Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

How does Mary Shelley shape our response to ideas of monstro

 

            Mary Shelley doesn't force her reader into believing her opinion. Rather than forcing she helps shape our response to monstrosity in Frankenstein by calling upon themes and methods that her readers are familiar with. She uses the idea of different types of readings to her advantage. Mary Shelley uses interesting word choice to enhance how we respond to her novel in terms of monstrosity as well as her different way of structuring the piece. The fact that the novel is told in 1st person throughout, with different characters being narrators, and makes us see many different points of view. Thus influencing our feelings on the topic monstrosity. Shelley uses shock tactics also to sway our minds including the idea of abhorrence of the unnatural and breaking spoken taboos. Shelley uses all these ideas, which her readers are familiar with (from the style of writing from the time) to help influence our thoughts of monstrosity in her novel. .
             Mary Shelley's novel is unique as it can be read from many different perspectives and plausible arguments can be pulled out of the novel for each. There are many different types of readings, including the feminist, Marxist, scientific and psychological reading. Each of these, depending on which reading the responder has chosen to take, shapes the ideas of monstrosity differently. The feminist reading makes out that Frankenstein is the monster rather than the creature as he is stealing women's position as the mother or parent figure. From the Marxist reading we find a very political undertone and that the monstrous part of the novel is in fact industrialising and the industrial revolution in Europe. The scientific view is that science in the wrong hands is evil and therefore the science is the monstrosity. The psychological reading is the idea that symbolism, through the idea of Archetypes of the unconscious, are the things that are drawing the ideas of monstrosity.


Essays Related to How does Mary Shelley shape our response to ideas of monstro