Essays on Frankenstein

Introduction By Gillian Woodburn Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is regarded as one of the earliest- if not the earliest- work of science fiction. It is a tale of ambition, love, loss, revenge, and amazing scientific feats. Frankenstein’s monster is a controversial character on multiple fronts, but his psychological development is one of the most fascinating themes … Read more

By Sibylle Erle &Helen Hendry  Abstract There is a continued fascination with all things monster. This is partly due to the popular reception of Mary Shelley’s Monster, termed a ‘new species’ by its overreaching but admiringly determined maker Victor Frankenstein in the eponymous novel first published in 1818. The enduring impact of Shelley’s novel, which … Read more

The Last Man and the Order of Society: How Mary Shelley’s Use of the Plague Serves as a Metaphor for the Failure of the Utopian Ideal The Last Man was Mary Shelley’s most ambitious and experimental work. Necessitating that a plague, which decimates mankind, is justified in its pursuit, Mary Shelley creates a world where … Read more

By Percy Bysshe Shelley [This review was unpublished until some months after the third edition of Frankenstein appeared in 1831, when P.B. Shelley’s cousin Thomas Medwin saw to its printing in the Athenaeum for 10 November 1832.] NB: Students in high school, online colleges and universities often study this essay when they read Frankenstein. The … Read more

The theme of monstrosity pervades the entire novel, as the monster lies at the center of the action. Eight feet tall and hideously ugly, the monster is rejected by society. However, his monstrosity results not only from his grotesque appearance but also from the unnatural manner of his creation, which involves the secretive animation of … Read more