The Role of Women in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay -- Frankenstein

The Role of Women in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Whether an author is conscious of the fact or not, a fictional meet cannot avoid reflecting the political, social, economic, and religious background of the author. Therefore, regardless of Frankensteins categorization being that of science fiction, Mary Shelley reveals her own fears and thoughts, and, as a result, reveals a great deal nearly the time and place in which she wrote. She mentions specific geographical locations throughout Europe, she raises ethical questions concerning the synthesis of life, and she writes in the context of popular contemporary philosophy and the importance of surround vs. experiences. Most importantly to this essay, however, is the manner in which Shelley reflects the characteristics of the Romantic period in which it was written and its attitudes toward women. In an article that discusses female authors during this time period, we find that Romanticism was a male-dominated movement. The same article states that this dominance prevented female authors from being given the same consideration as males (Behrendt 147). Moreover, women who crossed this culturally-imposed boundary were routinely charged with unnaturalness or demon (Ibid.). This is clearly portrayed through the author herself, particularly in the introduction of the novel where her introduction is full of apologies for her work. Despite the self-proclaimed pressure to become a generator in the expectation of continuation of her parents writing, the story is wrought with marks of difficulties of having been taken less than seriously. One place where it is particularly evident is in the preface of the book, although split were writte... ...ely, in the representation of Shelley herself in the monster. Works Cited and Consulted Behrendt, Stephen C. New Romanticisms for Old Displacing Our Expectations and Our Models. Midwest Quarterly. Winter 2000 145-159. Kelly, G. Unbecoming a Her oine. Nineteenth Century Literature. September 1990 220-242. Lowe-Evans, Mary. Frankenstein Mary Shellys unite Guest. New York Twayne Publishers, 1993. Oates, Joyce Carol. Frankenstein Creation as Catastrophe. Mary Shellys Frankenstein. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. Seymour, Miranda. Mary Shelley. Savannah, Georgia Grove/Atlantic Publishers, August 2001. Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. Frankenstein. Edited by Johann Smith. capital of Massachusetts St. Martins Press, 1992. Tropp, Martin. Mary Shellys Monster. Boston Houghton Mifflin, 1976.