Frankenstein as a gothic novel Essay -- English Literature

Frankenstein as a gothic novel The gothic tradition highlights the grotesque, relies on mysterious and remote settings, and is intended to evoke fear. All of these are evident in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, especially in chapter five. The settings in the novel are striking and distinctively gothic. Appropriately, the creature first breathes on a "dreary night of November," in a remote laboratory at Ingolstadt. The eerie atmosphere is typical of the gothic tradition. Victor, unafraid of the dark, spends his time in "vaults and charnel-houses,† he boldly visits the cemetery at the dead of night. details such as the creaking doors, the soft blowing of the wind in the still of the night, and the quiet footsteps in the house all lead to a feeling of fear and suspense. On a certain level, Victor's interest in creating life is an extension of his desire to escape death. By assembling the body parts of the dead, Victor makes a "monster", a massive, grotesque being, with the mind of a new born baby; and like a tormented spirit, the creation haunts Victor’s mind. Analysis: Chapters 3–5 The first three chapters give the reader a sense of impending doom, and chapter four depicts Victor on the way to tragedy. The creation of the monster is a grotesque act, far removed from the triumph of scientific knowledge for which Victor had hoped. His nightmares reflect his horror at what he has done and also serve to foreshadow future events in the novel. The images of Elizabeth â€Å"livid with the hue of death† prepare the reader for Elizabeth’s eventual death and connect it, however indirectly, to the creation of the monster. Victor’s pursuit of scientific knowledge reveals a great deal about his perceptions of sc... ... comments such as â€Å"I fear, my friend, that I shall render myself tedious by dwelling on these preliminary circumstances† both remind the reader of the target audience (Walton) and help indicate the relative importance of each passage. Shelley employs other literary devices from time to time, including apostrophe, in which the speaker addresses an inanimate object, absent person, or abstract idea. Victor occasionally addresses some of the figures from his past as if they were with him on board Walton’s ship. â€Å"Excellent friend!† he exclaims, referring to Henry. â€Å"How sincerely did you love me, and endeavor to elevate my mind, until it was on a level with your own.† Apostrophe was a favorite of Mary Shelley’s husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley, who used it often in his poetry; its occurrence here might reflect some degree of Percy’s influence on Mary’s writing.