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Comparing Shelley's Frankenstein-The Sacred And Profane

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Frankenstein: The Sacred and Profane
The novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley can be interpreted as having heavy religious undertones. Shelley’s beliefs while writing the novel are debatable. The argument remains as to whether or not Shelley was pro-science or pro-religion. Perspective of the book can argue both vitalist and materialist perspectives, as proposed in the article “Frankenstein and Radical Science” by Marilyn Butler. Mary Shelley was first interpreted as a scientific radical heavily influenced by evolutionary theory and materialist, William Lawrence. Butler explains the cultural reaction to the original release of Frankenstein, “Mary Shelley could be deemed to have attacked Christianity” (305). Where materialists believe in scientific …show more content…

M. Krempe seems to be more closed-minded, logical, and skeptical. He can be seen as a materialist. His views on science are mathematical and curious, but rooted in evidence. M. Waldman is described as gentle and kind, with a curiosity in concepts of vast forces working within the world. He admires the exploration of natural philosophers, “They penetrate into the recesses of nature, and shew how she works in her hiding places. They ascend into the heavens…” (Shelley 44). Waldman does not discount or discredit abstract philosophical works, but embraces their usefulness, and views them as a path to the divine. In essence, their views on the natural world are black and white: materialist versus vitalist perspectives. M. Krempe needs facts and practicality, through academia that is well established; in contrary, M. Waldman is okay with exploration and the unknown. The contrast exemplified within these characters are a strong example of vitalism and materialism. These two characters contrasting world views and intellectual ideals signify are a marker for these concepts within the novel. They are a major metaphor for the moral war waging in both society and the individual. Upon hearing Victors only natural science readings are from philosophers exploring alchemy and immortality, M. Krempe patronizes him “ have you…really spent your time in studying …show more content…

Vitalists see the book as a fable of sin and damnation, materialist could argue that the book is a realistic depiction of society, socialization, and stratification. Materialists see the book as a depiction of society and socialization, a warning of status and the negative effects of social norms. When the book is broken down through Durkheim’s theory of the sacred and profane, this could change ones comprehension of the whole novel. Examine the two professors as a metaphor, Krempe as the materialists and Walden as the vitalist, it is easy to see that Shelley was attempting to show the divide in perspective. Society is uncomfortable with gray area; the book is attempting to explain a rather realistic depiction of society. Society is not just one or the other as most individuals would like to be reassured, but a combination of both materialist and vitalist. I believe Shelley tried to illustrate an accurate description off society through writing Frankenstein. Victor and the Creatures depiction within the novel exemplifies a personal and relatable internal struggle. Personally, I have experienced moments of considering myself a divine being with a predetermined fate, while simultaneously sensing that I am a meaningless object floating amidst a sea off scientific

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“Written in 1816, when she was only nineteen, Mary Shelley’s novel of “The Modern Prometheus” chillingly dramatized the dangerous potential of life begotten upon a laboratory table. A frightening creation myth for our own time, Frankenstein remains one of the greatest horror stories ever written and is an undisputed classic of its kind” (Bantam Dell, 2002). In her novel, Mary Shelley expresses the worldview of a universe without a supreme God, a world where the race of man have immense power and knowledge and even the ability to impart life to non-life; a world where nature created itself and displays divinity. Although these views do not incorporate the Biblical worldview, several ideas of mankind in Frankenstein do assimilate with the truths of the Bible.

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Mary Shelley's fictional story of Frankenstein and Charles Darwin’s experimental encounters and aspect about methodical studies, personalities and the connection of the individual within civilization are somewhat conflicting of each other. According to Bowles and Kaplan “Darwin wrote in his private autobiography that Christianity was a deniable doctrine and the Bible was manifest by fake history” (2012 ) .Mary Shelley approves Darwin's concepts that God was not the creator of mortal essence. Darwin's perceptive of individuality is equal to Mary Shelley’s view. The cultural fear that underlies much of Mary Shelly’s book was also the fear that Darwin had and that was the fear of science.

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First, Shelley is constructing a new relationship between religion and science. What she observes from the “vitalist debate” is that professionals either prefer science’s subordinate status to religion or science’s radical independence from religion. In the “hetercosm” Frankenstein, we neither need to use science to explain religious concepts nor need to use religion to understand scientific facts. However, we also don’t have to eliminate anything religious in science. I agree with Marilyn Butler’s regarding the Creature as a continuation of Frankenstein’s scientific experiment.

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The Romantic era’s literature often reflected these disparities, with authors like Mary Shelley critiquing the mistreatment and neglect of the less fortunate through powerful narratives like Frankenstein. Additionally, Mary Shelley draws a profound parallel between the creature's abandonment by his creator, Victor Frankenstein, and the Christian notion of free will. After being given life by Frankenstein's act of creation, the creature finds himself cast into the world without guidance or moral instruction from his maker. This abandonment mirrors the Christian belief that God, having created humanity, presents upon them the gift of free will, allowing them to navigate the complexities of existence through their own volition. Essentially, Mary Shelley adroitly intertwines the rampant prejudices faced by women through her characterizations as society’s failure of moral responsibility inherent with power and echoes

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342 Words | 2 Pages

Mary Shelley's classic novel, Frankenstein, has captured the imagination of readers for centuries. The story of a scientist who creates a living being out of pieces of dead bodies has fascinated and frightened audiences since its publication in 1818. The book delves into themes of ambition, isolation, the dangers of playing god, and the consequences of unchecked scientific progress. One of the most striking aspects of Frankenstein is its exploration of the dangers of unchecked ambition.

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Hindle, Maurice. “Vital Matters: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Romantic Science.”  JSTOR, Berghahn Books, p. 29, www.jstor.org/stable/41555493. In this article Maurice Hindle argues the ways in which individuals perceived the overall story behind the novel “Frankenstein.”

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1895 Words | 8 Pages

In Mary Shelley’s time, the idea of religion was very challenged by the thought of science and innovation. Faith was seen as the truth for many years before science was majorly believed. Many novels were influenced by the Catholic Church. Mary Shelley's work Frankenstein was a mix of faith and science. The Frankenstein monster has a soul and the author, Mary Shelley, intends to give Frankenstein a spiritual sense of a human being

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Furthermore, Shelley examines the relation that Frankenstein and his monster have towards relevant motifs of Enlightenment such as science, religion, and humanity. To begin with, the era of Enlightenment was characterized by numerous scientific discoveries in Europe. Advances were made in various scientific fields such as astronomy, physics, and mathematics. They caused large controversies which had a deep impact on people’s thinking about God and religion.

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Frankenstein was an exploration of the role of Christianity within a society evolving towards secularism, science contending with religion. The monster of Frankenstein was born from science, a controversial subject in the time of horse-drawn carriages and still relevant religious presence. Victor’s philosophies and inspirations are directly derived from empirical evidence and scientific discovery, and even as a child, he took to books of science instead of theology. The character of Frankenstein directly opposes creationism, instead promoting the scientific discoveries of the day such as galvanism. The novel wasn’t a warning about treading on the work of God, but instead a criticism of religion and proof that man could accomplish the same things

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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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731 Words | 3 Pages

At first glance, Frankenstein may appear to be simply a novel about a monster. In reality it not only challenges reader’s beliefs on the power of science and nature over man, but the power of females as well. All of which show Mary Shelley’s responses to the scientific and industrial revolutions of the 18th century as well as the feminist issues of the time period. The entire novel showcased very clearly how Shelley felt about the issues of her

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640 Words | 3 Pages

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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1252 Words | 6 Pages

Frankenstein exposes the dangers of scientific exploration, the destruction reaped by progress for progress’ sake. Shelley cautions against playing God without consideration for the natural order, using the relationship between masculine power and feminine fragility to parallel the interaction between science and romanticism. The novel extols the romanticism of nature’s indescribable splendor and energy, and villainizes many of the concepts of the scientific revolution, especially those that encourage irreverent exploration, or the glorification of oneself. The turmoil of innovation and progress distracts from the values of the past, completely antithetical to a higher power. Author Fritjof Capra argues that nature exists as an inherently feminine power to for exploitation, yet Shelley’s text reinforces the notion of nature as both a feminine and masculine force, contrary to Capra’s assertion.

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1384 Words | 6 Pages

It is seen over and over throughout her novel: Victor’s parents taking him to Italy, his parents giving him Elizabeth as a gift, the books found in the library, hanging of Justine, creation and abandonment of a monster, the cottagers, the books the creature reads, and the death of Victor. By conveying this idea, Mary Shelley is accomplishing her goal of alluding to the nineteenth century society as a whole. During that time, society was based on hierarchy, representation, and religion which tugs on moral and ethical values as well. So, if society nurtures the nature of individuals; who is the real monster?

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883 Words | 4 Pages

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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