Mary Shelley s Frankenstein And The Monk - 1657 Words

The way in which author’s choose to depict their characters can reveal a great deal about not only the authors themselves but the society they lived in. In many works of British Gothic fiction, women are often omitted from the story, depicted in a negative light, or underdeveloped and easily forgotten. The novels Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, and The Monk by Matthew Gregory Lewis, are not exception in their treatment of women. The treatment of women in these novels reveals an underlying misogyny that ultimately reduces women to no more than objects. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, is odd in that in spite of being written by a woman, the women of the story are subjected to the same treatment as the women of the other novels mentioned. One would think that as a woman, Shelly would want to empower her female characters in a way that is possible in fiction that may not be in real life. Both female characters, Elizabeth and Jus tine, are forgettable at best and the way they are introduced to us is rather telling. â€Å"Among these there was one which attracted my mother far above all the rest. She appeared of a different stock. The four others were dark-eyed, hardy little vagrants; this child was thin, and very fair. Her hair was the brightest living gold, and despite the poverty of her clothing, seemed to set a crown of distinction on her head. Her brow was clear and ample, her blue eyes cloudless, and her lips and the moulding of herShow MoreRelated Significance of Chapter 5 in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Essay1212 Words   |  5 PagesComment on Chapter 5’s significance in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Famous writer, Mary Shelley was born in London in 1797. She was the daughter of writer William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft. Shelley’s mother sadly died while giving birth to her. This was an influence included in the later successful novel ‘Frankenstein’. At 19, she married poet Percy Shelley, who she married in 1816. Together, Mary and Percy had five children, but only one survived past childhood. This tragedy, alongRead MoreSocial Ostracisation Within Frankenstein1670 Words   |  7 Pagesboth to the creator and creature. Gothic writing can be dated back for centuries, Shelly immediately comes to mind with Frankenstein as well as The Monk by Matthew Gregory Lewis and Dracula by Bram Stoker all can be associated with Social Ostracisation. The concept of alienating one to refuge, dismissal, and pain are all themes in these novels. The 1818 edition to Frankenstein tells us that the Shelly’s ‘Chief concern’ in writing the novel had been limited to ‘avoiding the enervating effects ofRead MoreEssay on The Gothic Genre and What it Entails6177 Words   |  25 Pagessuperior, enduring Gothic texts definitely reflect political ideal and contemporaneous social features which touched the vast majority of people. This is especially apparent if one traces the maturation of the form from Walpole (1764) to Mary Shelley (1818) and Maturin (1820). (For example William Godwins Caleb Williams (1794)had an overt political message intended to expose the inadequacy of Things as they are). During the development of the Gothic the motifs become lessRead MoreThe Gothic Elements Of Frankenstein922 Words   |  4 PagesSchroder Honors English IV December 8 2016 The Gothic Elements of Frankenstein Gothic novels are stories written in the gothic genre which is a literature genre of fiction characterized by an atmosphere of mystery and horror. This genre rose to, and flourished in, popularity during the 18th and 19th centuries. One of the most famous novels of this Genre is Frankenstein, also known as the Modern Prometheus, by Mary Shelley. Frankenstein is about a scientist who creates a grotesque sentient monster inRead MoreWrite an Essay on the Relationship Between Frankenstein and the Creature, and Compare/Contrast Their Relationship with That Exhibited Between Two Other Characters in One Other Text.2328 Words   |  10 Pagesin two different books. In Mary Shelleys’ Frankenstein the relationship between Victor Frankenstein and The Monster he created will be discussed, by analysing both characters relationship to each other before detailing the effects this relationship had, on the others actions and how it led to their eventual downfall. In Matthew Lewis’ The Monk the relationship between Ambrosio and Matilda will be analysed and then compared to the aforementioned relationship in Frankenstein in order to highlight anyRead MoreHomosexuality in Victorian and Elizabethan Literature.6608 Words   |  27 Pagesstory about a vampire that challenged the Victorian gender roles and managed to reverse them, making men faint like women, and making women powerful like men, and called it Dracula. Mary Shelley created a a physical being out of a mans suppressed homosexuality due to his Victorian male upbringing; a man named Frankenstein. Robert Stevenson described what happens when a homosexual male attempts to live double lives to cover up his true feelings, and entitled it The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and MrRead MoreThe Genre of Stokers Dracula Essay6296 Words   |  26 Pagesvoice. 1. Introduction In this paper I will examine Stokerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ²s novel Dracula in order to determine whether it belongs to the Gothic genre or not. Firstly, a short history of the Gothic novel will be presented and the most important authors and works of the era will be mentioned. Furthermore, the different characteristics of the Gothic genre will be examined in order to compare them with Stokerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ²s work. Aspects like nature, surroundings, atmosphere, the role of the