Frankenstein Mood And Mood Analysis

Caitlyn Noll

AP English 4 B3

Mrs. Lacy

November 28, 2016

Frankenstein’s Tone and Mood

It is likely that when Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein during a competition among friends to write the greatest ghost story she had not the faintest clue how impactful the piece would be on literature. This novel is a Romantic and Gothic novel similar to other pieces of the time. The author utilizes nature, mystery, setting, and imagery frequently throughout the novel to convey the tone and mood. This book is a unique concoction of….

Frankenstein, a novel by Mary Shelley is a Romantic and Gothic piece with many characteristics similar to other pieces of the time. Some of those utilized by the author include nature, mystery, and setting. These devices assisted

Frankenstein uses mysterious circumstances to have Victor Frankenstein create the creature. This is found in the raising of the dead and other aspects of the unknown unexplored fields of science. Frankenstein possesses an atmosphere of mystery and suspense pervaded by a threatening feeling enhanced by the unknown accompanying the monster. During the letters at the beginning of the novel, when describing the creature as “a being which had the shape of a man, but apparently of gigantic stature” (9) it is not yet clear as to what Frankenstein is speaking of, unknowns like these are frequent throughout the book due to the concentric nature of the story, many questions are created based off of stories chronologically later than the rest of the book. Frankenstein has a way of making things sound overtly dramatic, “as if possessed of magic powers, the monster had blinded me to his real intentions; and when I thought that I had prepared only my own death, I hastened that of a far dearer victim,” (175) while surely Frankenstein does not have magic powers the reader is left with a question as to who could possibly be a “far dearer victim” (175). The mystery behind the identity and the aforementioned magical powers are very unsettling. The wording of this passage also calls attention to the unpredictability of Frankenstein’s actions as his creation of the creature brings man into uncharted territory,

While parts of the novel take place in areas of continental Europe such as Switzerland and Germany while others take place in the Arctic region. This change of pace provides contrast and clearly separates the different sections of the book. Secondly, the buildings themselves are impactful, places such as Frankenstein’s laboratory …. Science experiments were not known to the average reader; thus this was an added element of mystery and gloom to the setting. The prospect of raising the dead would disgust the typical reader, causing terror and disbelief, Shelley takes full advantage of this to enhance the strange feelings that Frankenstein generates in its readers. This can be seen through settings like the morgue, many of the skin crawl provoking settings gain their eeriness through vivid imagery, such as when “It was a dreary night of November” (42). At this point Shelley’s use of rain and darkness create a suspenseful atmosphere. imagery throughout the book is extremely Gothic, such as the grotesque description of the monster’s features, the eerie environment of Victor’s laboratory in the middle of the night, and the undead quality. The monster’s features are a paradox, him being both beautiful yet repulsive.

Frankenstein is a characteristic Romantic and Gothic novel because it utilizes nature, mystery, and setting to convey tone and mood.

Frankenstein shares many of the common characteristics