Frankenstein

Written by: Mary Shelley

Type of Work: novel

Genres: Gothic Literature; Romantic Movement

First Published: In 1818

Setting: Narration begins in Russia then transitions to Geneva, Switzerland where the events surrounding Victor Frankenstein and the Monster are chronicled. The setting switches often, but the majority is set in Europe.

Main Characters: Victor Frankenstein; The Monster; Elizabeth Lavenza; Justine Moritz; William Frankenstein; Henry Clerval; Margaret Saville; De Lacey Family; Robert Walton

Major Thematic Topics: treatment of the poor and uneducated; use of knowledge for good or evil purposes; invasion of technology into modern life; the restorative powers of nature in the face of unnatural events

Motifs: danger of knowledge; allusion to Goethe's Faust; obsession; revenge

Major Symbols: the monster; electricity; lightning; weather

Summary: A young Swiss student discovers the secret of animating lifeless matter and, by assembling body parts, creates a monster who vows revenge on his creator after being rejected from society.

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