Critical Approaches to "Frankenstein"

Paper Summary:

This paper compares the way that three major theoretical perspectives deal with the incongruity of Victor's actions in Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein". The paper explains that this incongruity concerns Victor's decision to abandon his creation and to continually refuse to take any responsibility for it throughout the novel. By critically examining Warren Montag's article "The Workshop of Filthy Creation," Johanna M. Smith's "'Cooped Up': Feminine Domesticity in Frankenstein" and David Collins' article, "The Monster and the Imaginary Mother: A Lacanian Reading of Frankenstein", the paper looks at three different approaches to dealing with this incongruity and demonstrates where the arguments in the articles fall short. The paper highlights how all three articles subvert the text in favor of their own agendas and offers an alternative interpretation of these characters and events.

From the Paper:

"Mary Shelley's Frankenstein has become a cultural icon. The characters of Victor, the scientist, and his creation, the Wretch, have become myths that exist independently from Shelley's text. Thus, Hollywood adaptations and rewritings have often reworked her story into simplified terms. The typical retelling focuses on the Promethean aspect of the novel, which explores the dangers of "stealing the fire of the gods". In these depictions, Victor is a mad scientist who pursues taboo knowledge with an intense mania, and his creation is a dumb, murderous brute. The scene of the Wretch's awakening is usually heralded by maniacal laughter and glee on the part of the scientist. This depiction, however, is actually very different from the original text."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Collins, David. "The Monster and the Imaginary Mother: A Lacanian Reading of Frankenstein." Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein: Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism, ed. Johanna M. Smith. Boston: Bedford Books of St. Martin's Press (1992), 245-258.
• Montag, Warren. "The Workshop of Filthy Creation." Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein: Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism, ed. Johanna M. Smith. Boston: Bedford Books of St. Martin's Press (1992), 300-311.
• Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein: Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism, ed. Johanna M. Smith. Boston: Bedford Books of St. Martin's Press, 1992.
• Smith, Johanna M. "'Cooped up' with 'Sad Trash': Domesticity and the Sciences in Frankenstein." Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein: Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism, ed. Johanna M. Smith. Boston: Bedford Books of St. Martin's Press (1992), 212-333.

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