Essays on Mary Shelley

The creation of life is a cautionary metaphor for the advancement of science in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Today, however, this type of life-generating science is commonplace. It does not take place in the laboratory of a mad scientist, but in sterile and advanced research facilities....

From its outset, Frankenstein establishes a link between the procuring of knowledge, or the uncovering of secrets, and evil. Walton’s sister’s ‘evil forebodings’ that surround his attempt to reach the North Pole, pointed out in the very first sentence, signal immediately not only the dangers...

Different authors have different intentions for authoring their books. Whereas some write to expand literature and demonstrate literal techniques, others write to communicate on a specific issue either directly or indirectly. In a way, therefore, although writing is an art it is more or less...

For many, it is hard to think of the world of science and the art of literature working in tandem. In the 1800s, the discipline of natural philosophy rapidly changed due to the Enlightenment, moving toward formal sciences. Romanticism served as a backlash to the...

Humans are emotional and fears, anxieties, desires, and ultimately become monsters. In all societies, people organize themselves and others into groups or categories based on the social classes, physical features, languages, religions, etc. Along with categories, society comes with a set of social norms as...

As the subtitle of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein implies, the tragic tale of Victor Frankenstein and his creation takes elements of classical myth and reinterprets them through the advances of “modern” science. Against the backdrop of the Scientific Revolution, Shelley’s novel confronts perennial dilemmas that have...

As a professor of psychology and the author of a host of books that examine various psychological elements at play in some of the most recognized pop culture mainstays within the science fiction genre, Sherri Ginn seems more than qualified to offer an insightful analysis...

If a child committed a crime against someone else, is the child culpable for his or her actions, or should the child’s parents being responsible for failing to educate their child on what is right and wrong? The theme of individual responsibility appears throughout the...

Throughout Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the parallel connection to Adam and Eve’s story from Genesis is incorporated to emphasize the negative aspects of the main protagonist in the novel, Dr. Victor Frankenstein. Integrating comparisons between the main protagonists in the book of Genesis, readers are able...

The novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley is an incredible story that has been very well known throughout most generations. It has gotten so popular that they even made movies and changed up certain things. The original book isn’t just one genre, it actually represents many...

A branch off of feminist movements gender criticism is a literary approach that explores ideas about men and women can be influenced by cultures that attempt to correct the impression of a paternal society. The novel Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley, provides numerous examples of...

Frankenstein consists of various literary devices and describes different qualities and social perspectives. The tale intensely rotates around various individual aspects in Mary Shelley’s life. Perusing the novel through a women’s activist lense, it’s intriguing to break down how this perspective identifies with Mary Shelley’s...

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was a real breakthrough during the 19th century and classed as a great modern horror story. There are many themes presented and initiated by Mary Shelley throughout the novel, however, in my opinion the themes of Feminism and religion are those mostly...

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein reveals the uncanny defamiliarization of the natural part of the general public. The creature, a making of Victor Frankenstein’s frenzy is utilized to affirm this. The monsters ghastly appearance is the reason of society’s loath towards it, thus it is addressed with...

Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin was destined to be an enigma. She was born August 30, 1797 in Somers Town, England to two highly intellectual, unorthodox, but profoundly influential parents. Her father, William, was a historian, journalist, and philosophist. He was a champion of utilitarianism, an advocate...

Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel Frankenstein follows one man’s dangerous obsession with reanimating the dead. In his efforts to create a living human, Dr. Victor Frankenstein ironically loses his humanity. He becomes obsessed, cruel, and treats his own creation with contempt and hatred. Dr. Frankenstein never...

Forgiveness is to grant pardon for or remission of. Forgiving is key to a happy and unregretful life. Some people lack the ability to forgive, which can make them depressed, isolated, regretful, or even suicidal. In Mary Shelley’s book Frankenstein, the monster’s lack of forgiveness...

Victor Frankenstein, a young doctor, creates a monster out of dead body parts. Shattered by his mother’s death, he becomes consumed with the idea of bringing the dead back to life. He creates a monster with no plan to take care of it, so he...

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, written in the 19th century tells the story of a monster created by Victor Frankenstein who is abandoned at birth. When examining this novel from the lens of a feminist literary perspective, we can clearly read how the novel shows us the...