A. Fisch’s book, however, is a welcome addition, formed as it is by the specific objectives of the Icons of Modern Culture series (edited by David Ellis). Fisch expresses these objectives very clearly in her Introduction: her aim is to “unpack the story of the Creature in the popular culture tradition, unearthing a range of complicated Creatures, not all of whom are huge and mute, and many of whom, though different from Mary Shelley’s Creature, are intriguing in their own right” (7).
Kyle Lyon Professor Ed Steck AWR 201 F3 14 April 2015 Annotated Bibliography Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. Ed. Hunter, Paul J. Norton Critical Edition.
Frankenstein’s creature initially shows no signs of ill will or malice when first encountering human beings (Shelley 72-73). On the contrary, through careful observation he is able to learn more about human society and personal relationships. He begins to admire the close connection between the people he observes and respects their virtue. This, however, makes him realise what he is missing. Observing the love and affection between others only increases the effect his own solitude has on him.
Duality is shown in Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, a gothic tale of a scientist whom looks to advance the life-giving qualities of mother nature. Through this novel, Shelley proves that good and evil in human nature is not always simple to define, and that everyone has both of these qualities within them. The duality of human nature is shown through the characters of Victor Frankenstein and his monster, who are both heroes in the novel while simultaneously displaying anti-hero qualities. Shelley forces the reader to sympathize with them both but also creates gruesome ideas of the two. Frankenstein’s creature places himself in a submissive position when he begs his creator to have mercy on him and asking the creator to “create a female for [him] with whom [he] can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for [his] being.”
The creature, Victor Frankenstein’s creation, had to suffer and tolerate life without care, love, or identity. The creature was never given a name because Victor didn’t want his monster to become more human-like. It can reinforce that the creature is property, and not a human being that is loved and cared for. Names are important for everyone because it is the easiest way to have self-identity. The creature never received a Christian name throughout the story.
Psychoanalysis of Frankenstein and His Creation When doing a literary analysis using the psychoanalytic type A criticism, the reader must solely look to the work itself and exclude externalities. One may interpret, “Dr. Frankenstein and the monster as embodying Sigmund Freud’s theory of id and ego” (Telgen). The theory is based upon the idea that a character’s personality can be divided into three parts. The id which is the basic desire for what each person wants. The superego which is the opposite of id, it houses our sense of guilt.
They ways in which they are affected by this abandonment proves that isolation has grave effects on human interaction and social development. One way that the theme of isolation negatively affecting social development is presented in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is through the character’s separation from their creators. The creature is abandoned by Victor, his creator, as soon as he awakes.
Furthermore, Shelley examines the relation that Frankenstein and his monster have towards relevant motifs of Enlightenment such as science, religion, and humanity. To begin with, the era of Enlightenment was characterized by numerous scientific discoveries in Europe. Advances were made in various scientific fields such as astronomy, physics, and mathematics. They caused large controversies which had a deep impact on people’s thinking about God and religion.
The fictional horror novel of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is driven by the accentuation of humanity’s flaws. Even at the very mention of her work an archetypal monster fills one’s imagination, coupled with visions of a crazed scientist to boot. Opening her novel with Robert Walton, the conduit of the story, he also serves as a character to parallel the protagonist’s in many ways. As the ‘protagonist’ of the story, Victor Frankenstein, takes on the mantle of the deluded scientist, his nameless creation becomes the embodiment of a truly abandoned child – one left to fend for itself against the harsh reality posed by society. On the other hand, Walton also serves as a foil to Victor – he is not compulsive enough to risk what would be almost
However, this novel by Mary Shelley is a very entertaining piece of work that painstakingly resembles modern day society. “From our expectations having been raised too high beforehand by injudicious praises; and it exhibits a strong tendency towards materialism.” (Anonymous, 1998) The first critique that was published in the Literary Panorama, and National Register strongly critiques that the development of the monster is entirely unrealistic and based upon the sense of greed that comes with materialism. The whole basis of this novel is fantasy.
Qi QinYi, Jasmine Mr. Nikolich English 9 Jan 2018 Frankenstein: The Search for Identity Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, is a pioneering science fiction work about the story of a young scientist Victor Frankenstein who created life out of dead matter. On the surface, Frankenstein seemed to be only a horror story about unorthodox scientific experiments and grotesque monsters. But by diving deeper into the novel, Shelley also addressed larger philosophical ideas. Throughout the story, Victor Frankenstein and his monster have both parallel and contrasting elements, and their search for identity is one of the most important ones. Identity is defined a “the distinguishing character or personality of an individual” (Merriam-Webster).
The presentation of women in Frankenstein Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”, first published in 1818, was written in a time period where society’s general opinion was that a woman’s role was predominately to be a loving, caring mother and a faithful, docile companion to her husband. This attitude is reflected in Shelley’s portrays of women in her novel as passive, self- sacrificing, loyal, and completely dependent on men. They are a means by which emotions are invoked within male characters and serve only as companions and beautiful possessions. Caroline Beaufort, mother of the protagonist Victor Frankenstein, is an example of the embodiment of this ideal. She is the wife of Alphonse Frankenstein and within the novel plays the role of a perfect daughter, wife, and mother.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Critical Analysis About the author Naomi Hetherington is a member of the University of Sheffield, the department of lifelong learning. She is an early researcher in sexuality, religious culture, the 19th-century literature, and gender. She holds a BA in Theology and religious studies, an MA and a Ph.D. in Victorian Literature. She currently teaches four-year pathway literature degree at Sheffield University for students who have already attained foundation degrees. Among the books, she has written the critique of Frankenstein.
In the narrative, Mary Shelley carefully introduces various aspects of the tradition of Romantic literature and thus, the novel can also be understood as a mirror to the society of that era. Few of the Romantic thoughts evident in Frankenstein are, the idea of individualism, yearning for a utopic state, nostalgic remembrance, the symbolic use of nature and most evidently, the presence of gothic elements that showcase intense emotions and horror. Furthermore, Shelley uses the voice of three different narrators-Walton, Victor and The Monster, to engage the audience and make them understand all the three viewpoints. Through the epistolary and framed narrative, she also continues to establish new themes as the novel proceeds. The skilful use of literary devices such as allusions, monologues, imagery and metaphors helps to dramatize the text and create an impact on the readers’ mind.