Frankenstein: An Autobiography?
Certain novels become so intriguing that researches and scholars alike try to read into them as much as possible. Often times, they try to de-code the true meaning of novels and figure out why one would write of certain topics. Some scholars will over analyze a piece of work which would make their evaluation of a novel not make sense, while others may not dig into so deep and just scratch the surface of a reasoning behind a novel. There are several scenarios that researches and scholars analyze a certain novel. Sherry Ginn, the author of “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: Science, Science Fiction, or Autobiography?” has a Ph.D. in General-Experimental Psychology from the University of South Carolina and is a professor …show more content…
Shelley did not receive a formal education while growing up. Would it be possible for a woman without a formal education to understand the scientific principles that would be necessary to classify the novel as Science? Ginn does inform us, though Shelley was not formally educated she had quite the impressive list of books that she read. The argument that she was well read, is not enough to convince some critics that this book was written specifically as a novel of Science.
Ginn touches on the fact that though some critics claim Frankenstein to be the first legitimate example of science fiction, this can be argued incorrect again by the lack of formal education. Ginn also states that much of the science in the book was not always included or was used incorrectly. Ginn does not agree strongly against the idea of the book being considered Science, but Ginn does state specifically that based on the characteristics of science fiction proposed by both Mellor and Donawerth, she concludes the novel does qualify as a science fiction genre (Ginn …show more content…
Woodbridge compares fears that Shelley had about pregnancy, childbirth, and child development with several of the actions portrayed in the book by Victor. Concerns of what he has created, abandonment, failure to nurture, and consequences of turning your back on a child.
While it is without question that this book is not a straight forward autobiography, there seems to be sufficient amounts of research that show Shelley may have intentionally based a majority of this novel on her life. Of the three genres up for comparison, Ginn provides enough evidence and similarities between Shelley’s life and Frankenstein that an autobiography seems to the best fit for this novel. It doesn’t matter which genre is considered the best fit, Frankenstein proves to be a great classic novel that is still enjoyed and studied
Certain novels become so intriguing that researches and scholars alike try to read into them as much as possible. Often times, they try to de-code the true meaning of novels and figure out why one would write of certain topics. Some scholars will over analyze a piece of work which would make their evaluation of a novel not make sense, while others may not dig into so deep and just scratch the surface of a reasoning behind a novel. There are several scenarios that researches and scholars analyze a certain novel. Sherry Ginn, the author of “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: Science, Science Fiction, or Autobiography?” has a Ph.D. in General-Experimental Psychology from the University of South Carolina and is a professor …show more content…
Shelley did not receive a formal education while growing up. Would it be possible for a woman without a formal education to understand the scientific principles that would be necessary to classify the novel as Science? Ginn does inform us, though Shelley was not formally educated she had quite the impressive list of books that she read. The argument that she was well read, is not enough to convince some critics that this book was written specifically as a novel of Science.
Ginn touches on the fact that though some critics claim Frankenstein to be the first legitimate example of science fiction, this can be argued incorrect again by the lack of formal education. Ginn also states that much of the science in the book was not always included or was used incorrectly. Ginn does not agree strongly against the idea of the book being considered Science, but Ginn does state specifically that based on the characteristics of science fiction proposed by both Mellor and Donawerth, she concludes the novel does qualify as a science fiction genre (Ginn …show more content…
Woodbridge compares fears that Shelley had about pregnancy, childbirth, and child development with several of the actions portrayed in the book by Victor. Concerns of what he has created, abandonment, failure to nurture, and consequences of turning your back on a child.
While it is without question that this book is not a straight forward autobiography, there seems to be sufficient amounts of research that show Shelley may have intentionally based a majority of this novel on her life. Of the three genres up for comparison, Ginn provides enough evidence and similarities between Shelley’s life and Frankenstein that an autobiography seems to the best fit for this novel. It doesn’t matter which genre is considered the best fit, Frankenstein proves to be a great classic novel that is still enjoyed and studied