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Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley. Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. by Mary Shelley. Prometheus. Greek mythology a Titan who championed mankind stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mortals

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Mary Shelley

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  1. Mary Shelley

  2. Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley

  3. Prometheus • Greek mythology • a Titan who championed mankind • stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mortals • Zeus punished him by having him bound to a rock while an eagle ate his liver every day only to have it grow back to be eaten again the next day

  4. GENRE: Gothic LiteratureCHARACTERISTICS:

  5. Gothic Lit: CHARACTERISTICS: • popular 1760’s – 1820’s • wild, remote, dreary settings; lots of castles, moors and rain • contains a hero/villain • strives to incite terror • contains evidence of the supernatural • mixes romance and horror • evokes a sense of mystery and dread

  6. Gothic Lit: CHARACTERISTICS: • a distressed heroine • moral conflicts abound • questions where does man’s power begins and ends • explores the macabre (muh-cahb) nature of mankind • macabre: suggesting the horror of death and decay; gruesome. Macabre tales of war and plague in the Middle Ages.

  7. Mary Shelley’s STYLE: • rich vocabulary (a plethora of SAT words to enjoy!) • elaborate sentence structure • allusions aplenty • jumbled chronology • shifting narrators

  8. “The FRAME Story”

  9. “The SYMPATHETIC LISTENER”

  10. a “CAUTIONARY TALE” there’s a warning of a taboo… someone disregards it… an unpleasant fate awaits…

  11. Major Themes: • the importance of intellectual curiosity and achievement AND the responsibilities that accompany them; knowledge can be dangerous • the importance of familial relationships AND the pain that comes when ties are severed • loneliness; alienation from society • the natural world as a catalyst for and reflection of human emotion • nature vs. nurture

  12. meaning of the work (theme) • Nature (the physical world) • Alienation • Birth / Death • Judgment • Self-worth • Egocentricism • Ambition • Lollipops • Judgment • Acceptance • Rationality • Shame • Secrets • Enlightenment • The Unknown • Irresponsibility • Science • Revenge • Abandonment • Isolation • Change • Passion • Creation • Destruction • Consequence • Fear • Trust • Persecution • Duality • Fitting in • Family • God • Nature vs. Nurture • Knowledge • Curiosity • Relationships • Cowardice • Neglect • Mental health • Redemption • Compassion • Responsibility • Obligation • Prejudice • Power • Self-preservation

  13. MORAL AMBIGUITY AMBIGUOUS: VAGUE, UNCERTAIN, UNCLEAR, INDEFINITE

  14. Romanticism • an artistic, literary, and intellectual movement • originated in the late 18th century in western Europe • a movement against norms of the Age of Enlightenment • a philosophical revolt against rationalism • the exaltation of the senses and emotions over reason and intellect • the rediscovery of the artist as a supremely individual creator • emphasis on individual expression and imagination

  15. A word (or two) about SPARKNOTES :-o

  16. Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog by Caspar David Friedrich1818

  17. Eugène Delacroix La Liberté Guidant le Peuple

  18. In Nature’s Wonderland Thomas Doughty (1835)

  19. If you like Gothic Literature, check out…

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