Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein', published in 1818, intertwines personal trauma with the cultural clash between Enlightenment rationality and Romantic passion, exploring themes of creation, responsibility, and the consequences of scientific ambition.
On January 1st, 1818, Mary Shelley published her groundbreaking gothic novel, Frankenstein, at the young age of nineteen. This work has since become a classic of English literature, reflecting the rich cultural and historical context of its time. Shelley's unique background, with her father William Godwin as a leading Enlightenment philosopher, her mother Mary Wollstonecraft as a pioneering feminist, and her husband Percy Shelley as a prominent Romantic poet, positioned her to explore the profound clash between two significant cultural movements: the Enlightenment and Romanticism.
Shelley's life was marked by a series of personal tragedies that deeply influenced her writing. Just ten days after her birth, her mother died from puerperal fever. At seventeen, she eloped with Percy Shelley, who had abandoned his wife. The following year, her premature illegitimate child died shortly after birth, and her half-sister Fanny Godwin committed suicide. Shortly thereafter, Percy’s wife also took her own life. Just before the publication of Frankenstein, Mary gave birth to a daughter, indicating that much of the novel's composition occurred while she was pregnant and mourning. This overwhelming experience of birth and death fueled her creativity and the themes of her story.
The inception of Frankenstein occurred one stormy night in the Swiss Alps when Percy Shelley and his friend Lord Byron challenged each other to write ghost stories. By morning, Mary had outlined her tale, which would center on the archetypal mad scientist, Dr. Victor Frankenstein. Driven by the noble intentions of restoring health and prolonging life, Frankenstein embarks on a dark journey to create an eight-foot-tall human being from body parts collected from exhumed graves.
The novel's subtitle, Or, the Modern Prometheus, alludes to the Greek myth of Prometheus, who defied the gods by stealing fire and giving it to humanity, ultimately facing severe punishment. In a similar vein, Frankenstein's act of creation leads to tragic consequences, as his creation turns against him, resulting in the deaths of his loved ones, including his bride on their wedding night.
Frankenstein serves as a dramatic exploration of the conflict between Enlightenment ideals and Romantic sensibilities. The Enlightenment celebrated reason and scientific progress, while the Romantic era emphasized emotion and the sublime aspects of nature. Shelley critiques the Enlightenment's mechanistic view of humanity, suggesting that individuals cannot be reduced to mere machines governed by rationality. She incorporates a quote from Percy’s poem Mutability, which encapsulates the idea that change is the only constant in life, countering her father's deterministic views.
The novel also subtly references the French Revolution, mirroring the creature's transformation with the revolution's shift from hopeful beginnings to the terror of its later days. As Frankenstein reflects, "dreams that had been my food and pleasant rest for so long a space were now a hell to me; and the change was so rapid, the overthrow so complete!"
Shelley captures the Romantic perspective of nature as both beautiful and terrifying, setting her story against the backdrop of the Swiss Alps, characterized by rugged landscapes and sublime beauty. This setting becomes a crucial element in the narrative, where the creature and Frankenstein confront each other amidst the awe-inspiring yet threatening environment.
The story of Frankenstein has inspired numerous adaptations, including the iconic 1931 film that inaccurately portrays the creature as inherently evil. In the novel, the creature's vengeful actions stem from society's rejection of his frightening appearance, highlighting the theme of societal judgment and the consequences of isolation.
Shelley's narrative raises important moral questions about scientific responsibility and the implications of creating life. While Frankenstein's scientific endeavors are ambitious, the ensuing chaos arises not solely from his actions but from the emotional responses of those around him. The underlying message warns of the dangers associated with unnatural creation, emphasizing the potential perils of human emotions and societal perceptions.
Ultimately, Frankenstein is a complex celebration of scientific ambition, even as it critiques the failures of its protagonists. The novel's first narrator, Robert Walton, embarks on a quest to discover the North Pole, embodying the Enlightenment spirit of exploration. However, both Walton and Frankenstein fail to achieve their lofty goals, while the creature, in a tragic twist, heads toward the North Pole, suggesting a poignant conclusion to the narrative.
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein remains a timeless exploration of the human condition, the responsibilities of creation, and the intricate dance between reason and emotion, making it a vital part of literary and cultural discourse.
