Frankenstein By Mary Shelley: A Literary Analysis

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Science and knowledge are two important factors in society around the 19th century. Mary Shelley supports the connection of these two key topics throughout her writing in the novel, Frankenstein. With her style, structure, and Romantic elements portrayed in the novel, she discusses that scientific progress/knowledge is dangerous and harmful as it places man above God and destroys his morals. This is done by examples of appeals to emotion, imagery, and figures of speech that convey her style and ultimately ends up as support of the previous statement. Shelley appeals to emotion through the characters in the novel. This conveys the idea that emotional components are drawn to connect to aspects of knowledge. Frankenstein writes a letter to Mrs. Saville in the beginning of the novel that states, “You seek for knowledge and wisdom, as I once did; and I ardently hope that the gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you, as mine has been” (Shelley, 31). While this evokes suspense and confusion, it also portrays a heightened emotional state of mind considering …show more content…

After Victor knew the creature existed and encountered it, his life and state of mind were changing. He described himself as being “the author of unalterable evils, and I lived in daily fear,” (Shelley, 155). When this is put in metaphorical context, it strengthens the importance of why it was mentioned. It proves knowledge, through the establishment of a creation, is dangerous since Frankenstein ended up being in a fearful place. When the style and words of multiple passages are put together, they display an explanation of a topic. Shelley discusses that scientific progress/knowledge is dangerous and harmful as it places man above God and destroys his morals. She does this through denoting emotional appeals, imagery, and figures of speech in order to craft the claim in