Author
Author: Mark Shelley
• Born 1797 in London
• Shelley is the bi-product of two
multi-talented parents, who
were extremely forwardthinking
• Shelley’s mother was an
acclaimed author
• Shelley’s father associated
with great thinkers such as
Thomas Paine and William
Blake
Author
Author: Mary Shelley
• Within Shelley’s own life
she was married to the
famed poet Percy Shelley
• Shelley’s masterpiece,
Frankenstien was a rare
bright spot in her life:
– Her mother died shortly
after her birth
– Her husband drowned
– Her 4 children died as
infants
– Her own life was ended by
a prolonged illness
General Information
General Information
• First published in 1818
• Frankenstein is
alternately titled The
Modern Prometheus
• Prometheus, like the
character Victor in
Frankenstein, was given
knowledge that no other
human possessed
(knowledge of fire)
General Information
General Information
• Frankenstein was
created as the result
of a “ghost story”
competition with
Shelley’s husband,
Percy
• The story was an
immediate best seller
and its featured
monster is now iconic
Literary Focus
Literary Focus
• Narrator
• Point of View
• Robert Walton, who, in his
letters, quotes Victor
Frankenstein’s first-person
narrative at length
• Adding complexity to the
narrative, the point of view
shifts with the narration,
from Robert Walton to Victor
Frankenstein to
Frankenstein’s monster,
then back to Walton
Literary Focus
Literary Focus
• Protagonist
• Victor Frankenstein
• Antagonist
• The Monster
• Setting (time)
•
• Setting (place)
• Geneva; the Swiss Alps;
Ingolstadt; England and
Scotland; the northern ice
Eighteenth century
Literary Focus
Literary Focus
• Foreshadowing
•
• Tone
• Gothic, Romantic, emotional,
tragic, fatalistic
• Symbols
• Light is symbolic in the novel
of knowledge and the seeking
of knowledge
• Fire is symbolic of the dangers
linked to knowledge that hurt
and even destroy
Victor uses words such as
“fate” and “omen” to hint at the
tragedy that has befallen him
Themes and Focus
Themes and Focus
• Isolation vs. Companionship
• The Danger of Naked Ambition
• Man’s need to be with
someone and to be a part of
society is explored. Part of the
reason the monster lashes out
is because of its feeling of
alienation
• Victor becomes so consumed
with his owns desire for
knowledge that he doesn’t
reflect on the possible
consequences of his actions
Themes and Focus
Themes and Focus
• Ethics and Science
• Perception vs. Reality
• Questions hang over the novel
whether or not Victor’s creation
is an abomination and evil;
these questions are raised
again when the monster
requests a partner
• The monster’s horrific
appearance is contrasted by
his knowledge of literature and
eloquent speech
Summary and
Plot Overview
Summary and Plot
Overview
•
The story is told
through various
forms of flashback
•
Victor Frankenstein,
sick and near death,
relays the story of a
monster he created
to the captain of a
ship named Robert
Walton
Summary and
Plot Overview
Summary and Plot
Overview
• Victor has discovered
the secret of life and
is able to create a
creature out of old
body parts
• Although the creature
comes to life, its sight
horrifies him
Summary and
Plot Overview
Summary and Plot
Overview
• The results of the
creation are
distastorous:
innocents are killed
and a domino effect
of death is created
• One of the deaths is
Victor’s own brother,
William
Summary and
Plot Overview
Summary and Plot
Overview
• The monster eventually
confronts Victor and
demands he create a
mate to give him
companionship
• Victor is faced with a
moral dilemma: create
another monster or
appease the persuasive
monster
Character Analysis
Character Analysis
• Victor Frankenstein
• Victor discovers the secret of
life and creates an intelligent
but grotesque monster
• Victor keeps his creation of the
monster a secret, feeling
increasingly guilty and
ashamed
• Whereas the monster is
hideous on the outside,
Victor’s actions throughout the
novel reveal him to be hideous
on the inside
Character Analysis
Character Analysis
• The monster
• Standing eight-feet-tall,
the creature is strewn
together by the body
parts of the dead.
• Intelligent and sensitive,
the monster desperately
wants to be a part of
society
• His feelings of
abandonment compel him
to seek revenge against
his creator