Mary Shelley's Frankenstein The Basic Role of Family
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein The Basic Role of Family
A reckless, opinionated, driven feminist, who changed the face of literature, such is the perception of Mary Shelley. Truth be told, the general population would be correct in their assumptions. However, if they were to delve deeper into the psyche of Mary Shelley, they would be astounded to see the true harsh reality of Mary's existence.
The Romantic era which took place between 1770 and 1848 promoted a profound shift in sensibility and a life rooted in the emotions and sentiments. Mary Shelley, rebellious by nature, produced a literary work of art which through gruesome descriptions, bleak dark imagery, and a scary, depressing tone, defied romanticism and its followers. One can assume she wrote her book in this fashion as a rebellion against radicalism as well as romanticism. In her introduction to the novel Shelley writes... "I have no wish to ally myself with Radicals, they are full of repulsion to me, violent without any sense of justice-selfish in the extreme-talking without knowledge" ( ). It is feasible that Mary's opinion is partially derived from her perception of her father, a man who remained indifferent to her nearly all her life. Likewise it is easy to gather that this book is a slap in the face to him as well as other radical thinkers. Ironically, or rather in the Shelley fashion, thoughtfully planned, all the characters who expresses radical ideas or who acted out radically, were murdered or died in the novel, perhaps expressing Mary Shelley's hopes of the end of radicalism, which, similar to the experiences of the characters, brought only heartache and misery.
It seemed inevitable through her genetics, that Mary would be a writer. Her parents William Godwin and Mary Wollenstonecraft were both influential writers who made contributions to their respective causes, radicalism and feminism. William wrote Enquiry Concerning Political Justice in 1793 and Mary wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Women in 1792. Mary Shelley also had a stepsister Fanny Imlay the product of a previous affair of her mother's. Growing up, Mary's life was far from a healthy normal childhood. Mary's mother died...