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PeterChen
Mrs.Wade
APLiterature
20May2016
ACriticalPerspective:
Frankenstein
Griffith,GeorgeV.Anoverviewof
Frankenstein
.
Gale.
Web.9Mar.2016.
<
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX2591400019&v=2.1&u=lom_stjosep
hhs&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w&asid=44f4989cfbf5b06986a5a8cf0801ce53
>.

Griffithattemptstoshowhow
Frankenstein,
doesntjustembracetheidealsofthe
Romanticera,ratheritsidealsextendpasttheRomanticera.Hementionssomeofthe
Romanticideals,suchasthinkingwiththeheart,ratherthantheheadanideathatis
mostidentifiableinFrankensteinspursuitofcreatinglife.Heexpendsontheideathat
muchof
Frankenstein
focusesonthedangersofintellectualpursuit,asevidencedbyall
thedeathsthatresultedfromthecreationofthemonsterhowever,healsoexplainsthe
allusiontotheGreekmythhero,Prometheus.AlongwithPrometheus,Griffithexplained
that
Frankenstein
consistedofinfluencesfromtwoothermyths,bothwhichhelpedaddto
theunderstandingofthenovel.MovingpasttheRomanticera,
Frankenstein
also
explorestheideathatwehavebothabenevolentandmaliciousside.Thisisbestshown
throughthetwosidesofthemonster,thekindnessheshowstotheDeLaceyfamilyand
thehorroranddestructionheleavesinhispursuitofrevenge.


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Fred,V.Randel."ThePoliticalGeographyofHorrorinMaryShelley's
Frankenstein
."
ELH(Baltimore)Vol.70
ProquestLearningLiterature
.Web.19May2016.
<
http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.882004&res_id=xri:pqllitUS&rft_d
at=xri:pqllit:criticism:370867701
>.

Randelrevealsthehistoryandsymbolismbehindthelocationsofkeyeventsin
Frankenstein
thatwereeasilyoverlookedbythereaders.Almostallofthelocations,
suchasGenevaandIngolstadt,werereferencestotheFrenchRevolutionand
Enlightenmentthathadstartedseveraldecadespriortothepublicationof
Frankenstein.
ThroughRandelsexplanationsofthekeylocations,Irealizedthatthereisamuchdeeper
meaningwithinShelleyswork.ShelleyusedGenevaandthedeathsofWilliamand
JustinetodemonstratethewrongfulexecutionsthatwereaproductoftheFrench
Revolution.Randelstates,sheviewsrevolutionarythinkingandpracticeasan
informed,criticalobserverandliberalsympathizerwhowishestopreventbothcontinued
injusticeandrevolutionaryviolence,bymotivatingreaderstoovercometheirprejudices
sufficientlytoacceptfundamentalreform.Werealizethatshedoesbelieveinthe
revolution,justnotthemeansoftherevolution.Instead,shethoughtthattheremustbea
morepeacefulresolution,foregoingthebloodshed.Herphilosophyinthismattershines
throughinhernovel,whenVictorFrankensteinagreestohearthemonstersreasonfor
murderingWilliamandframingJustine.

Britton,JeanneM."NovelisticSympathyinMaryShelley'sFrankenstein."Studiesin


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Romanticism(Boston)48(2009):3.
ProquestLearningLiterature
.Web.19May2016.
<
http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.882004&res_id=xri:pqllitUS&rft_d
at=xri:pqllit:criticism:1840773791
>.

In
Frankenstein,
thereaderswerenevergivenenoughdescriptionsforthemtohavea
concretevisualimageofthecreaturethatVictorFrankensteinexecrated.Brittonstartsby
relatingthislackofvisualdetailstoaphilosophicalconceptbyAdamSmiththatdefines
sympathyasanabstractsystemofshiftsinperspectivejuxtaposedwithsensory,
embodiedresponse.BrittonclaimsthatShelleychangesandexpandsSmithsdefinition
ofsympathybyrelyingheavilyonauditoryandnarrative,ratherthanthevisual
components.Sympathyplaysamajorrolein
Frankenstein
inmultipleways,and,as
Brittonmentioned,thevariousframestoriesandtheshiftsbetweenthedifferent
narrationshelptobuildthesympathiesbetweencharacters,suchastheonebetween
WaltonandVictorFrankenstein.Yet,theyalsodemonstratethepitfallsofsympathy,
suchaswhenSafiesfatherusesFelixssympathiestohisownadvantage.

Lucas,Rose."RadicalParturitionandLiteraryLaboursofMourning:TheCaseofMaryShelley's
Frankenstein."Hecate(St.Lucia)32(2007):58.
ProquestLearningLiterature
.Web.19
May2016.
<
http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.882004&res_id=xri:pqllitUS&rft_d
at=xri:pqllit:criticism:1227348051
>.


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Thiscritiqueanalyzesthecreationofthemonsterin
Frankenstein
andhowitwas
primarilytheresultofaninabilitytomournforthelossofhismother.Lucasstatesthat,
bycreatingthemonster,VictorFrankensteinistryingtomakeupthelossofhismother.
Throughhiscreation,Frankensteinistryingtostoptheinevitableheistryingtocreate
life,todefythenaturalcycleoflife.Severaltimes,Lucasbringsuptheparadoxbetween
theseparationofmotherandchildandtheconnectiontheythensharebecauseofthat
detachment.SheclaimsthatVictorsshortcomingsarearesultofhisunwillingnessto
mournforthelossofhismotherandhisignorancetowardstheconnectionheshareswith
thecreaturethathecreated.ItisaninterestingtakeregardingFrankensteinsmotivation
formakingthiscreature,yetIthinkthathistruemotivationisstillhisstriveforpower
andknowledge,ratherthantheresultofadrawnoutmourningforhismother.Even
beforehismothersillness,FrankensteindemonstratedaninterestinCorneliusAgrippa
andothersimilarphilosophers,whobelievedintheexistenceofdivinemagic.Hisseek
forknowledgestartedbeforehismothersdeath,andonlycontinuedafterherdeath.

Eachofthesecritiquesanalyzesadifferentaspectof
Frankenstein
,fromhowthenovel
associateswiththeRomanticeratohowthemotivationofVictorFrankensteincouldbebecause
ofhismothersdeath.Mostofthearticleswereveryinformativeandcontainedagreeable
opinionshowever,IstruggledtounderstandLucascritiqueandIdidntsharehispointofview.
TheexplanationofShelleysuseofallthedifferentlocationswasthemostinterestingtome,and
definitelyaddedanotherdimensiontomyunderstandof
Frankenstein.
Allfouressays
contributedviewsthathelpedmeunderstandthenovelbetter.


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