Decades after the first publication of Mary Shelly’s revolutionary novel, Frankenstein, it still influences modern novelists and has even infiltrated our pop culture. Many authors have pulled upon her iconic book and have incorporated this memorable story into their own. These authors created literary connections between their work and Shelly’s to enhance their writing and Mary Shelly is no stranger to this common practice of intertextuality. Throughout her own science-fiction novel, she pulls upon many famous works which permeate throughout Frankenstein. From Plutarch’s Lives of the Romans and Milton’s Paradise Lost to Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Shelly utilizes these famous works to foreshadow plots and mold the characters
…show more content…
The idea of a sheltered and isolated man springs from Goethe’s The Sorrows of Werter whose protagonist, Werther, shares many similarities with Frankenstein’s main character Victor Frankenstein. Victor’s first memories are his “mother 's tender caresses and my father 's smile of benevolent pleasure while regarding [him] revealing that he grew up in a warm household that spoiled him (Shelly 1). Such a sheltered childhood causes Victor to develop into a self-centered man which ultimately prevents him from forming intimate relationships with anyone. According to Roswitha Burwick, Victors isolationistic and egocentric tendencies parallel the same qualities of Werther. He was also raised in a nursing environment with doting parents indulging in his every request and his selfishness also lead him to forming only shallow relationships. The similarities between Victor and Werther are prominent through the novel and reveals Shelly’s model for Victor …show more content…
Shelly revolutionized the world with her novel Frankenstein by introducing a new genre of science-fiction, however she did not do this without pulling from the many great novels of her time. She masterfully molded the characters by taking characteristics of protagonists in other works of literature. In addition, she used poems such as The Rime of the Ancient Mariner to foreshadow Victor’s actions and ultimate consequences. Shelly’s Frankenstein skillfully weaves many literary works to create a novel that continues to live on throughout the
The idea of a sheltered and isolated man springs from Goethe’s The Sorrows of Werter whose protagonist, Werther, shares many similarities with Frankenstein’s main character Victor Frankenstein. Victor’s first memories are his “mother 's tender caresses and my father 's smile of benevolent pleasure while regarding [him] revealing that he grew up in a warm household that spoiled him (Shelly 1). Such a sheltered childhood causes Victor to develop into a self-centered man which ultimately prevents him from forming intimate relationships with anyone. According to Roswitha Burwick, Victors isolationistic and egocentric tendencies parallel the same qualities of Werther. He was also raised in a nursing environment with doting parents indulging in his every request and his selfishness also lead him to forming only shallow relationships. The similarities between Victor and Werther are prominent through the novel and reveals Shelly’s model for Victor …show more content…
Shelly revolutionized the world with her novel Frankenstein by introducing a new genre of science-fiction, however she did not do this without pulling from the many great novels of her time. She masterfully molded the characters by taking characteristics of protagonists in other works of literature. In addition, she used poems such as The Rime of the Ancient Mariner to foreshadow Victor’s actions and ultimate consequences. Shelly’s Frankenstein skillfully weaves many literary works to create a novel that continues to live on throughout the