Frankenstein & Gothic Genre

Frankenstein & Gothic Genre


Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is very commonly referenced when talking about Gothic novels and the Gothic genre. The genre is generally characterized by elements of fear, gloom, horror, death, as well as romance and high emotion.
Frankenstein nods to all of these elements, in it’s elegant yet spooky tale of Victor Frankenstein creating the iconic Frankenstein monster, who eventually turns into the reason for Victoria's unravel. The element of horror comes from the building of the monster, pieced together by different body parts, and stiched up to create a whole new human. While the reader experiences fear, the protagonist, Victor, also deals with fear throughout the novel. The first example of this is when the monster disappears and Victor realizes what he has done. Another is when the monster swears to take revenge on Victor’s wedding night. And finally, the element of romance comes into play in Victor’s short marriage and the death of his new bride, as well as the monsters need for a sole companion.
Some deeper elements of Gothic literature include mystery, a haunting setting, and suspense. Although Frankenstein isn’t necessarily taking place in a haunted house or a log cabin in the middle of the woods, one of the places that lends this haunting feeling is Captain Walton’s ship. In the frozen waters of the artic, the ship sets the reader with a chilling and ominous feeling. Throughout the whole novel, the reader feels suspense as Victor experiences it, in the ongoing chase of Frankenstein. Even without the monster being around or near Victor, the looming chance of him killing or attacking his loved ones is enough to drive Victor into his downfall.

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