6.1.2

Science & Society

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Science and Society

Shelley imagines the effect of science on society when it is left unchecked and uncensored.

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Reanimation

  • After the 18th/19th century, scientists such as Galvani and Aldini pioneered experiments which used electricity to ‘reanimate’ dead animals or decapitated criminal’s heads.
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Body-snatching

  • The practice of ‘body-snatching’ became popular as financial rewards were given because of medical schools’ demands for cadavers.
  • Certain groups of people in society became anxious about the development of science and the boundaries it was breaking.
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Blasphemy

  • In a highly religious society, the idea of reanimating dead matter was seen as blasphemous and taboo; Shelley draws upon these fears in her novel.
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Victor’s hubris

  • Victor’s hubris for being the first man to "banish disease from the human frame" by surpassing the natural ways of reproduction might seem far-fetched to a modern reader, but to a contemporary reader, they would have been afraid of these scientific developments.
  • Shelley imagines the effect of science on society when it is left unchecked and uncensored.

Jump to other topics

1Narrative Structure

2Character Summaries

3Intertextuality & Allusions

4Biographic Context

5Chapter Summaries

6Key Themes

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