MARY SHELLEY – AUTHORESS OF “FRANKENSTEIN”
Born in London on 30th of August 1797, her
father was a philosopher and her mother a writer.
She left home at 16 to travel
to France and Switzerland.
In 1816 she got married to Peter Shelley.
She was the first to write a
science-fiction novel, the book “Frankenstein or the modern Prometheus”. It was
published in 1818 when she was 20 years old, becoming a great success.
The novel was written because
of a bet with Lord Byron.
Mary Shelley died in London on the 1st February 1851.
Other books by her are
“Mathilde” in 1819, “The last man” in 1826 and “Lodere” in 1835.
ABOUT THE BOOK
It is a gothic novel, written
as letters and told in first person.
The main character is Doctor
Victor Frankenstein (many people think Frankenstein is the name of the
monster) who created a monster.
The book has a dark ambience
and unnatural characters.
The subtitle is because of the
creation of a man in Greek mythology Prometeus created man from mud.
CHARACTERS
VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN
Dr Victor Frankenstein is the
main character in the novel of Mary Shelley. This character explores the
ancient problem of the unbridle desire of some scientists in the mad race for scientific
development. Sometimes, someone forgets that you must go in parallel to social
advance without losing humanity.
I don’t
know what she wanted to teach us. But I think this character could represent
how dangerous scientific activity can be without any control.
Though like a children´s story,
in this case it is also for adults, the novel tries and achieves provoking fear
and alerts people about the ancient question of fast advances in a more and
more dehumanized science.
Doctor Frankenstein is carried away by scientific
curiosity and his desire for fame and glory. He goes crazy because of his
desire to succeed as a great scientist.
Is it possible to say that, at the end of this
story, Victor Frankenstein ends up creating the true monster he is carrying
inside?
ELIZABETH
Elizabeth is a young girl. She was the
daughter of Frankenstein father´s best friend. When Elizabeth´s parents died,
she went to live with Victor´s parents. During one of his trips, Frankenstein
asked Elizabeth to marry him.
THE MONSTER
Frankenstein’s monster is a
character of M. Shelley’s well known novel. Many people think that the
monster’s name is Frankenstein. But it is the name of the doctor that gives
life to the monster. In this novel, the monster doesn’t have any name.
At the beginning, he is a
sensitive and friendly creature, but he becomes cruel and aggressive when the
doctor and other people he meets, reject and chase him.
HENRY CLERVAL
Henry Clerval
is Victor Frankenstein’s old friend. He is a person of great morality. A human
being of noble spirit. Henry is in many ways different to Victor Frankenstein.
Victor acts as an immoral person, because he plays with dead bodies to give
them life. Henry Clerval wants to
destroy everything bad that Victor F.
does.
CHAPTERS
CHAPTER 1
Victor Frankenstein was born in
1870 in the city of Geneva, in Switzerland. He had a brother twelve years
younger than himself who was called William. Elizabeth was the daughter of his
father's friends.
When Elizabeth's parents died
she went to live with Victor's family. “She was the love of his life”.
When Victor was eighteen, his
mother died.
She wanted him to marry
Elizabeth and go to University.
His mother had the hope that he
would do great things. Victor studied at the German University of Heidelburg.
CHAPTER 2
Frankenstein was a young and
happy student of medicine. But he began to become obsessed with the idea of
finding the secret of life.
One night there was a terrible
storm and suddenly the lightning gave him an idea: he would make a man!
One stormy day he put the parts of some dead
bodies together and joined the hands, feet and head to metal wires. He thought:
“when the power of the lightning crashes down through the wires, the man would
live”. That happened; the man came back to life. Then Frankenstein understood
that he had not made a man, he had made a Monster.
CHAPTER 3
The chapter begins when Victor
wakes up in a strange room. He sees his friend Henry Clerval, and talks to him.
Henry tells him that his home,
books and laboratory have been destroyed by a lightning.
Victor thought that the fire
had destroyed the Monster, but he could not say anything.
His father wrote him a letter:
“Your brother is dead” Victor went
to Geneva and saw the Monster there.
Victor knew
the Monster had murdered Willian but he could not tell anyone.
CHAPTER 4
Victor decides to stay at home.
Victor’s family thought the murderer of William was a woman. The woman was in
prison and she was going to be hanged. Victor took a horse and went to the
prison.
He arrived too late. The woman
was dead. He decided to go away alone.
He went to the mountains and began to feel happy. But the monster would come
back…..
CHAPTER 5
The Monster tells Victor Frankenstein the story of why he became evil.
How he ran away from the laboratory on fire.
How he saw his ugly face.
How the people were afraid of him.
He was alone and he had no friends.
He was unhappy.
He hated everyone in the world, but he specially hated Frankenstein.
And that’s why, when he met his brother, he killed him.
CHAPTER 6
The Monster asks Frankenstein to create a woman so he can love her.The
Monster tells him that he had brought unhappiness because he was unhappy.
Frankenstein does not want to create a new Monster, but he agreed with
the Monster. Frankenstein says he will create it, but the Monster has to go to
live far away from cities and people.
Henry Clerval tells
Frankenstein to visit him in Strasbourg and he takes advantage of the trip to
find a lonely house, there he will create the female Monster.
CHAPTER 7
Victor Frankenstein was
making a bride for the monster.
Henry Clever didn´t know what
he was doing. He came in Victor’s laboratory and saw what he was making.
It was a woman, a bride for the monster.
What would happen if they had children?
Henry began to help Victor to destroy the
monster.
The monster killed Henry.
The monster would be back on Victor’s wedding-night
and then he would have his revenge.
The monster
burned the laboratory, took Victor and they went far away.
MaryShelley' s Frankenstein, is a film of 1994 directed by Kenneth Branagh, carried out by Robert De Niro, Tom Hulce, Helena Bonham Carter and Kenneth Branagh
CHAPTER 8
Victor’s father took him back
to Geneva, once the laboratory was burned.
Victor met Elizabeth. They got married and went to spend the wedding night
in a very beautiful place. When they were in their room, Victor was nervous
because of the monster so, he picked up his gun and searched the inn.
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The door of the room was not locked and the monster entered.
Victor Frankenstein heard a scream, when he arrived Elizabeth lay dead
on their marriage bed. The Monster had killed her. The marks of the monster´s
terrible hands were around her white neck. Her white dress was red with
blood.
CHAPTER 9
Victor Frankenstein followed the Monster
through forest and flat plains. One day the Monster was in front of him. He
turned to look at him. V. Frankenstein was carrying his gun, but the Monster
told him: Do not kill me yet! I am not guilty of anything.
V. Frankenstein told the
Monster that it was true. Only he was guilty of the death of his loved ones.
When the Monster heard his words, he decided to kill himself by burning. Victor
decided to kill himself too. He said:
Here, I will stay until my body is hard and cold.
