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Frankenstein notes
Shelley
Daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft- an important feminist
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WIlliam
Godwin (father) remarried, but Shelley disliked the stepmother
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Percy was
still married so it was a big scandal! Mary gave birth but the child dies within two weeks
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Shelley doubted her own voice so she speaks through 3 strong male characters (creature, victor
and Walton)
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He wants to ‘​satisfy his ardent
curiosity​’ and also thinks that his discoveries will contribute an ‘​inestimable benefit to all
mankind​’ which shows his hubris
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The harsh climate is a reminder of his venture
into the unknown, proving to himself that he has courage
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Light and dark for long periods of time
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Walton values knowledge not money
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He may not have had the
wealthiest upbringing since he was an orphan
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Walton considers himself the ‘top’ of the ship, as he says there is no ​‘equal’ ​to himself aboard
the ship
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Walton forbids anyone else aboard the ship from talking to Frankenstein because he wants
exclusive knowledge
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‘Untamed yet obedient element’​- he thinks he is in control of the sea
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Walton ignores all these warnings due to his passion
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Extreme/unstable- he constantly changes his mind
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He does seem
very self centred
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First impressions of Frankenstein
He is ready to decline help if the ship isn’t going where he wants it to go (very extreme and
strange behaviour)
Frankenstein is in such a bad state that he needs to be ‘brought back to life’ by Walton (rubbing
alcohol etc)
Frankenstein is a kindred spirit for Walton- they have lots in common, though Victor has more
experience
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‘Blue lake and snow clad mountains- they never change’​- nature is used to show the
family’s stable and happy condition
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‘A servant in Geneva does not mean the same thing as a servant in France and England’
Education keeps cropping up- Justine has an education therefore she is considered
intellectually superior to Ernest who is not interested in education
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Victor should take heed when
raising his creature, by observing his parents and how they work!
Many of the women in the novel are very similar- all gentle and mild
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Frankenstein has a responsibility to look after his creature
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His parents are idolised
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The only flaw he has is when he says ‘that’s trash’ about Victor’s
books but doesn’t explain why
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Could be seen as a bit freaky that the father married
Caroline
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Victor should be a perfect child, he should be satisfied but isn’t
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Very extreme contrasts (eg Caroline from poverty to
wealth)
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People are never ‘ok’ they’re either overjoyed or severely
depressed
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Pathetic fallacy
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‘Brightest living gold’
Precious/worth a lot (possession)
‘Crown of distinction’
Majestic, royalty (superiority)

‘Celestial stamp in all her features’
She’s heavenly/ references to angels
‘She appeared of a different stock’
Picked out like a prize animal
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‘Garden rose among dark-leaved brambles’
Comparing elizabeth to nature again/ juxtaposing her with her peers
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Uses light throughout her description as symbolism for innocence, holiness and perfection
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She is brought from
poverty to wealth and victor protects her, like his father protecting caroline
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He’s possessive of Elizabeth- ‘​mine only’-​ slightly obsessive
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She says ‘tomorrow he
shall have it’ ‘it’ being very objectifying
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‘My more than sister’-​ may be his way of expressing his strong feelings for Elizabeth- extreme
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Elizabeth is
beautiful and therefore virtuous, but Mr M
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‘The sublime shapes of the mountains’​- almost overwhelmingly beautiful
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The lightning/destruction of the oak tree
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The destructive aspect of the oak could foreshadow the destruction of himself- ​‘I never beheld
anything so utterly destroyed’
Victor prefers Waldman as a tutor compared with Krempe
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The
description of Waldman’s appearance makes him seem very distinguished
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Waldman’s advice to Victor is to be more rounded and to know lots
about many different sciences
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Victor is described as
Waldman’s ‘disciple’ which puts Waldman in a very elevated position
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It is disastrous and has many
negative consequences
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Godlike
as a creator
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‘My cheek had grown pale with study’​- unhealthy, wasting away
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He’s not living, just focusing too much which is unhealthy
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He is
deceived, and this makes him continue in his struggles
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Almost like nature is watching
him and criticising him for interfering
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‘Tortured the living animal to animate the lifeless clay’​- unnecessary suffering causedperhaps an enjoyment?
He sacrifices life for his studies- no value of life
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‘I seemed to have lost all soul and sensation but for this one pursuit’​- he is completely
obsessed, and this is killing his virtues and morality
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‘I gather with your fellow creatures’- he doesn’t feel accepted, but believes he should be treated
like everyone else
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‘These bleak skies I hail, for they are kinder to me than your fellow human beings’
The creature’s comments may be not just about Victor, but also about society
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Towards the end of this
chapter, Victor resolves to hear the creature’s story
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Shows respect and
‘duty’ towards the creature
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He is learning very quickly because
he has to in order to survive
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There is no self pity- he’s merely reciting what
happened to him
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He’s been told he’s a wretch so often that he now
believes it
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He’s very appreciative of nature
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He’s easily pleased because he hasn’t experienced much good at all
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The family is like his parents as they educate him
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The family gets by with love
and support
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The creature learns that reading and writing is the same as spoken language
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He’s not feeling resentment about this yet
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Spring is lovely and has a good effect on people- it has a regenerating effect on people
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The creature learns about the power of human love and the positive effects of it
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​(Satan’s fall from heaven- a battle between God and rebels)
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Satan falls and is condemned to hell
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Don’t meddle with nature, as victor does
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Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Goethe
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He eventually kills
himself in despair Werther’s love for lottie is presented dramatically
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Plutarch’s lives
23 pairs of biographies- each pair is one greek and one roman, info about the individuals and
the times in which they lived
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The creature discovers Human society and finds about the viscous
behaviour of many men
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DeLacy’s response to the creature
Shelley builds up hope through the old man who is blind
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The build up has been slow and hopeful and the
response is fast paced
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This could have been a comment on education- they’ve been corrupted by society to
believe that women can’t cope
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Creature’s response​- turning point in his character
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Symbolic of ending his kindness towards human beings
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He saves the life of the little girl but gets shot for it
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This shows an emotional response
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‘I, like the archfiend, bore a hell within me’- reference to Paradise lost
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Archfiend
refers to Lucifer who was an outcast
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Gothic literature sometimes raises opinions that cannot be explored in other ways
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He enjoys wallowing
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He has no real love (sexually either) towards anyone
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Henry is allied to nature, he enjoys it and
restores Victor
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‘A being formed in the very poetry of nature’
‘Sensibility of his heart’
These may be to tip our sympathies to make us more sad when Henry is killed
Victor’s relationships with people
His father- He tries to be a good dad, seeks Victor’s happiness
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He
has good intentions, but does interfere with some of Victor’s plans and desires an early
marriage with victor and elizabeth
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This could be a reflection of
William Godwin, Shelley’s father
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Elizabeth seems more like Victor’s sister which is confusing
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‘I might claim elizabeth’- he has power over her that he doesn’t have over men- she is a prize
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Symbolically,
he moves himself away from humanity
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In Victor’s pursuit for revenge, the landscape becomes more bleak because he is only focusing
on the creature, not anything else
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Extreme reactions to things are common
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Extremity
Extreme beauty
Extreme knowledge
Arguing against knowledge is power

Darkness, shadows, decay
The description of the creature at Elizabeth’s death (lurking in the shadows)
Shedding light on something is argued to be ambiguous
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Horror and terror
Ann Radcliffe- terror is more of a psychological thing
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It’s very
much about creating that mental fear
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Bad stuff really does happen
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Is Frankenstein horror or terror? Probably terror
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The book can be used metaphorically for many different
ideas
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How far is Frankenstein typical of the Gothic genre?
Power- Justine is disempowered, Frankenstein's have status
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The sublime- terrifying/awesome/overwhelming nature
Supernatural and real- is the creature a supernatural creature? Yes
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Strange places- the arctic, scotland (bleake island)
The uncanny- the creature looks like a person but isn’t
Sublime- mountains
social/political crisis- french rev had finished in the ‘terror’
Victor’s journey in the arctic
Transfer of power- the creature is now a step ahead
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Parallels to Walton’s journey (hubris)
Going in the pursuit of more knowledge/revenge, bad things happen and you get closer to
death
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The creature has drawn victor to the ice to represent the lack of emotion
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The isolation of the arctic is important because, there, it gives the creature a
head start because he is physically superior
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It is about Victor’s grief and revenge
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He becomes isolated and
corrupted, so this transformation is not for the better
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How much does Shelley want us to sympathise with Frankenstein at the end?
A lot of admiration for him from Walton- ‘Tranquil voice’ ‘Seized with sudden agony’ ‘his voice
broken, yet piercing’ ‘his fine and lovely eyes’- Walton loves Victor/admires
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Towards
the end, he does begin to realise his mistakes
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Alternatively, it may just piss us off because it’s so pathetic
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He still believes he has a massive purpose but he
can’t even get out of bed
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Still focused on her goal even when dying
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Does Shelley mean for us to sympathise? If not, why does she do all of this at the end?
Upper class helping each other? Walton favours the version of events that suits him the most
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The language is all aimed at him: mother, daemon, wretch
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‘Wretch’- wretched, has been made like that
‘Daemon’- always been like that, in nature
‘Monster’
All these descriptions of him alienate him
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The creature’s narrative has been spoken through a very hostile source (victor)
The creature examines his motives
He empathises with Frankenstein- is the stronger person
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He is a victim who is vulnerable
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Why is Justine so keen to confess? She never fights back and is always calm
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Everyone turns against her with such a vigour because she is
a woman- it goes against everything that women were meant to be at the time
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Her name- ‘Justine’ is like ‘Justice’ ironic because there is no justice at all
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The mob wants to prove her guilt so much as they haven’t found
anyone else
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Frankenstein doesn’t come forward because people would not believe him
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For injustice to occur, all that has to happen is for
good men to remain selfish
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Caroline Beaufort
He dad died so she is a passive victim
‘His daughter attended him with the greatest tenderness’
‘Her time was entirely occupied in attending him’
‘Committed herself to his care’- passive as she must be ‘protected’
‘Soft’’tranquility’’shaken’’weakened’- she is described as weak
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It is not dwelled on very much at all
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She has a ‘category’she is put into domestic care
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‘
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All praises bestowed on her I received as made to a
possession of my own
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She
looked steadily on life, and assumed its duties with courage and zeal
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’
‘My trifling occupations take up my time and amuse me, and I am rewarded for any
exertions by seeing none but happy, kind faces around me’
‘We were soon joined by Elizabeth
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There was the
same candour, the same vivacity, but it was allied to an expression more full of
sensibility and intellect
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Everywhere I turn I see the

same figure- her bloodless arms and relaxed form flung by the murderer on its bridal
bier
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The father has a good reputation
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The father is devoted to his friends and want to help Beaufort
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The father is kind and
loving- he cares for others, contrasts with Victor
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Caroline is made out to be extremely fragile and weak
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Victor’s
upbringing was fantastic- he had a loving family and a fantastic education, so his parents set
him up well
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Both of Victor’s parents are of a benevolent disposition
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Descriptions of Elizabeth given
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Chapter 2
‘Harmony was the soul of our companionship, and the diversity and contrast that
subsided in our characters drew us nearer together’
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Elizabeth appreciated the arts- poetry, nature etc
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He only goes for like minded people- was indifferent to his schoolmates
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Victor says​ ‘no human being could have passed a happier childhood than myself’
Victor sees his family as superior
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Chapter 3
Caroline tending Elizabeth when she has Scarlet fever is an example of good parenting and
responsibility
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She is content with dying
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Perhaps this triggered his fascination with ​‘raising the
dead’
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​ He seems to be coping well,
as he knows it is right to move on
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She shows that women’s
role was to provide domestic care, as the task fell to Elizabeth (none of the men)

Henry was deprived of further education by his father
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It shows he is from an exclusive, privileged
family
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Mr Krempe was not actually too bad to Victor- he spoke ​‘with warmth’
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Chapter 4
Victor is very absorbed in his pursuit for knowledge
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He uses extremely long sentences which shows how excited he is
by his discovery
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Victor
is almost desensitised as he isn’t affected
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He’s pushed by a
‘supernatural force’-​ perhaps the obsession of his mother’s death is therefore pushing him to
try and raise the dead
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‘Aided only by one glimmering, and seemingly ineffectual, light’ ​(the light could be his goalhis ‘paradise’ could refer to electricity
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Victor turns his back on nature and ignores it
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​ He’s turning less human
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It’s a sort of divorce from nature
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It is going against the laws of nature
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Nature is presented as very virtuous, and also female
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It’s natural for women to give birth, not men
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His divorce with nature could also emphasize his separation with his
family
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There is disease imagery too- ‘​incipident
disease’
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This comes from obsession for
developing this creature
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Chapter 5
Setting- gothic (pathetic fallacy) ‘​dreary’
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When the creature, his creation, is born, he detects its appearance, but takes no responsibility
for it
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Description of the creature‘Pearly whiteness’​ contested too ​‘watery eyes’
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He realises his ignorance to nature and his
family, and that the finished result wasn’t worth it
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Effect of this- sad, sorrowful, in a daze, foggy
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Lots of physical beauty in the
book (eg Elizabeth)
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WHen the creature is animated, Victor sees
this is ugly and he presumes that it is also morally flawed
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‘Breathless horror and disgust’
The dream
In the dream, there is dramatic contrast between ‘​the bloom of health’ ​and ​‘grave-worms
crawling on the folds of the flannel
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Dehumanisation of the creature​- called a ‘​ wretch’
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It was
a creature at first- innocent and vulnerable
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Victor’s illness almost gets him off the hook for abandoning the creature
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Henry nurses victor
‘back to life’- he has been deprived of an education and sacrifices his education just to look after
his friend
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Clerval is the
opposite of Victor in many ways
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Justine Moritz- portrayed in a very positive light
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Justine is portrayed as ‘perfect’ ‘although her disposition was gay, and yet sometimes
inconsiderate’
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She’s doing very well
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The father says he
knows who the murderer was (Justine)
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He doesn’t question Justine’s guilt, and he believes that if Justine is innocent
she will be proven so
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Williams death and the previous description of him (‘blooming in health’) contrast dramatically
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Perhaps it is for confirmation
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Henry is very comforting
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He sees the creature, whom he knows nothing about
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‘It’ ‘object’ ‘wretch’​- dehumanisation
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It is
unclear what Victor thinks the creature is, as he contrasts in what he calls him all the time-​ ‘he’
‘it’​
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The flashes of lightning that illuminate the creature show a parallel to the monster’s creation
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Nature carries on being
extremely powerful despite being betrayed by Victor
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‘I declared everlasting war on the species’
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This is very monstrous behaviour
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He hasn’t had much experience with emotions so doesn’t know how to
control himself
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Nature
Nature seems to mock him
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Pathetic
fallacy- induces our sympathy
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The idea is that we are corrupted to
hate
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Conclusion- all the creature wants is a friend- a similar species to him who can sympathise with
him

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