Soft Science Escapism In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

The literary world is now teeming with new combinations and types of genres. So many, that it can be hard to differentiate and properly categorize books because there is not a clear distinction of the characteristics of these genres. Also, it can be a little overwhelming when deciding what book to read because the standards are not always evidently expressed. In order to make it easier for people to understand, I took it upon myself to review a classic that is not only critically acclaimed, but well-known across the world: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Frankenstein is typically regarded as a science fiction, horror novel, but I will go into a profounder category that may or may not be fitting for the novel in its entirety called "soft science …show more content…
In Frankenstein, the story revolves around a man who created life and how his scientific creation impacted his life and anyone that encountered the monster. Mary Shelley manages to do this while keeping the key of the monster 's creation a secret in the whole book; claiming that it is something that should never be revealed "again" since it leads to the brutal destruction of the main character and everyone he loved. Every detail of his creation was revealed but that detail which left the to reader 's imagination a very gratifying aspect. With this being such a secret, you can really get the sense of how this story transcends reality. The mysterious nature of how the story itself came to be is left for interpretation letting the story take on any sort of form the reader creates. With ideas neither proven or disproven, it is hard for the scientific element to be proven truly fantastical making it questionable whether this book fits the escapism requirement. But given the fact that a soul was put inside of a body made from parts from the cemetery... I think it is safe to say that this story escapes …show more content…
Violence is the most evident form of conflict, and there are many examples in Frankenstein that creates external and internal chaos. All throughout the book, the monster experiences physical and personal acts of violence leading him to exile himself and eventually annihilate his creator with the built up hurt and hatred that he has felt. Without this violence, the reader could never had fathomed all the pain the creation must have felt. So much pain he eventually kills many people, indirectly his creator, and eventually himself (assumingly). The violence added to the physiological element of the story, and how it is more about emotion than the science itself. Although violence is not always present in soft science fiction it adds to the gripping tale that it is designed to