Frankenstein as a gothic novel

Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein implements many elements of the gothic genre in order to enhance
her horror story. The two elements that animate this genre within the text the most are isolation of
characters and the dark, gloomy settings where they are isolated. Shelley also incorporates scenes
containing a sublime nature (i.e. Mont Blanc scene) in order to make the monster appear more bizarre;
however the scenes where he appears in a gothic setting provide a greater sense of terror for the reader,
and increases the reader’s sense of his looming presence and vengeful spirit.
The “light of the moon” description is a key element in this gothic setting, and causes the monster to
appear more looming. Victor must recall seeing the same object by the lightning earlier in the storm. And
the fact that the monster is faithful to his promise gives him an omnipresence that makes him all the more
terrifying.

The monster is a more effective character when he appears in these dark and gloomy settings. Sure, there
is a sense of awe and grandeur when Victor encounters him on Mont Blanc amidst the beauty of nature.
But the monster is Victor’s tormenter; a demon to haunt him until he has his vengeance. The essence of
this horror is only captured when the monster appears in the gothic nature.

The term ‘Gothic’ is highly amorphous and open to diverse interpretations; it is suggestive of an uncanny
atmosphere of wilderness gloom and horror based on the supernatural. The weird and eerie atmosphere of
the Gothic fiction was derived from the Gothic architecture: castles, cathedrals, forts and monasteries
with labyrinths of dark corridors, cellars and tunnels which evoked the feelings of horror, wildness,
suspense and gloom.

The haunted castles with secret passages, vaults and dark galleries full of terrible howling wind, which
caused thunderous noises of a mysterious nature aroused fear and terror in the minds of the readers as if
they were trapped within a graveyard. Belief in the supernatural, the magic and in the existence of spirits
and ghosts have always haunted man.

In the Introduction to the 1831 edition of the novel, Mary Shelley informs the readers that the novel
emerged from the notorious ‘ghost story’ contest in which Mary, Percy Shelley, Lord Byron and Dr
Polidori were involved. It was fine weather at the Villa Diodati in Switzerland. It was decided that each
one of them should write a ghost story for their mutual amusement. However, she also tells us that it
emerged from a long discussion between Percy Shelley and Lord Byron concerning the ‘Principle of life’
which sharpened and gave rise to the mental vision. The scientific experiments made by Darwin on the
one hand and by Galvani and Giovanni Adini on the other considerably influenced Mary Shelley. Thus,
she had an enormous fund of written materials, including her father’s epoch-making CALEB WILLIAMS
which conceives of a Utopia where the presence of women is ruled out and that child would be produced
by what he calls ‘social engineering’ and not by sexual intercourse.

There are many passages which evoke the feelings of fear and terror. Victor collecting bones in the
charnel houses and graves and working in his filthy workshop totally cut off from the rest of the
habitation. He himself feels horror struck when he looks at his own creation – the yellow skin which
scarcely covered the muscles and arteries, watery eyes almost of the same colour as the dun white
sockets, shriveled complexion and black-lips. The gigantic figure he creates horrifies the creator and he
rushes out, tries to get sleep finds the monster looking at him; the very sight shocks him and he rushes out
to spend the entire night walking about in the courtyard down below. There is then the monster’s attempt
to coax the child William to befriend him and strangle him. Though the narratives come from the mouth
of the Monster to Victor and Victor to Walton, the effect is truly uncanny and eerie. The same feelings are
evoked by the long chase by Victor all through the wilds, hazardous terrains, then getting a sledge,
exchanging it with another to pursue the monster as he follows the words carved and engraved on the
bark of the trees and on stones, and finally, getting trapped in  the ice. All such descriptions are
suggestive of the Gothic.

        One of the most important aspects of any gothic novel is setting. Mary

Shelly's Frankenstein is an innovative and disturbing work that weaves a tale

of passion, misery, dread, and remorse.  Shelly reveals the story of a man's

thirst for knowledge which leads to a monstrous creation that goes against the

laws of nature and natural order.  The man, Victor Frankenstein, in utter

disgust, abandons his creation who is shunned by all of mankind yet still feels

and yearns for love.  The monster then seeks revenge for his life of loneliness

and misery.  The setting can bring about these feelings of short-lived happiness,

loneliness, isolation, and despair. Shelly's writing shows how the varied and

dramatic settings of Frankenstein can create the atmosphere of the novel and can

also cause or hinder the actions of Frankenstein and his monster as they go on

their seemingly endless chase where the pursuer becomes the pursued.

        Darkly dramatic moments and the ever-so-small flashes of happiness stand

out.  The setting sets the atmosphere and creates the mood.  The �dreary night
of November� (Shelly 42) where the monster is given life, remains in the memory.

And that is what is felt throughout the novel-the dreariness of it all along

with the desolate isolation.  Yet there were still glimpses of happiness in

Shelly's �vivid pictures of the grand scenes among Frankenstein- the

thunderstorm of the Alps, the valleys of Servox and Chamounix, the glacier and

the precipitous sides of Montanvert, and the smoke of rushing avalanches, the

tremendous dome of Mont Blanc� (Goldberg 277) and on that last journey with

Elizabeth which were his last moments of happiness.  The rest goes along with

the melodrama of the story.  Shelly can sustain the mood and create a distinct

picture and it is admirable the way she begins to foreshadow coming danger.

Shelly does this by starting a terrible storm, adding dreary thunder and

lightning and by enhancing the gloom and dread of her gothic scenes.  Shelly

writes so that the reader sees and feels these scenes taking permanent hold on

the memory.

        Furthermore, the setting can greatly impact the actions in a novel such

as this.  Frankenstein's abhorred creation proclaims that: �the desert mountains

and dreary glaciers are my refuge.  I have wandered here many days; the caves of

ice which I only do not fear, are a dwelling to me, and the only one which man

does not grudge� (Shelly 84).  The pitiful creature lives in places where man

cannot go for reason that the temperatures and dangers of these settings are too

extreme.  But near the end, Frankenstein's rage takes him all over the world in

an obsessed search for his doppelganger enduring terrible hardships, which the

monster, too, has endured.  Frankenstein pursues his creation to the Artic

wastes, revenge being the only thing keeping him alive.  This serves only to

thicken the strange darkness that surrounds and engulfs them � (Nitchie 274).
Here it seems as if Frankenstein may finally capture his adversary, but nature

thinks otherwise.  The monster tempts his enraged creator through a world of ice

and the setting becomes a hindrance as the �wind arose; the sea roared; and, as

with the mighty shock of an earthquake; it split and cracked with a tremendous

and overwhelming sound.  the work was soon finished; in a few minutes a

tumuluous sea rolled between me and my enemy� (Shelly 191).   Because of this

gothic setting amid the Artic ice floes, the despair hits both Frankenstein and

the reader.

        So Frankenstein, Mary Shelly's strange and disturbing tale personifies

the gothic novel.  With her compelling writing, she creates the setting that

sets the gloomy mood and causes as well as hinders actions creating dramatic

tension.  The entire story is mysteriously set in the cold Artic which adds to

the dark and foreboding atmosphere. Frankenstein pursues his monster there,

fails to destroy him, and dies appropriately in the cold of the Artic that

matches the cold of his heart. Likewise, Frankenstein's monster dies on his

own terms, springing to his ice raft, �borne away by the waves and lost in

darkness and distance� (Shelly 206).

Part of a new wave of serious Gothic novels in the early 19th-century, Mary
Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) sought a return to the heyday of the 1790s: she combined Radcliffe’s terror
(seen in Victor’s disturbed dreams, for instance) and Lewis’s horror (seen in the murderous rampaging of
the Creature). She also radically revised the supernatural formula of the Gothic tradition – in a formal
sense Frankenstein augurs a turn to what we now recognise as Science Fiction. Victor gathers inert body
parts and infuses life into a stitched-up cadaver, using the teachings of Cornelius Agrippa and the
mysterious branches of ancient science as well as more recent experiments in physics and biochemistry.
If knowledge is enlightening (en-light-ening), then Gothic fiction glories in darkness: dimly lit
laboratories, graveyards in the dead of night, and gloomy landscapes. It is also associated with violent
weather: cloying fog, icy blizzards, or relentless rain. Frankenstein is full of such things, though Shelley
brings the lightning into the laboratory. The scientist conquers nature; or, so he thinks, for the undead
Creature enacts his revenge on the man who rejects him by taking the lives of his loved ones. Like a new
mother struck with postnatal depression, he cannot face the jaundiced body he has brought into the world.
But Victor and the Creature are not so different: they vow to destroy each other. Both seek deeper
knowledge about humanity: Victor in arcane science books, the Creature in Paradise Lost and the Bible.
Equally isolated from society, they nevertheless seek inclusion. That is the tragic legacy of  Frankenstein.
Victor thinks that by creating life he will “pour a torrent of light into our dark world”: all he brings is a
new darkness.

A Gothic Novel is a story in which supernatural terrors and an atmosphere of mysterious

horror infiltrates the action. Often the setting is dark and menacing, to reflect the mood of the
novel. “Frankenstein” is a good example of a Gothic novel. Written in 1816, by Mary Shelley,
“Frankenstein” has become one of the most widely known examples of romantic literature and
Gothic novels to date.

The novel is about a young Swiss student (Victor Frankenstein), who discovers the secret of how to
create life. Frankenstein carefully assembled body parts of human corpses in the hope of creating
something beautiful. But on the contrary, he creates a monster that disgusts him. Rejected by his
maker and society, the monster vows revenge on the human race, and more importantly, his creator
– “I vowed eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind”.

One of the common characteristics of a gothic novel are the lonely frightening settings.
“Frankenstein” is no exception. Mary Shelley uses these settings to emphasise the solitude and
isolation from people the monster feels. We can see how isolated the monster feels when he says,
“The desert mountains and dreary glaciers are my refuge. I have wandered here many days; the
caves of ice, which I only do not fear, are a dwelling to me, and the only one which man does not
grudge.”
This also shows how he has been rejected by mankind and was forced to migrate to the secluded
mountains, away from the judging eyes of humans.
The monster described himself when he was just created, like this, “I was benevolent; my soul
glowed with love and humanity.”
This shows that the creation loved everybody and did not judge people, but because people hated
him and judged him based on looks alone he became full of hatred. The monster felt rejected and
formed the opinion that men are his enemy. I find it ironic that in this novel, the normal-looking
humans have the ugliest qualities, but the creature that is supposedly the ugliest thing alive had the
most attractive qualities.
Around the time when “Frankenstein” was being written, science had been advancing rapidly, and
there had been a lot of stories being told associating electricity with the key to bringing something
to life. I think this will have been one of the main influences for Mary Shelley to write
“Frankenstein”. We can see this when Frankenstein says, “I collected the instruments of life around
me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet.”
Whilst creating the monster, Frankenstein became obsessed with verging deeper into the world of
science than anyone had ever gone before – “I entered the diligence into the search of the
philosopher”s stone and the elixir of life…’
This demonstrates how Frankenstein was trying to play the role of God, as God is the only being
with the true power to give or take life. Throughout the novel the reader could get the idea that
because Frankenstein is effectively cheating God, he is being punished.
The novels subtitle is “The Modern Prometheus”, this is because Victor Frankenstein can be
compared to Prometheus, a figure in Greek mythology, who was a man who stole a fire from the
Gods and used it with clay to make humans. This is because both men used abilities that were not
meant for mankind, so they got punished for their actions, “It was the secrets of heaven and earth
that I desired to learn.”
The monster yearns for company and love. He persuades Frankenstein to create a mate for him, but
one night Frankenstein becomes disgusted that he is creating another monster, and destroys it. The
monster then vows that he will murder Victors partner Elizabeth on their wedding night. Despite the
monsters threats Frankenstein goes ahead with the wedding. I believe this is because the monster
has destroyed everybody else important to him and she is his last chance of happiness and
normality. But predictably, his creation is there on his wedding day and Victor finds Elizabeth dead.
By murdering Frankenstein’s partner, the monster is putting Frankenstein in the same lonely
isolated position as him.
The monster starts his life as a good all-loving being, but because of the immoral secluding way
humans behaved towards him, he gradually becomes evil and vengeful. There is a section in the
novel when the monster sees a young boy who he describes as “unprejudiced”.
He decides to take him, to be his companion and friend. But the child is repulsed by him and lets
slip that he is related to Victor Frankenstein. Overcome with despair, that even a young pure boy
was sickened by him, and thirst for revenge, the monster killed the young boy – “The child
struggled, and loaded me with epithets which carried despair to my heart; I grasped his throat to
silence him, and in a moment he lay dead at my feet.”
This sentence gives me the idea that the monster didn’t really want to kill the boy but he couldn’t
bare the child being repulsed by him, and he felt he had to in order to get revenge on his creator.
Although built from human remains, the monster became far from a human, in both looks and
manners. Perhaps if society had accepted the monster, he could have lived happily as a human, and
never become the murderous monster he turned out to be. There are a few sections in
“Frankenstein” that go so far as to suggest Frankenstein’s creation to be like the devil – “I gazed on
my victim, and my heart swelled with exultation and hellish triumph…”
Mary Shelley uses an oxymoron in this phrase – “hellish triumph”, I feel that this means that the
monster knows what he has done is wrong but he believes it to be a triumph against humans and his
creator. Throughout “Frankenstein” Mary Shelley makes us question what it is to be human – is it
the way we look or how we act? She suggests that humans are vain and fail to look beyond the
boundaries of appearance.
Dreams and visions are another common trait in a gothic novel. After creating the monster,
Frankenstein falls into a troubled sleep, and dreams about holding Elizabeth, but whilst kissing her
she turned into the corpse of his dead mother – “but as I imprinted the first kiss on her lips, they
became livid with the hue of death…”
This dream of Frankenstein’s gives the reader a sense of foreboding of the death and heartbreak to
come. It also used Elizabeth turning into a corpse, to symbolise how the monster will progress to be
evil.
In gothic novels women often get frightened by more powerful, impetuous men . In “Frankenstein”,
Elizabeth gets scared by Frankenstein, “Elizabeth observed my agitation for some time in timid and
fearful silence; but there was something in my glance which communicated terror to her…”
This tells me that at the time “Frankenstein” was written men were more dominant than women.
Also that women were seen as nervous and fearful.
I believe that Mary Shelley’s intentions for “Frankenstein” was to stop people stereotyping things
on looks alone. Also in her time women writers were not as noticed as men writers, so I think
another of her intentions was to get women writers recognised. So, in conclusion, I think that
“Frankenstein” is a gothic novel as it all the elements of one, but the novel also has aspects of
romantic literature.