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The Influence Of Science In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

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‘Frankenstein’ was written in 1816 by Mary Shelley and published two years later. The novel follows scientist Victor Frankenstein who became the first person ever to create nascent life – a plot likely influenced by the 18th century rise of science and experimentation.

The novel begins with a letter written by Robert Walton, an artic seafarer, to his sister. “What may not be expected in a country of eternal light?” ‘Light’ is used in the rhetorical question as a symbol of knowledge and discovery and portrays Walton’s trust and optimism in knowledge and science as a pure good. Appropriately, science did start out as a profoundly moral enterprise. All great scientific endeavours were aimed at improving the condition of the human race, relieving
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