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Frankenstein was originally an idea for a ‘ghost’ story that Mary Shelley had conceived, whilst on holiday in Switzerland. It is through her introduction to the novel in 1831, that Shelley confesses that at first she had felt a ‘blank incapability of invention’ and further explains, that invention ‘does not consist in creating out of void, but of chaos’. There is an important clue in this statement, if we are to examine the real terrors that are revealed in Frankenstein. It is the different types of chaos that Shelley chose to base her story upon, that we need to look at therefore, in order to really understand how she manages to ‘curdle the blood’ of her readers in both past and present day. As well as that, this essay will also explore Shelley’s main tools that she selected, to express and compound her opinions and to also horrify her audience. ...
One of the main observations we become aware of immediately is the structure in which Shelley has adopted to set out her tale. ... By doing this, Shelley is able to control the readers’ viewpoint. ... For example, the novel opens in an epistolary style, presenting Captain Walton’s letters to his sister. ... Our curiosity is fuelled further by the introduction of Victor Frankenstein and his melodramatic outbursts. It is when Victor begs Walton to pay heed to the ‘moral’ of his tale and hopes that Walton’s ambitions will ‘not be a serpent to sting you, as mine has been’, we become aware that some disaster has befallen him. A sense of foreboding is then introduced and this tone continues throughout the novel, thus boosting the reader’s apprehension. ...
The way in which Frankenstein begins to devise his creation, also promotes the concept of a supernatural presence. Through the author’s ambiguous use of religious language, we are aware that Christianity is far from the mind of Victor. ... From this imagery, Shelley gives us an invaluable glimpse into the darker side of Victor’s psyche. ... It is worth noting however, that although Frankenstein is primarily a Gothic novel, Shelley employs science and the trappings of the human mind as obstacles to terrorize. We are told in her introduction, that at the time whilst she was devising her ‘hideous progeny’ she was influenced by the theories of Darwin and galvanism.
Approximate Word count = 1830
Approximate Pages = 7.3
(250 words per page double spaced)
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