Without any doubts, this is one of the most important literature masterpieces not only in the English literature but in the whole world. That is why you should definitely read and analyze this novel. It can completely change your point of view on lots of different things. Even today it is extremely popular with crowds although it was written a long time ago. Why is it so special?
First of all, this was a story, which had become a basis for many gothic novels and helped develop the genre. It is often taken as the example of the horror story although now we do not find it is horrible. Sure, it is difficult to analyze the whole book even if it seems to be a simple one after reading it for the first time. Nevertheless, it is essential for the deeper understanding of its sense and message to the audience. This novel is one of the few things that students really enjoy and appreciate. Thus, several significant specialties may be indicated there.
Relations with Myths
In order to research this issue in the most effective way, it is essential to pay attention to the full title of the book. “Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus” gives us a great prompt. Sure, there is a connection between this novel and ancient Greek myth. According to these old stories, Prometheus created people at the behest of Zeus. As a result, he was punished because of his love and help for the humanity. On the other hand, there is one more myth that tells us the story of Prometheus. In Latin, he created a man from clay and water, which means he broke the natural order and laws.
Mary Shelley’s novel has the similar plot. Anyway, we can make a parallel between Victor Frankenstein and Prometheus. These characters have many common features. However, scholars cannot come to an agreement and answer, what attitude the author had to this hero of the myths. Some say that she appreciated his actions, others claim that Shelley blamed him. That is why we still cannot answer if she sympathized the main character of the book or found him a devil.
Namelessness of the Monster
The second specialty of this novel is that the main hero does not give any name to his creature. It causes the absence of identity. Instead of choosing a certain name, he always calls the monster “thing,” “devil,” “spectra,” “ogre” and so on.
There are no exact reasons why Shelley did not pick a name for this personage. However, it is true that many people mistakenly call it Frankenstein even if there is no such mentioning in the book. It is a big fault and an educated person should not commit it. In the later films and fan stories, the monster has got different names. Nevertheless, they have no relations with the original story. That is why we cannot use these things to analyze the character.
We will continue our study of this book in the second part of the article.