Theme Of Transgression In Frankenstein - 1235 Words

The 1764 book entitled The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole paved the way for other exemplary displays of Gothic literature which included the likes of Mary Shelleys Frankenstein and Bram Stokers Dracula. Horace Walpole founded several perennial features of the subgenre, many which endure today, such as the subterranean secret, the gloomy castle and ghostly sightings. [1] This shaped the way in which we understand the genre. Transgression is a continual theme within the genre, meaning an â€Å"act that goes against a law, rule or code of conduct. During the 18th and 19th centuries, crucial changes were taking place around the world that influenced the formation of the Gothic writing. Industrialisation and political unrest were at the†¦show more content†¦[3] The theme of transgression in Gothic literature differs in Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. Both Cathy and Heathcliff are trapped by the conventional border of society which acts as a limit to their great love and passion. Cathy is unable to marry Heathcliff because he is a liminal character who has been marginalised, therefore, she chooses to marry Edgar who has a high status society, thereby confining herself to a low-burning type of love, symbolised by the â€Å"lattice† of the Grange. Later, when she falls ill, she â€Å"transgresses† the border into the other world beyond life, the only realm where she can be with the man she feels a strong, passionate love for. Bronte herself appears to advocate this kind of transgression. Following this, when Cathy dies, Heathcliff feels an overwhelming need to remain with her. Heathcliff informs Nelly that he partially unearthed her grave. Finally, when Heathcliff dies, his transgression of the boundary between life and death is represented once again in the image of the open window. [4] Frankenstein needs to be read in light not only of Mary Shelley’s background, but also in light of the era which it came from. Gothicism is part of the Romantic Movement that started in the late eighteenth century and lasted to roughly three decades within the nineteenth century. It was characterised by ideas of intuition and emotion which started to undermine rationalism and the heroic ideal presentedShow MoreRelatedHow The Romantic Period Was Characterised By Political And Social Upheavals1318 Words   |  6 Pagesthe will of Zeus. In a rage, Zeus chained him to a mountain peak in the Caucasus. Prometheus was used as a prototype of the modern scientist in the 19th Century. His character defied the authority of gods. This set the tone for Mary Shelley s Frankenstein . [6] In order to fully understand the work of Mary Shelley, it is crucial to explore the scientific context of the 19th Century. Italian physician Luigi Galvani became interested in the way in which the muscles of dissected creatures (mostRead MoreEssay about Mary Shelleys Frankenstein1317 Words   |  6 PagesMary Shelleys Frankenstein Frankenstein was written in the 18th century by the romantic writer called Mary Shelley. The key events in this novel symbolize Mary Shelleys problems in real life, in one way or another. The novel starts with a man called Walton, who is venturing to the North Pole. On his way, he is shipwrecked and he comes across Victor Frankenstein, who is the protagonist in the book. Victor relives his story to Walton about what he did, which emphasizesRead MoreScientific Progression in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein and the Film, Blade Runner1184 Words   |  5 PagesMary Shelley’s â€Å"Frankenstein† is an early 19th century cautionary tale examining the dark, self-destructive side of human reality and human soul. It is written in the Romantic era where society greatly valued scientific and technological advancement. Throughout the novel, Shelley expresses her concerns of extreme danger when man transgresses science and all ethical values are disregarded. The implications of debatable experimentation and thriving ambition could evoke on humanity are explored in theRead MoreNeglect In Frankenstein Essay921 Words   |  4 PagesAbandonment in Frankenstein   Ã‚  Ã‚   Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein is commonly misrepresented as a horror story. Frankenstein’s creation is know by most to be an evil monster out to ravage the world around him. In reality the novel shows a story of a neglected loving creature, that has been unfairly labeled as a brute due to his unattractive appearance. Realities as abysmal as that of Frankenstein’s creation are hard to dream up, and indeed Shelley’s life shares many common themes with her charactersRead MoreThe Anxieties Of Modernity In Frankenstein And Dracula981 Words   |  4 PagesIn select gothic literature, anxieties of the times in which they were written tend to surface through important themes, characters and settings. Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley in 1818 and Dracula written by Bram Stoker in 1897 both share this characteristic by working through the anxieties of modernity, here meaning â€Å"the condition of being modern† , specifically between new world science and technology versus old world spirituality and faith. This manifests predominantly as the old traditionalRead MoreWhat is meant by the term gothic1187 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿What is meant by the term ‘gothic’? How far and in what ways is ‘Frankenstein’ a gothic text? Gothic literature, which is sometimes referred to as Gothic horror, is a genre that links horror and romance into one tale of ‘transgressing the boundaries’. Gothicism was unheard of until the late 1700’s, this movement into a new genre of literature. This was pioneered by the English author Horace Walpole, in his famous fictional book ‘The Castle of Otranto’, or as Walpole alternatively titled it ‘aRead MoreFrankenstein As A Biblical Reference Essay1593 Words   |  7 Pages Williams 1 Benjamin Compton English 105 10/3/17 Frankenstein as a Biblical Reference In Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, had an inter-textual connection to the bible. Shelley connects the creature to Satan, his relation to Adam, the story of Adam and Eve, the book of Genesis and his reading of Paradise Lost. As the bible was an esteemed text in the early 1800s, Shelley’s use of it in her novel served to establish Frankenstein as a sort of parable of didactic text. She beginsRead MoreEssay on The Gothic Genre and What it Entails6177 Words   |  25 Pages Maturin (1820). (For example William Godwins Caleb Williams (1794)had an overt political message intended to expose the inadequacy of Things as they are). During the development of the Gothic the motifs become less cliched and the themes more pertinent. Romantic Gothic provided the vocabulary to express social anxieties of the time. In The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner Hogg used the conventions of historical Gothic to discuss the politicalRead MoreFrankenstein And Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1595 Words   |  7 Pages Though the books were published almost seven decades apart the monsters in Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde share many similarities: They were both created in laboratories by European scientists for somewhat morally suspect purposes, both were outcasts of society, and murdered characters secondary to their creator. Even in their final days they followed a similar archetype by taking the lives of their creators before ending their own. One should ask the question why these stories have stoodRead MoreNorthanger Abbey And Frankenstein1842 Words   |  8 PagesBoth Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein are prominent novels within the gothic genre which deal with young people entering society for the first time, gaining maturity and finding identity in a world filled with threats and dangers. However, these novels differ in that Northanger Abbey features a female protagonist, Catherine Morland while Frankenstein features a male protagonist, Victor Frankenstein. Steadfast gender stereotypes exist within the gothic genre as reflected