Poor Things V. Frankenstein - 2556 Words

Andrew Klush Eng 101H Mr. Panza Essay on Monstrosity Mary Shelley made her reputation of being one of the best Romantic authors on the basis of just one book. The notoriety that came with being the daughter of two famous authors helped, as did her age at the time of conceiving the book, but Frankenstein was the only one of her stories to achieve any fame. The level of fame it achieved, however, was astounding. In fact, even though it was originally published in 1818, Alasdair Gray still saw fit to use Frankenstein as his primary inspiration for Poor Things in 1992. The Gothic Romantic nature of both of these books is well known, but the monstrosity contained within them is an interesting topic to examine. Romantic literature was†¦show more content†¦The story grows from this inception to the somewhat vague description of Victor s creation. Shelley, through Victor, through Walton, explains the manner in which Victor prowled graveyards and such to compile body parts, much like Shelley used disjointed segments of individual observations to compile her story. Then, she delves into a birth. The animation of his project scares Victor so much, that he immediately abandons the creation, only to later see the monster in his room, reaching for Victor with a grin. Victor ‘escapes, abandons his child again. The lack of parenting and guidance is remarkable, no doubt inspired by Mary s own situation at the time. Then, as Victor wanders aimlessly, he encounters his childhood best friend, Clerval. Clerval is one of the truly honest characters in the book, though he also has problems with his father. He is Victor s true friend, one who will love him regardless, though Victor is monstrous enough to miss that fact, and tells Clerval nothing of his creation. Shelley then introduces us to Justine Moritz, a maid at the Frankenstein s home, who was mistreated by her mother before coming to work for them. Her love for the Frankenstein family is deep and pure. This is why it is such a shock to find out that she is the primary suspect in the murder of Victor s younger brother. The boy was strangled; a sign of rage and power issues, and a locket containing his mothers picture was stolen. Shelley keeps herShow MoreRelatedEssay about Frankenstein, the Modern Prometheus?1373 Words   |  6 PagesFRANKENSTEIN, THE MODERN PROMETHEUS? In order to illustrate the main theme of her novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelly draws strongly on the myth of Prometheus, as the subtitle The Modern Prometheus indicates. 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