This anthology contains six term papers. The first paper deals with Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s concept of the “noble savage“ and the use of this concept by Mary Shelley as a main theme in her famous novel "Frankenstein".
In academia, 15 years can see a variety of interpretations of even the most famous scholarly novels. In the second text, witness the best academia has debating the gender and sexual orientation of Dr. Victor Frankenstein, along with his motives and feelings.
The third paper shall examine the way in which Mary Shelley creates an atmosphere of terror in her novel. Therefore both the preface of the 1818 version of Frankenstein, written by Percy B. Shelley, as well as the 1831 introduction by Mary Shelley shall be analyzed on the author’s original intention and the idea behind Frankenstein.
The transgression of limits is a central theme of the novels by Dostoyevsky and Shelley. The stories examine the world of thought and action of two characters feeling trapped within certain limits and trying to break through them, while in their failures other limitations manifest themselves. That's the topic of the fourth text.
Based on the thesis, that the works of James Whale and Richard Brinsely Peake use comic relief in various ways and differ amongst each other, the fifth paper attempts to investigate in which way, respectively to what extent “Presumption” and “The bride of Frankenstein” adapt Shelley’s novel whereby the emphasis will be on the incidence of comic relief and the impact of using such a rhetorical device.
The last paper answers questions like: What is Shelley's style of writing? Which elements does the novel Frankenstein consist of, and what makes it differ from other Gothic novels? The paper's aim is to answer these questions and to give information about the question: Is Frankenstein a typical Gothic novel?
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- The Monster in Frankenstein with Regard to Rousseau's Concept of the "Noble Savage"
- Introduction
- Rousseau's Concept of a “Noble Savage”
- Opposite Theory: Thomas Hobbes
- Frankenstein's Monster as a “Noble Savage”
- Arguments for Frankenstein's Monster as a “Noble Savage”
- The Monster's Transition from a “Noble Savage” into a Murderer
- Reference to Paradise Lost by John Milton
- Précis Critiques of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
- Critique one
- Critique Two
- Critique Three
- Critique Four
- Critique Five
- The Creation of Terror in Mary Shelley's „Frankenstein“
- Introduction
- Frankenstein as Gothic story
- Terror
- The Term „Terror“
- Sublime and Obscurity
- Edmund Burke on the sublime
- Obscurity
- Terror in Frankenstein
- Terror within the Story Itself
- Terror achieved through other Features
- The Significance of Limits. The Parallels between Dostoyevsky's "Crime and Punishment" and Shelley's "Frankenstein"
- Introduction
- Limits for the Profane Mind
- Empathy and Morality
- Sexuality and Mortality
- Overcoming Limits: Self-Absolutizing
- Reason and Ethics
- Science and Spirit
- Limits in a Secular World
- Materiality and Immorality
- Self-Containment and Death
- Overcoming Limits: Transformation through the Other
- Image and Language
- Dialogue and Grace
- The function of comic relief in stage adaptations of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein"
- Introduction
- Comic relief in stage adaptations of Frankenstein
- A brief definition of comic relief
- Primary works and their way of adapting Frankenstein
- Comic relief in Frankenstein adaptations
- Comparison of “Presumption” and “The bride of Frankenstein”
- Is Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" a typical Gothic Novel? Context and Themes in "The Modern Prometheus"
- Introduction
- Context
- Information about Mary Shelley
- The Gothic genre
- Gothic themes in Frankenstein
- Horror and monstrosity
- Similarity of Victor and the monster
- Sexuality and incest
- Narrative style
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This collection of essays aims to explore various interpretations and analyses of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, examining different facets of the novel through various lenses. The essays delve into the novel's themes, literary techniques, and historical context, offering diverse perspectives on its enduring significance.
- The nature of the monster and its relationship to philosophical concepts like Rousseau's "Noble Savage."
- The creation and function of terror in the novel, exploring Gothic conventions and literary devices.
- The exploration of thematic parallels between Frankenstein and other works, such as Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment.
- The analysis of adaptations of Frankenstein, focusing on the use of comic relief in stage productions.
- The examination of Frankenstein within the context of the Gothic novel, analyzing its adherence to and departures from genre conventions.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The Monster in Frankenstein with Regard to Rousseau's Concept of the "Noble Savage": This essay examines Frankenstein's monster through the lens of Rousseau's philosophy, exploring arguments for and against the monster being considered a "Noble Savage" and tracing his transformation. A comparison to Hobbes's theory is included.
Précis Critiques of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: This section provides a series of concise critiques of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, touching upon post-modern literary debates and diverse critical interpretations.
The Creation of Terror in Mary Shelley's „Frankenstein“: This essay analyzes the ways in which Mary Shelley creates terror in her novel, defining and applying the concept of terror in a literary context and exploring the role of the sublime and obscurity.
The Significance of Limits: This essay draws parallels between Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment and Shelley's Frankenstein, focusing on the theme of limits and their transgression in both works.
The function of comic relief in stage adaptations of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein": This essay explores the use and effectiveness of comic relief in various stage adaptations of Frankenstein. It compares and contrasts different approaches to adaptation and examines their impact on the overall narrative.
Is Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" a typical Gothic Novel?: This essay examines Frankenstein within the context of the Gothic novel, discussing its adherence to and divergence from common themes and conventions.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, Gothic novel, terror, sublime, "Noble Savage," Rousseau, Hobbes, adaptation, comic relief, limits, morality, ethics, intertextuality, genre conventions, monstrosity.
- Quote paper
- GRIN Verlag (Hrsg.) (Editor), Gabriele Grenkowski (Author), Mark Schauer (Author), Sandra Kuberski (Author), Céline Sun (Author), 2024, Approaches to interpreting Mary Shelley's “Frankenstein”. Frankenstein’s monster, the creation of terror, and genre-related questions, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/1507461
