Frankenstein is a gothic novel. Gothic novels focus on the mysterious or supernatural. They take place in dark, often exotic, settings; and yield unease if not terror in their readers. The double is a frequent feature of the Gothic novel, and in a sense Frankenstein and his monster are doubles.
Some literary historians also consider Frankenstein the first science fiction novel. Do you agree? Support your answer.
As far as I have read, I agree with this. Creation and science are two of the various topics of this novel and they match with the definition of a sci-fi novel: there is a monster, the idea of creating life by using body parts, the fantastic scenario, mistery, etc.
ResponderEliminarAccording to the information I looked for on the Internet, there are previous novels that fall into the category of science-fiction, but Frankenstein is considered to be among the first ones.
Thanks for your enriching contribution, Melisa.
ResponderEliminarFrankenstein has many characteristics of the "conventions of the gothic genre" ,as we saw yesterday,it's a good example of the gothic genre since it focus on the mystery and supernatural.
ResponderEliminarhowever if we take into account that science fiction is "the art of the possible, of worlds that have not yet occur" we can say that Frankenstein is one of the first novels in creating this ilusion. victor creates a human being out of pieces of a dead body.
Frankenstein is one of the earliest science fiction novels. Its genre is Gothic fiction, which is a branch of Romanticism but connected to narrative. From my point of view, it really is a science fiction novel since it contains lots of its characteristics, such as dealing with supernatural and imaginary things and also the presence of science and technology. As I have read, science fiction deals with imaginary elements which could be possible, “real” with the use of science and technology. Frankenstein shows how the use of technology and science can have negative effects and also the consequences when there are no limits with God.
ResponderEliminarMichelle and Carolina, thanks for your accurate comments.
ResponderEliminarIn my opinion, Frankenstein is an authentic example of a science fiction novel. In those days, the possibility of creating a human being using science was surely seen as something extraordinary and as an impossible or far-reaching pursuit. Of course, with the rise of the Enlightement, people started reasoning and trying to find answers to complex matters concerning human existence and creation, in contrast to that resulting from the will of God. Shelley is ingenious enough to present us this Gothic work with terror, suspense and chaos; a world dominated by men and science, where the fate of humanity is exclusively in the hands of men. It is certainly a frightening view of a world: the greed of men has no limits and the unknown and supernatural is always a path that arise extreme curiousness but care, even nowadays...
ResponderEliminarThanks for sharing your interesting ideas, Cristina.
EliminarI think Frankenstein is a science fiction novel. In the novel, there is an important scientific discovery, which is unimaginable even nowadays (the creation of life by a human being from dead parts of bodies), that leads to the development of the narrative. Science fiction focuses on science and technology, and explores an important issue (among others): the misuse of technology.
ResponderEliminarIn Frankenstein, the technique Victor uses to create the monster is no explicitly stated. However, there are many things that can help us infer that the role of science is important in this event.
Science fiction follows scientific rules. Victor Frankenstein is a scientist that becomes obsessed with different fields of study and possible discoveries. The scientific knowledge he acquires is applied to create the monster: “From this day natural philosophy, and particularly chemistry, in the most comprehensive sense of the term, became nearly my sole occupation... In other studies you go as far as others have gone before you, and there is nothing more to know; but in a scientific pursuit there is continual food for discovery and wonder.” There are references to the importance of electricity, which at Mary Shelley’s time was a matter of science research: “…he had formed on the subject of electricity and galvanism, which was at once new and astonishing to me.” Galvanism had to do with the power of electricity to stimulate nerve impulses. Scientists, based on experiments with dead animals, did research on the possibility of sustaining life with this. It seems that by mentioning galvanism Mary Shelley was acquainted with it. Moreover, she even called her novel “… or The Modern Prometheus” which was how Benjamin Franklin (and his research with electric power) was referred to by Immanuel Kant.
Clearly, as in many science fiction stories or novels, scientific knowledge and the rules of science (natural science, chemistry, galvanism) were applied to create the monster.
Another aspect of Frankenstein which is related to this genre is the critic of the misuse of scientific advances. Men want knowledge which is applied in a catastrophic way. In this case, Victor’s creation and abandonment of the creature leads to his punishment and to the monster’s isolation and sadness. Both end up being alone and unhappy. When Mary Shelley describes her dream that inspired this novel, she said: “I saw the pale student of unhallowed arts kneeling beside the thing he had put together. I saw the hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, and then, on the working of some powerful engine, show signs of life, and stir with an uneasy, half vital motion. Frightful must it be; for supremely frightful would be the effect of any human endeavour to mock the stupendous mechanism of the Creator of the world.” Scientific advances and their misuse, and the effort to imitate God as a creator have terrible consequences for the characters as in Science fiction narratives.
A very accute analysis, Carolina. Well done!
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