Frankenstein Case
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The aim of a gothic novel is to create a tale of mystery and intended, as Shelley wrote in her 1831 introduction to her novel Frankenstein, to curdle the blood, and quicken the beatings of the heart. Shelley has succeeded in this intention as it did indeed quicken the beatings of the heart of the reader in the period it was written. However, this effect she intended for, only managed to affect the readers of the period it was written in: as in the twenty first century readers are a little more difficult to disturb. She did this using many literary devices and gothic elements in order to make the reader feel as if they were there experiencing it themselves. According to ……..Shelley makes extensive use of the elements in her novel in a way to represent the characters and their continually shifting emotions (HANDOUT MEL). For example when Frankenstein witnesses the death of his dearly beloved Elizabeth shortly before this event the weather suddenly turns for the worse. “The wind, [….] rose with great violence” and there was “restless waves” this sudden change in the elements foreshadows the event of Elizabeths death and creates a suitable atmosphere for a tragedy. Another example of the use of the elements in Shelleys novel is prevalent at the creation of the monster; at the very beginning of the chapter when the monster first comes to life it instantly foreshadows disaster “it was on a dreary night in November”. Not only does it foreshadow the monsters birth but it also marks the desolate isolation that is experienced by the reader throughout the novel. In addition to foreshadowing impeding doom or sadness, the change in weather sparks a change in mood in both Victor and the monster. When the weather is gloomy, Victor and the Monster are both in depressed, melancholy states of mind; yet when the weather returns to bright and sunny so do Victors and the Monsters moods. Victor personally states the correlation between his moods and the weather when he states best method of eradicating [….] my melancholy, which […] would return by fits, and with devouring blackness overcast the approaching sunshine.
In addition to using the elements to foreshadow events, Shelley also uses various literary devices. One of the most significant of these devices is symbolism; Shelley manages to foreshadow events with such things as the moon. The moon is considered in literary terms to represent the female form because of its monthly cycles: just like a woman has. Often there is a full moon; the novel then refers to a female character and more importantly to Victors beloved Elizabeth. When Elizabeth dies, not only does the weather change but also the moon is stated as beginning to descend this indicates a possible fall of a woman character. The moon is often described as pale and yellow alluding to sickness and characters demise in some way whether it is a moral demise or an actual death. The moon is also present before the monster appears, also the moon represents darkness as does Frankensteins monster. Further symbols used by Shelley are that of the Monster: he represents Victors self hate in many ways. Firstly, his ugliness stands to represent Victors inner demons and secondly, his self-hatred for his filthy workshop of creation. Other literary devices such as alliteration are used throughout the novel in order to highlight certain things such as Murderous mark and fiendish finger in chapter 23 it is used in order to highlight the horror Victor is experiencing at the