Frankenstein (funky friday)

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 2

frankenstein

frankenstein

First things first!

This man is not called Frankenstein. 

In fact, he doesn't have a name. 

He is the creation of professor Victor Frankenstein. 

In the story he goes by the name 'The Creature'

1816. 

Mary Shelley (18 yrs old), along with husband-to-be Percy were visiting Lord Byron in Switzerland. 

After reading eachother ghoststories, Lord Byron challenged his guests who could come up with the best horror story.

The year without a summer...

Only one of the guests came up with a complete story. 

'The Vampyre' by Polidori.

But Mary Shelley only came up with an idea to work on.

Early 19th century. 

Romanticism and Gothic was fashion. 

But Frankenstein is more than that:

Horror.

Fantasy.

And is widely regarded as the first Science Fiction novel.

First publishing was anonymous. 

Second publishing had Shelley's name on it.

The story:

Captain Walton.

- failed writer.

- explores North Pole.

- spots a giant on a dogsled.

- rescues Victor Frankenstein.

- Victor tells his story.

The story in the story. (or the actual story)

Victor is a scientist. (the opposite of romanticism)

He marries his youth friend Elizabeth. 

When his mother dies, he buries himself in his work. He invents a technique to bring dead matter to life. Soon after he builds a human.  

Victor does his best to create a beautiful man. But when brought to life the Creature is instantly hideous.

Victor is scared shitless and flees his laboratory. Wandering the streets he runs into an old friend, who he takes home to see his creation.

But when they arrive at the laboratory, the Creature has vanished.

Victor falls ill and his friend (Henry Clerval) takes care of him. After 4 months Victor receives word his brother William was murdered.

At the crime scene Victor spots the Creature and gets convinced he's the murderer. Afraid no one will believe him, he says nothing. 

William's nanny is convicted and hanged for the crime.

Consumed with grief and guilt Victor flees to the mountains.

The story in the story in the story...

In the mountains, Victor runs into the Creature. And now he gets to tell his story...

People were afraid of him, so he hid in a shed nearby a family's cottage. Secretly helping the family and while doing so, teaching himself to read and write.

is this the actual story?

The Creature sees his reflection in the water and now understands what everybody is so hyped about...

Eventually he seeks contact with the (blind) old man of the house. When the rest of the family returns he is attacked and he flees again.

The Creature is furious with mankind and especially Victor. But he sets out for Geneva to find Victor anyway... He has an idea...

"Make me a woman! and I'll disappear never to return again..."

And if you don't I'll kill everyone you love!

Reluctantly Victor agrees... 

Back to the first story in the story... 

you know... the actual story...

Victor has issues creating a ladyfriend for the Creature...

 What if they have sex and have babies?! 

OMG!

So Victor tears apart the unfinished woman...

The Creature is furious ofcourse!  He threatens Victor:

"I will be with you on your weddingnight!"

and leaves...

Victor flees again. On a boat this time. But he falls asleep and wakes up on the Irish coast. When he goes ashore he's arrested for the murder of his best friend Clerval.

But the creature finds Elizabeth and strangles her. 

Blinded with hatred, Victor sets in pursuit of The Creature...

Oh... and Victor's father dies too.

Victor is found innocent and leaves for Geneva. Where he is about to be married to Elizabeth (his cousin...).

On the wedding night Victor is armed like Rambo! He asks Elizabeth to stay in her room while he goes out hunting for The Creature.

The first story...

The one with the captain...

The pursuit leads to the North Pole. When he's within a mile of The Creature, Victor collapses... He is just to damn tired from fleeing and grieving.

And this is when Victor is found by Captain Walton.

That... and it was superduper cold!

Victor dies on the boat...

Capt. Walton discovers The Creature is on the boat too...

He mourns the death of Victor saying it didn't bring him peace at all. He vows to kill himself to that no one will ever know of his existance...

And so, Walton sees The Creature drift away on an iceraft, never to be seen again...

The moral of the story...

Frankenstein is filled with moral!

- We are all born good!  

- Don't reanimate corpses! (don't play god!)

- Some unexplored things are better left unexplored...

- When monsters tell you really, really clearly that they "will be with you on your weddingnight", don't leave your wife alone on your wedding night!

and with Mary Shelley's own personal grievance...

Have a great weekend, y'all!!