- Identify three key settings in the novel that help to establish the tone of isolation that is developed throughout the text. Analyse how language features are used to convey this tone in this setting to the reader and reflect on the purpose behind this.
Mary Shelly uses the North Pole/ Arctic for the setting and this represents the theme of isolation. The North Pole/ Arctic is a vast land of ice, this setting represents how cold and deserted the place is and how the Creature and Victor Frankenstein both isolate themselves from the rest of the world (society). Victor’s sense of isolation is that he is scared and fearful that the rest of the world would find out about the Creature, while the Creature isolates himself from everyone because no one is able to accept him because of his horrific appearance. All three main characters go to the North/ Arctic at some point in the novel, (this may hint that they are ‘destined’ to meet each other).
Geneva, Switzerland where Victor Frankenstein grew up with his family. Geneva has pretty bad weather conditions, most people would stay at home. It’s mostly cloudy and dark and common rainfall, storms would occur at a consistent rate, this setting creates the theme of horror (‘typically used in many horror films’). Makes the story more eerie and more terrifying.
Swiss Alps is the location where Victor Frankenstein and the Creature had reunited. This isolated area is a perfect way to interpret how both Victor and the Creature had felt the sense of isolation, or the feeling of being alone. The Swiss Alps is also a very cold area, hinting that the author specifically chose cold, dark and isolated locations to show us how the characters are feeling, what extent they would go to in order to hide from the rest of society.
- Research the Enlightenment Period. Consider how a text such as Frankenstein emerged from a period of time when science was being established as a credible way of explaining the ways of the world.
The enlightenment period was an 18th century intellectual movement. The intellectual movement had some concepts, three of which were mainly used to explain something with the use of ‘science’. The three concepts were reason, progress and the scientific method that was used. ‘Enlightenment thinkers believed that they could create better societies, and better people.’ Natural science would be used to understand and learn more about life, and different scientific methods would be implemented in order to find out a rationalized idea. Many people back then, had been putting their trust into religion and tried to find logic and reason behind it. But with the arrival of ‘science’ people started transitioning from their religions to learn more about science and it made sense for them. So they started questioning if the traditions or their religion was the right thing to believe in.
The novel Frankenstein was made in the Enlightenment period and many factors of this was hinted throughout the book. Frankenstein is a good example for someone who loved and indulged in science. His love for discovery, knowledge and curiosity lead him to play the role of god, creating a monster that he could not control. This could relate back to the Enlightenment Period where people questioned how they came to be and how they were created. Maybe they thought that they could scientifically create lab made humans.
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