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Compare The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner And Frankenstein

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The Mariner, Frankenstein and the Bible “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” and Frankenstein both contain significant biblical concepts that went against the thinking of their time. In the age of Romanticism and Realism, Samuel Coleridge swam against the popular current and wrote of the supernatural. In doing so he inspired counter cultural writers like Mary Shelley to do the same with their literary works. Coleridge and Shelley both share a similar theme when it comes to the abstract aspect of their works- both stories include the themes man vs. God, mysterious danger, defeat/failure. “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” and Frankenstein both demonstrate that it is best that men do not interfere with the divine natural order of things. Coleridge and Shelley published their works during the Enlightenment and Romantic Eras, the time when people moved away from a religious perspective and moved towards natural enlightenment. While there was a shift away from religious writings, both novelist and poet thought it important to include Biblical connections in their novels. In Coleridge’s epic, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, the Mariner (the …show more content…

“Alone, alone, all all alone, /Alone on a wide wide sea; /And never a saint took pity on/ My soul in agony” (Coleridge lines 232-35). Coleridge introduces the comparison between the Mariner and Job from the Old Testament in the Bible. Job, like the Mariner, had everything he could desire, in the Bible, for one reason or another Job within short periods of time loses everything- all his oxen and donkeys were stolen, his children and his servants were killed in a fire, and all his livelihood was lost. In the poem the Mariner loses all his crew from a cold front, and ship is wrecked- which while on the sea equals his livelihood as

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Whether intentional or unintentional, Mary Shelley uses parallels and allusions in her novel Frankenstein. She oftentimes uses the events and words of different characters in the story to relate them to Christianity and the bible. Most of these parallels and allusions carry a negative tone, while few do not. Readers must pay close attention to every detail in Frankenstein to fully comprehend and grasp the ideas that Shelley alludes

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In Chapter 15 of Frankenstein, the author compares the monster to Adam (the first man) as well as comparing Victor to God. I believe that Frankenstein is not as much a commentary on the bible, but rather on the nature of man. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley compares the monster and Victor to biblical figures in order to relate that everyone is capable of moral good and evil. As we see in the novel, the monster is much like Adam in that he desires companionship, he is made in the likeness of his creator (a man), and he eventually turns to evil.

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Romanticism concerns notions of nature, human emotions, individualism, and kindness for one another.   In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein these Romantic concepts, among others, are portrayed through events within the novel. There is an emphasis on science/nature and revolution/reform throughout the novel. An admiration for nature, belief in the power of the individual/imagination, and a desire to explore the unknown, are the main components that contribute to Frankenstein being geared to Romantic ideals, while also retaining an emphasis on modernity, specifically science and revolution.

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Throughout Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, a great comparison is shown between Victor Frankenstein, the main character, and Prometheus, one of Greek mythology’s greatest Gods. Shelley borrows from the tale of Prometheus a consequence resulting from searching for a great source of enlightenment and power. In creating a being and giving it life, Frankenstein seems to take on the remarkable role of God which leads him to thinking that a power that is so heavenly cannot be played with by mankind. During his quest to expand his creative knowledge, abilities, drive, and ambition to know the origin of life, he puts himself in conflict. Frankenstein gambled his way into the godly realm without realizing he committed a sin by creating the monster, and

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In Frankenstein, references to the bible are shown throughout and are very influential to the the deeper meaning of the story. "will I achieve; treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation"(Shelley 33). Here Frankenstein decides to further his exploration into science surpassing that of which most of society considers natural. He will attempt to create and animate life from the dead which is unnatural and beyond what is capable for mankind to accomplish. His unwavering quest for knowledge and what lies beyond the natural world entices him.

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Christianity in Frankenstein         Throughout the novel, there were many biblical allusions. Christianity play into novel by comparing the creation of Frankenstein's monster to the creation of Adam and Eve. Mary Shelley incorporating this into the novel to show that no one should ever come close as Frankenstein was to receiving "God" status because it will ultimately drive them to destruction. The purpose of these connection is that no one should not play God.

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In Mary Shelley’s Romantic novel, Frankenstein, an over-ambitious young scientist, infatuated with the creation of life without a female and the source of generation, breaks the limits of science and nature by conjuring life into a lifeless form constructed from stolen body parts. The young experimenter confesses his monstrous tale that defies nature to a captain who shares his desire for glory and the pursuit of knowledge. Though a Romantic novel itself, Frankenstein serves as a critique of part of the philosophy behind Romanticism, that is, the promotion of radical self-involvement that celebrates the individual’s pursuit of glory and knowledge. Both the lone captain and the young scientist seek glory from their quest for knowledge but ultimately their pursuits end disastrously. Throughout the novel, Shelley warns against excessive self-confidence, the ambitious overreaching in the acquirement of scientific knowledge, and the arrogant pursuit of glory, using the young scientist as a forewarning to the lone captain against his

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The adaption from book to film is a hard fraught translation, in which many themes and fundamental ideas can be lost. This is apparent in the adaption of Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein into the 1931 film directed by James Whale of the same title. While the two stories are of the same premise, they are fundamentally different in later story elements, ideas, and themes. Even though the film inspires horror and intrigue like its novel counterpart, it lacks the complex moral arguments and depth of the book it is based upon. Whale’s Frankenstein ultimately fails as an adaptation of Mary Shelly’s work, because the removal of the narration and moral conflict present in the novel, which causes the film to lack overall emotional depth.

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When one reads any book or magazine, one should always read from a Biblical standpoint. One should think through every sentence read to determine the writer’s worldview. However, in Mary Shelley’s book Frankenstein, the answer may be difficult to find. Readers should ask themselves, “Was Shelley presenting the Biblical worldview through her novel or was she expressing a different view of God, mankind, and nature?” If one reads using Christian worldview glasses, the answer to this question is a clear and resounding “no,” for Shelley’s ideas are different from the Bible’s.

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During the Romantic era, Mary Shelley wrote one of her famous book called Frankenstein, which became respected literature of Romantic era. Even though Frankenstein was created mainly to emphasize horror, it rather developed different point of views; it captured many audiences who sought for ideas of science and nature. Throughout the story, Mary Shelley mingled science, human emotions, and nature in order to create supernatural tale that can be understood despite specks of illogical ideas. To make the story as much as smooth as possible without any disbeliefs, Mary Shelley incorporated science and morality in order to enhance her story to be easily absorbed and felt.

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“Whenever the creation order is inverted, there is disorder, destruction, and death. When we tamper with this order, even a little, we become life-takers rather than life-givers”(J. Ligon Duncan III ). This quote plays a large part in the overall literature that is Frankenstein; it pulls together the attributes of the story in a way I haven’t seen before. This essay will be focusing on the relationship between the gothic novel of Frankenstein, and the greek myth of Prometheus. It will be a compare and contrast of the dueling stories.

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Representation of Scientists in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Towards the end of the 19th century, the portrayal of science in literature became more frequent than before; science has been progressing and it began to spark the interest of the readers of fiction. Supernatural elements in stories have been ascribed to scientists and experiments rather than God and miracles. However, since science still covered much of the unknown and inexplicable, the characters of scientists have occasionally been given almost godlike powers, thus prompting the readers to consider the question of morality. The scientist characters in both Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde have initially been successful with their scientific experiments and achieved groundbreaking discoveries, but have ultimately been punished for having gone too far with their experiments on humanity.

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Frankenstein In most fiction stories, there are always two characters that do or do not represent different sides of the same character. Frankenstein is a short gothic horror story written by Mary Shelley. Shelley writes about a scientist who created a being from dead body parts. Victor Frankenstein as the protagonist of the story created a monstrous character that was a reflection of himself.

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Mary Shelley's Frankenstein depicts the remarkable resemblance to the “modern” myth of Prometheus. The intertextuality used to connect these two stories, allow Shelley to bring out the most prominent themes of Power and suffering. As both of the characters deal differently with the struggle to resist the power that comes with creating life, the inevitable end for both characters are the same; they fall at the hands of their own creations. Shelley carefully utilizes the legend of Prometheus to express the connection between punishment and creation.

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Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Critical Analysis About the author Naomi Hetherington is a member of the University of Sheffield, the department of lifelong learning. She is an early researcher in sexuality, religious culture, the 19th-century literature, and gender. She holds a BA in Theology and religious studies, an MA and a Ph.D. in Victorian Literature. She currently teaches four-year pathway literature degree at Sheffield University for students who have already attained foundation degrees. Among the books, she has written the critique of Frankenstein.

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