Frankenstein

Lisica, Flora (2023) Frankenstein. In: The Palgrave Encyclopedia of the Possible. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 583-591.

Abstract

Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (née Godwin; 1797–1851), published in 1818 and revised in 1831. It tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, who constructs and animates a sentient and sapient creature in a scientific experiment, only for the experiment to end in disaster as, rejected by Frankenstein, the creature revenges himself upon his creator. Frankenstein is considered one of the earliest examples of science fiction, and, inspiring countless theatrical and cinematic adaptations, the scientist and his creature have evolved into cultural icons. As such they are important cultural metaphors and have been helping us think about questions partaking to our conceptions of humanity, and opening up new possibilities as to how we view our past, present, and future, for over two centuries. This entry begins by explaining the background to Frankenstein’s composition, publication, and its cultural impact since, before outlining the novel’s plot. It then focuses on some of the novel’s central thematic preoccupations to do with the possibilities of human sympathy and science. These questions have been central in literary critical interpretations of Shelley’s novel, as well as being integral to the importance of the story of Frankenstein as a cultural myth.

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