"Frankenstein"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the moody character of Frankenstein in the book "Frankenstein," by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. The paper then describes the significance of thunderstorm in the book, as discussed by John Clubbe in his article "The Tempest-toss'd Summer of 1816: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein." The paper suggests that Shelley uses thunderstorms to signal doom in three important spots in the novel and then describes these instances.

From the Paper:

"John Clubbe's article examines the importance of thunderstorms in Mary Shelley's novel and also in her life, and even in the works of other writes if her time. Clubbe describes the unusual climate in Europe in 1816, looking at its significance and he observes how this was apparent in the works of the writers at that time, especially those around Mary Shelley, who summered at Geneva on the lake. It is no surprise that this phenomenon shows up in her novel and that it symbolized evil. Lightening has been a dramatic voice from heaven in many works and the romantic poets thought it to be a revelation signaling dramatic change. Clubbe thinks every appearance of thunderstorms in Frankenstein have inner significance, and, for Shelley, it signifies what cannot be know, the secrets of the universe. That lightening could both create and destroy life is the central theme surrounding the novel, and that it, and all things in creation, can be used for either good or for evil."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Allingham, Philip V. 2002 . Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" (1818) -- A Summary of Modern Criticism . Contributing Editor, Victorian Web; Faculty of Education, Lakehead University (Canada) http://www.victorianweb.org/previctorian/mshelley/pva229.html
• Clubbe, John. 1991. "The Tempest-toss'd Summer of 1816: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein." Byron Journal 19 (1991): 26-40.
• Mellor, Anne K. 1992 . Romanticism and Gender, Routledge UK
• Renfroe, Alicia 1994 . Defining Romanticism: The Implications of Nature Personified as Female in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre . University of Tennessee . http://prometheus.cc.emory.edu/panels/2D/A.Renfroe.html
• Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein, A Norton Critical Edition. Ed. J. Paul Hunter. New York: Norton, 1996

More papers on "Frankenstein":

• Essay # 137670 : "Frankenstein and Power"
• Analytical Essay # 135003 : "Monster in Shelley's "Frankenstein"
• Analytical Essay # 134991 : "Analysis of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein"
• Comparison Essay # 71164 : "Frankenstein" and "The Birthmark"

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