Time of Writing

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Scientific Developments

Mary Shelley wrote ‘Frankenstein’ during a period of rapid scientific progress and intense debate about science.

Exposure

Shelley would have been exposed to the ideas of leading scientists in her father's home, and it would seem that she undertook scientific reading of her own.
Her diaries suggest that she heard and participated in many conversations about science and “the nature and the principle of life” during the summer in Geneva in 1816.
- The group discussed the possibility of reanimating a corpse using galvanism, or even making a being of composite parts and bringing life to this.

Science in 1816

In 1816, these were not simply fantastical ideas, but rather, reflected the interests of scientists and physicians in the early nineteenth-century who were:
- Dissecting human cadavers; experimenting on animals; looking at the possibilities of generating life; and using electricity to bring movement to dead tissue.

Luigi Galvani

The power of electricity was one of the main scientific interests of the time, and in the 1780s and 1790s, Luigi Galvani (1737–1798), a professor of anatomy at the University of Bologna, performed an extensive series of experiments with electricity in a process which became known as “galvanism”.

Galvanism

Galvani was able to demonstrate that running an electrical current through a dismembered set of frog’s legs caused them to twitch.
Furthermore, in 1803, an Italian physician named Giovanni Aldini (1762-1834) attached a battery to the bodies of newly executed criminals, and the electrical current was seen to produce a “quiver” in various parts of the corpses.

Resuscitation

Resuscitation of people of the brink of death was also of great interest to many people.
In the late eighteenth century, humane societies ran receiving stations where members attempted to revive drowned persons using bellows.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

In 1762, a philosopher named Jean-Jacques Rousseau published a treatise called ‘Émile’, or ‘On Education’, which greatly impacted the way people viewed childhood.

‘Émile’

In this treatise (‘Émile’), Rousseau suggests that children are born innocent, and only become corrupted through the impact of society and their experiences of the world.

Fictional experiment

Rousseau presents a fictional experiment in which a child is allowed to develop naturally.
- Rather than being controlled by the interventions of his parents, he instead grows up in nature, simply following his own instincts.

Conclusions

Rousseau concludes that raising a child in this way would preserve the innate positive attributes of childhood and would therefore result in adults who would be good citizens.

Relevance to 'Frankenstein'

It is possible to read echoes of Rousseau’s ideas in the development and education of the Monster:
- When he learns simply through his experiences and his senses, the Monster retains his innate goodness.
- It is only through his mistreatment by society that the Monster becomes “corrupted” and seeks to cause harm to others.

Francis Bacon 'On Revenge'

In 1597, the philosopher and essayist Francis Bacon published ten 'Essayes', one of which was entitled 'On Revenge'.

'On Revenge'

In his essay, 'On Revenge', Bacon criticises the act of revenge for various reasons.
- He claims it makes the justice system superfluous.
- He also thinks it lowers the avenger to the level of the person who committed the original crime.

Criticisms

Importantly, Bacon also claimed that seeking revenge stops a person from getting over the wrongdoing:
- "a man that studieth revenge, keeps his own wounds green, which otherwise would heal, and do well."

Influence

Bacon's collection of essays was celebrated, and the ideas of this particular essay would have been well-known to Shelley.

Parallel's

This seems to fit with Shelley's presentation of both Victor and the Monster.
- Their mutual pursuit of revenge prohibits either of them from seeking an alternative method of solving their problems or moving on with their lives.
These "green" wounds eventually lead to the deaths of both characters.

1Plot Summaries

1.1Volume I

1.1.1Letters I-IV

1.1.2Chapters 1-3

1.1.3Chapters 4-6

1.1.4Chapters 7-8

1.1.5End of Topic Test - Volume I

1.2Volume II

1.2.1Chapters 1-3

1.2.2Chapters 4-6

1.2.3Chapters 7-9

1.2.4End of Topic Test - Volume II

1.3Volume III

1.3.1Chapters 1-3

1.3.2Chapters 4-6

1.3.3Chapter 7 & Walton in Continuation

1.3.4End of Topic Test - Volume III

2Characters

2.1Victor Frankenstein

2.1.1Role

2.1.2Quotations

2.1.3End of Topic Test - Victor Frankenstein

2.2The Monster

2.2.1Role

2.2.2Quotations

2.2.3End of Topic Test - The Monster

2.2.4Grade 9 - The Monster Question & Extract

2.3Other Characters

2.3.1Robert Walton

2.3.2Elizabeth Lavenza

2.3.3Alphonse Frankenstein

2.3.4Henry Clerval

2.3.5Justine Moritz

2.3.6The De Laceys

2.3.7End of Topic Test - Walton, Elizabeth & Alphonse

2.3.8End of Topic Test - Henry, Justine & the De Laceys

3Key Themes

3.1Ambition & Pursuit of Knowledge

3.1.1Presentation

3.1.2Key Quotations

3.2Prejudice

3.2.1Presentation & Key Quotations

3.3Justice

3.3.1Presentation & Key Quotations

3.3.2End of Topic Test - Ambition, Prejudice & Justice

3.4Companionship & Family

3.4.1Presentation & Key Quotations

3.5Revenge

3.5.1Presentation & Key Quotations

3.6Monstrosity

3.6.1Presentation

3.6.2Key Quotations

3.7Gender

3.7.1Presentation

3.7.2Key Quotations

3.7.3Key Themes - Companionship, Revenge & More

4Authorial Method

4.1Genre & Intertextuality

4.1.1Genre

4.1.2Intertextuality

4.1.3End of Topic Test - Genre & Intertextuality

4.2Form & Structure

4.2.1Form

4.2.2Structure

4.3Settings & Symbolism

4.3.1Settings

4.3.2Symbolism

4.4Imagery & Doubling

4.4.1Imagery

4.4.2Doubling

4.4.3End of Topic Test - Structure, Settings & More

5Context

5.1Context

5.1.1Mary Shelley

5.1.2Time of Writing

5.1.3End of Topic Test - Context

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