Frankenstein Frankenstein was published anonymously in 1818; it was reprinted in 1823, and subtstantially revised third edition was produced in 1831, acknowledging Mary Shelley’s authorship and accompanied by an ntroduction written by Mary Shelley hersel!" #he 1831 editio edition n has has remain remained ed the most !re$uently !re$uently used version version o! Frankenstein, Frankenstein, mainly because Shelley revised it hersel!, producing the version with which she was most satis!ied" #he !orm o! the novel is kinda enclosing narratives within narratives" %s the story begins with &a &alton, lton, moves to 'rankenstein, then to the (reature, then back to 'rankenstein and !inally to &alton again" #his narrative pattern can also be described as triangular) each o! the three main characters has important conversations with the two others, and this triangular pattern also marks the e*clusion o! all other charaters !rom the story" Frankenstein has Frankenstein has a signi!icant relationship to revolutionary political ideas o! the time, particularly the +evolution in 'rance and subse$uent con!lict in ritain and -urope" #he 'rench +evolution produced considerable an*iety in -ngland about the possibility o! parallel uprisings, which translated into a paranoia about the .masses’ that characterised them as !ear!ul and .monstrous’" .monstrous’" /owever, /owever, although although Frankenstein engages Frankenstein engages with a range o! radical ideas and philosophies, it has an ambiguous attitude towards the idea o! revolution" %lthough %lthough many arguments arguments a!!irm that Frankenstein is Frankenstein is rooted in radical politics as mush as it is rooted in radical science, the novel remains as ambiguous about revolution as it is about about scienti!ic scienti!ic progress, whilst engaging with the issues, it o!!ers o!!ers no speci!ic 0udgement and resists any single reading as it resists categorisation" +eadings o! the novel di!!er widely and each adds to discussion and interpretation" interpretation" &hat &hat can be asserted, asserted, however, is that Mary Shelley’s .hideous progeny’ will continue to .go !orth and prosper’, and has succeeded in transcending its position as the minor work o! a !amous poet’s wi!e to become an important literary, historical, cultural and social document in its own right" n this novel o! Frankenstein, Frankenstein, ther theree are are elem elemen ents ts which ich are are deem deemed ed as the the $uintessence o! the novel" #hose elements are) characteriation, theme, plot" t is paramount to comprehend how those elements e*ist and interact in the original te*t" #he most important character character in Frankenstein, Frankenstein, not only because because the title o! the novel novel re!ers to, or the novel was titled a!ter, but also because this character becomes the primary !igure !igure in the story" story" #he central central character character in Frankenstein Frankenstein is ictor 'rankenstein, and the (reature he created" oth o! two characters are like two sides o! a coin" #he presence o! both characters bring a catchy comple*ity to the story" %nother !igure that is no less important is -liabeth; the closest person to ictor" -liabeth becomes important because in the end, although her contribution less actuate the story, -liabeth is a sort o! .gambling’ amongst both central !igureictor and his creation" crea tion"
/ere’s the list o! the characters !rom the novel"
Victor Frankenstein
The Creature/Monster
Robert Walton Alphonse Frankenstein Elizabeth Lavenza Henry Clerval Willia Frankenstein !ustine Moritz Caroline "eau#ort "eau#ort $easants %&e Lacey' Feli(' A)atha' *a#ie+ M, Wal-an M, .repe
% protagonist and the narrator o! the most story" % college student in ngolstadt, a science enthusiast" /as a knowledge in the secret o! li!e and !inally created a monster" ictor’s creation" ntelligent and sensitive" /as pretensions to be accepted and acknowledged in society" %n e*plorer who assists ictor in the 4orth 5ole" ictor’s !ather" #he closest person to ictor since ictor’s childhood" 6ater on became his wi!e" ictor’s companion" ictor’s brother" %n adopted girl in 'rankenstein !amily" She is accused !or murdering &illiam" &i!e o! %lphonse 'rankenstein" 'ather o! (aroline" %lphonse’s colleague" %n observed !amily by the (reature7Monster" %n alchemist who encourages ictor’s interest in science" % pro!essor o! 4ature 5hilosophy in ngolstadt"
#heme does matter in this Mary Shelley’s opus" n this novel, it is told how a person with a high level o! intelligence can be controlled by his obsession to unravel the secret o! li!e" n other words, Shelley was trying to tell about a person who wanted something omniscient" (ertainly, this obsession eventually ended up with agony to the person as its cost" t can be asserted as the message Shelley implies through this novel" n addition, the (reature7Monster brings a separate dimension to the whole story" #his !igure is a symbol !or the minorityunacknowledged people, the e*ile" #he (reature’s e!!ort and resistance to not !eeling lonely .turn on’ the story with balancing 'rankenstein’s obsession to become omniscience" %pparently, this monster has humanity side that supposed to bring sympathy to the monster" n certain perspective, the (reature7Monster is the victim instead" #he real monster is ictor 'rankenstein, a creator who eventually abandoned his creation" Moreover, as it e*plained be!ore, it can be said that both interdependent ictor 'rankenstein and the (reature7Monster desire two contrary things" ictor wanted something very comple*, such as the secret o! li!e, while the (reature 0ust wanted something simple, namely a !riend"
#he plot in Frankenstein is provided in the manner o! flashback " #he way o! delivering the story is using point o! view o! the !irst person, with alternate narrator, so that adding the impression o! sub0ectivity into the story" #he segmentation o! the plot will be described below"
$rolo)
0 1 2 3
4 5
6 7 8
0
1 2
#he letters !rom (aptain &alton to his sister Mrs" Saville about his voyage to the 4orth 5ole" /e !eels lonely in his way, yet he is keen on his e*pedition" #hen, &alton meets ictor 'rankenstein and 'rankenstein tells his li!e story to &alton" ictor recounts his childhood in eneva, including -liabeth 6avena, an adopted girl in 'rankenstein !amily" ictor and -liabeth were very close since they are kids" ictor tells &alton about his two brothers, along with his pal /enry (lerval" t is also told his !irst interest towards science" ictor tells about his study in the 9niversity o! ngolstadt" /e attended a lecture by 5ro!essor M" &aldman" #he pro!essor encouraged ictor’s interest in science" ictor began his e*periment unaccompanied in his laboratory, he started planning to create a living things" n a stormy night, ictor !inally accomplished his e*periment" &hen his creation was alive, ictor was scared instead because the (reature’s appearance was horrible" #hen, ictor !ell sick" /enry took ictor back to eneva, because ictor’s health is getting worse" #his travel to eneva brought a positive in!luence towards ictor" &hen ictor returned to ngolstadt, his !ather in!ormed him that &illiamhis brother, has been murdered" ictor rushed back to eneva" &hen he investigated the cause o! &illiam’s death, he !ound his creationthe (reature" /e presumed that the (reature is responsible !or his brother’s death" %pparently, :ustine Morit, a girl who lives with 'rankenstein !amily has been accused !or killing &illiam" :ustine accepted the allegation, but she kept telling ictor and -liabeth that she was innocent" 6ater on she was sentenced to death" ictor became depressed" /is !ather persuaded him to take a vacation in elrive" ictor still mourned over his brother’s death" /e decided to climb the mount o! Montanvert" #here, he met the (reature again" #he (reature began telling his li!e story" #he (reature said that he became disoriented when we was created" #hen, he told everybody about his survival e*perience" &hen he met people, they will run away" ne day, he !led to a shack with a woman, a man, and an old man lived nearby" #he (reature started to learn those three people by their behavior" ver time, he realied that the !amily was poverty
6acey, and the two are his children, 'eli* and %gatha" nstead o! looking !or !irewoods, the (reature !ound some books" /e read the 3 books" /e !inally showed up in !ront o! =e 6acey, which is blind" ut when 'eli* and %gatha came up, they drove the (reature out o! the shack" 4 rokenhearted, he vowed to take revenge to all human, especially his creator" /e began his travel to eneva" #here, he murdered &illiam because he knew that &illiam is ictor’s brother" #hen, the (reature asked ictor to create a !riend, a lady" /e e*plained that all o! 5 his evil deeds are caused by loneliness" ictor agreed his demand" ictor went to -ngland" /e gathered in!ormation so he can !ul!ill the re$uest" 6 7 ictor started to per!orm his new pro0ect in Scotland" ictor called o!! his pro0ect" #he (reature was wrath!ul" /e swore that he will be 08 with ictor in ictor’s wedding night" ictor threw out his e*periment to the sea" ictor was accused !or killing someone" %pparently, the one who has been 0 murdered was /enry (lerval" ictor !ell sick" /is !ather picked his up to eneva a!ter ictor is declared not guilty" ictor returned to eneva and started arranging his wedding with -liabeth" 00 'inally they are got married" 01 n their !irst night, ictor and -liabeth were at a cottage" #he (reature killed -liabeth in her room while ictor was looking !or him" ictor went back and told his !ather about the incident" /is !ather died a couple days later" #hen, ictor swore that he will pursue his creation and e*terminate him" ictor le!t eneva and started to a!ter the (reature" n his 0ourney, he met &alton in 02 the 4orth 5ole" Epilo) ack to &alton’s letters !or his sister" /e said that he believed in ictor’s story" Some time be!ore &alton’s ship returned to -ngland, ictor died" #hen, suddenly the (reature sneaked in to the ship and mourn over ictor’s death" ecause ictor is dead, now the (reature is ready to die"
#he story began and ended up with (aptain &alton’s point o! view who was writing a letter to his sister" Meanwhile, mostly the $uintessence o! the story are being told using ictor’s point o! view, only a single part where the (reature taking over the story"
