Frankenstein New Technology

Frankenstein is one of the most well-known pieces of literature and it shows in Mary Shelley’s writing that new technology and science was scary to the Romantic writers such as herself. In her 1818 text of Frankenstein, she shows an obsessive scientist, Victor Frankenstein, make his invention come to life, but he soon finds his dreams turn into nightmares when he realizes his invention has turned into a hideous monster. Victor uses new technology, science, and creative thinking to make the beast. Mary Shelley takes her readers on a journey showing the Romantic’s side of the spectrum - new science is fearful because it is damaging to the normality of life. Victor is a bright kid who has always been interested in science and sets off to

As the monster moved Victor saw the true horror of what he had done. He starts to lose touch with his family, including his father, two younger brothers, cousin but soon to be wife, Elizabeth, and best friend Henry Clerval, whom he’s very close with. Clerval goes to visit him at school when he finds his old friend who seems like a whole different person. This new Victor can’t sleep and has a constant look of anxiety as though something would happen. Henry writes back to Victor’s family pretending to be Victor. Of course, Clerval does not have his same handwriting and Victor’s family begins to worry. Elizabeth writes a letter to him stating “I cannot describe to you the uneasiness we have all felt concerning your health […] it is now several months since we have seen your handwriting. [Surely], Victor, you must have been exceedingly ill; and this makes us all very wretched.” (pg. 44-45) Elizabeth continues to express her worry throughout the whole letter. She tells Victor how she misses him and hearing from him, as does the rest of the family. Victor Frankenstein’s passion for this creature had quickly developed into a downward spiral of obsession, anxiety, and insanity; and this had to do with science. The monster has already ruined Victor’s normal life as he is always on edge because of his fear of his own creation. Shelley proves again that we should fear technology as the Romantics did, and as Victor did after he saw the monster