Frankenstein: The First Modern Monster Story When we hear Frankenstein the image that many of us think of today is that of a mindless monster with bolts in his neck who wishes to terrorize anyone who crosses his path. This image is far different from that of the monster in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. In Shelley’s novel Frankenstein’s monster is smart, caring, and he posses near super human strength and speed. Frankenstein is thought to be heavily influenced by of many of the places and events in Shelly’s life. For example many of the scientific themes are thought to be influenced by the scientific revolution which was being analyzed during the romanticism period which is when Frankenstein was written. Frankenstein is often considered to be the first modern monster story because it deals with many modern issues, it has many differences from earlier monster stories, and because it is written using a modern romanticism writing style. The most prevalent modern issue dealt with in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is the boundaries between religion and science. In the novel Victor uses science to create life which is something that only God can do. Frankenstein’s monster compares himself to Adam and Victor to God when he says, “Remember, that I am thy creature: I ought to be thy Adam; but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed.”(Shelley 66), this quote is an example of Shelley relating religion and science. During the period of Enlightenment science began to push the boundaries of religion which is why the church took a stand against science, these events were heavily criticized during the romanticism period in which Shelley wrote Frankenstein. The battle between science and religion is still a very modern problem today which is one of the reasons Frankenstein is considered the first modern monster story. Another issue dealt with in Frankenstein that makes it a modern story is social upheaval. For example, Victor has to deal with the courts, his family, and nearby residents when ever Victor’s monster kills someone. Another example would be when Frankenstein’s monster tries to befriend the family he has been spying on and they react by moving away frightened. These reactions are very modern ways to deal with the problems, in times of Feudalism for example if such events were to happen then the family couldn’t just move away and there wouldn’t be a trial if you were accused of murder. Frankenstein’s monster demonstrates that in today’s society if you break the norms of society (he breaks them with his deformed looks) you won’t be accepted and thus you will cause social upheaval and outrage. Frankenstein’s monster’s ugly looks are the cause of many problems, the monster describes these problems when he says, “They are kind – they are the most excellent creatures in the world; but, unfortunately, they are prejudiced against me. I have good dispositions; my life has been hitherto harmless, and, in some degree, beneficial; but a fatal prejudice clouds their eyes, and where they out to see a feeling and kind friend, they behold only a detestable monster.”(Shelley 90). This is another theme that is relevant in today’s modern society where appearance strongly correlates to acceptance. Frankenstein’s creature became a monster largely due to this lack of acceptance. The main difference between Frankenstein and previous monster stories is the way that the monster came to be. In older monster stories the monster is often a person who willingly transforms into a monster using some sort of magic as seen in Trial Records, Historical Accounts, Sightings. In more modern monster stories the monster usually doesn’t want to be a monster. Frankenstein’s creature only became a monster because he was alone and unaccepted by all of society, although he greatly desired to be just like everyone else. In the past our societies relied more on our neighbors so the thought of our neighbor being a witch or a werewolf was very terrifying because who can you rely on if your own neighbor is conspiring against you. In modern times monsters typically stem from the unknown because we are frightened of what we don’t understand. Victor doesn’t tell anyone about his monster (because he’s afraid they’ll think he’s crazy) thus to everyone else in the book Frankenstein’s monster’s origin is unknown which is one of the reasons he is so frightening to them even though he just wants to be friends with them. The fact that Frankenstein’s monster is an unknown combined with the way that he became a monster we can see that Frankenstein’s monster clearly is a modern monster. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a gothic horror story which was inspired by Shelley’s background and experiences. Shelley grew up during the period of romanticism thus many of the views of that time period are seen in Frankenstein. Romanticism is marked by the reaction in literature, philosophy, art, religion, and politics to the preceding neoclassic period. Characteristics of romanticism include a love of nature, imagination, an interest in the past, and an interest in the gothic. These traits are easily seen in Frankenstein, for example the novel itself features a gothic monster that is grotesque, unknown and frightening. These three characteristics are commonly considered to define gothic literature. It is easy to find an example of gothic literature in Frankenstein for example the monster shows his grotesque, gothic side when he says, “Frankenstein! You belong then to my enemy- to him towards whom I have sworn eternal revenge; you shall be my first victim.”(Shelley 97). Romanticism is seen throughout the book, for example in Frankenstein Shelley writes, “No one can conceive the variety of feelings which bore me onwards, like a hurricane in the first enthusiasm of success. Life and death appeared to me ideal bounds which I should first break through and pour a torrent of light into our dark world.” (32). Frankenstein has several passages that vividly describe the environment in a very romantic style. Romantic literature is often considered modern literature because it reflects on the past and deals with the problems that relate to modern society. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is considered to be the first modern monster story because the underlying issues relate to modern society, the novel is written in a modern romantic style, and because the monster differs greatly from the monsters in older stories. One of the modern issues that Shelley deals with is the relationship between science and religion, another is the relationship between appearance and acceptance and also how a lack of acceptance can relate to social upheaval. Frankenstein is considered to be a romantic and gothic story. It is gothic because it focuses on a grotesque, unknown, and frightening monster. The story also shows elements of romanticism when it focuses on nature, imagination, or events of the past. Frankenstein’s monster shares more traits with modern monsters than medieval monsters mainly because like a modern monster he doesn’t choose to be a monster but he is anyway while medieval monsters typically choose to be monsters by equipping a magic item or performing some of witchcraft. Although Hollywood has skewed the public’s perception of Frankenstein creature into a mindless monster, he was in fact a smart monster who was merely a product of his environment in Frankenstein, the first modern monster story.
Works Cited
Otten, Charlotte F. “Trial Records, Historical Accounts, Sightings.” A Lycanthropy
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Shelley, Mary W. Frankenstein. Ed. J. Paul Hunter. New York: W.W. Norton, 1996. Print.