3.2.3
John Locke
John Locke
John Locke
Locke was a 17th-century philosopher who was dubbed the ‘Father of Liberalism’.
Influential theories
Influential theories
- Locke influenced thinkers such as Immanuel Kant and Jean Jacques Rousseau with his theories about society and the individual.
Tabula Rasa
Tabula Rasa
- His theory of Tabula Rasa (meaning ‘blank slate’) is extremely pertinent to Frankenstein, as it posits the epistemological (regarding the theory of knowledge) concept that all humans are born ‘blank’ in terms of information and knowledge of the world, and that this is only gained through experience.
Nature versus nurture debate
Nature versus nurture debate
- His theory is against the idea that certain knowledge is innate to us, and favours the side of nurture in the nature versus nurture debate.
- This appears to be supported by the Monster’s embedded meta-diegetic narrative - the narrative shows how innocent and vulnerable the Monster was until it learnt about the world through the experiences with the cottagers, William and the books it read.
1Narrative Structure
2Character Summaries
2.1Walton & Frankenstein
2.3Elizabeth, Justine & Henry
3Intertextuality & Allusions
3.1Intertextual References
3.2Philosophical & Scientific Theories
4Biographic Context
5Chapter Summaries
5.2Chapters
5.2.1Chapters 1-2
5.2.2Chapters 3-4
5.2.3Chapters 5-6
5.2.4Chapters 7-9
5.2.5Chapters 10-11
5.2.6Chapters 12-15
5.2.7Chapters 16-19
5.2.8Chapters 20-23
5.2.9Chapter 24 & Walton’s Last Letters
5.2.10End of Topic Test - Chapters 1-6
5.2.11End of Topic Test - Chapters 7-15
5.2.12End of Topic Test - Chapters 16-23
5.2.13End of Topic Test - Chapter 24 & Walton's Letters
Jump to other topics
1Narrative Structure
2Character Summaries
2.1Walton & Frankenstein
2.3Elizabeth, Justine & Henry
3Intertextuality & Allusions
3.1Intertextual References
3.2Philosophical & Scientific Theories
4Biographic Context
5Chapter Summaries
5.2Chapters
5.2.1Chapters 1-2
5.2.2Chapters 3-4
5.2.3Chapters 5-6
5.2.4Chapters 7-9
5.2.5Chapters 10-11
5.2.6Chapters 12-15
5.2.7Chapters 16-19
5.2.8Chapters 20-23
5.2.9Chapter 24 & Walton’s Last Letters
5.2.10End of Topic Test - Chapters 1-6
5.2.11End of Topic Test - Chapters 7-15
5.2.12End of Topic Test - Chapters 16-23
5.2.13End of Topic Test - Chapter 24 & Walton's Letters
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