Jonathan Bate: "Frankenstein and the State of Nature"

The three main keys that really resinated with me after reading Jonathan Bate's criticism of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein were as follows:

         -First, was the fact that Bate drew a connection between Frankenstein's creature, and the novel's narrator, Robert Walton. Bate says that Walton will always be a "wonderer" or an "alien,"and the monster obviously has the same afflictions. This was a new connection that I hadn't thought to make, and I found that very interesting.

         -Another observation Bate made was that the first sighting of both the creature and Dr. Frankenstein himself were made by Robert Walton. This allowed for an interesting juxtaposition. Walton and his crew first saw the beast, who was large and brute-like. Frankenstein on the other hand, from first glance even, seemed sophisticated and educated. This set up the whole premise for the book-Frankenstein versus the beast.

          - Finally, Bate basically says that Frankenstein's beast has no chance of success from his creation. He says that the evolution of human institutions goes as such: "first the forests, after that the huts, then the villages, next the cities, and finally the academies'." Since, though, the beast was born as the creation of Frankenstein and the academies', the creature has nowhere to go but down. The monster never had a chance.

     The criticism that Jonathan Bate lays out made me think of the book from many new angles that I hadn't before. He made me see the monster in a new light. I still do not feel any sympathy for Frankenstein's creation, but I see how he was set up for failure. I also see how Dr. Frankenstein committed transgressions against the monster and the human condition. The original sin from the novel was committed by Frankenstein himself, and that was his trying to "cheat death through knowledge instead of intercourse."

Dr. Frankenstein's Moral Complexities

            Mary Shelly, even early on in the book, establishes Dr. Frankenstein as a complex character, with many-different-faceted motives, questionable ethics, and different identities. The two passages chosen on pages 32-33 embody Dr. Frankenstein’s moral dilemmas and contradictions in a remarkably full way. The beginning of the passages starts out explaining the morally admirable aspects of Frankenstein’s experiment. Mary Shelly writes about how the honorable doctor wants to enlighten the scientific community with his new discoveries: “pour a torrent of light into our dark world.” Very quickly, though, Mary Shelly moves into the more selfish and ethically questionable motives for Frankenstein’s obsession. Shelly explains that a driving force behind the doctor’s passion was the fact that Frankenstein wanted a “race” of people that owed their whole being to him. He would be some what of a god to the people he built, and that absolute power very much attracted him.

            In the second part of the passage, Mary Shelly goes on to describe the effect Frankenstein’s obsession has had on him, and how mad he really is. First off, she tells the reader about Frankenstein’s appearance: he was pale and sickly looking because of the stress he is under and the amount of work he presents to himself. As if this weren’t enough, he doesn’t even let himself sleep because of the amount of work he wishes to get done in a very short period of time. As any good scientist would know, lack of sleep can be disastrous, because on no sleep, the mind cannot work to its full capacity. This would obviously affect the success of Frankenstein’s experiment. Yet, because Frankenstein is a man obsessed, and also one who lets his feelings drive his work life, he lets himself carry on in this way. And finally, his work station is atrocious. Mary Shelly walks us through Frankenstein’s work station. It is messy, lacking any organization whatsoever, and with almost no regard for sanitation. Mary Shelly leaves the decision up to the reader. Is Dr. Frankenstein worthy of commendation because of his attempted contributions to the scientific work, disapproval because of his less-than-stellar ethic motivations and total lack of regard for the scientific process, or some combination of the two. 

Dr. Frankenstein

     The character that I had the strongest reaction to was Dr. Frankenstein, himself. I felt as though he was overly dramatic in his reactions to most circumstances. For example, he fell into a depressive state for many months after he saw his monster. Granted, the monster was an abomination, I don't think it warranted that sort of reaction. I feel as though the book could have been stronger, if its main character were a more stable person. Mary Shelly spends, in my opinion, too much time explaining the manic state that Frankenstein was in, rather than establishing other characters, the plot, or the depth of the book further. Even though my opinion on Dr. Frankenstein was negative, his character had the biggest impact on me.

Entry #1: My 10 Most Memorable Books

The Series of Unfortunate Events books by Lemony Snicket: I read these from when I was in 4th grade until about 8th grade--embarrassing, I know. Towards the end I was reading them for the sake of finishing the series, but in the beginning, they served as a bonding experience for my childhood best friend and I.

Catcher In the Rye by J.D. Sallinger: Although it was a book that I was assigned to read for school, it felt like a real book, rather than a pretentious work that is usually thrown at me to "enrich" my literary outlook. I actually felt as though I could relate to the characters.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K Rowling: I didn't enjoy the book all that much, but I do have memories of my daddy and I reading this book together. He would also read it to me whenever I was sick, so thinking of it makes me feel better :)

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: This book had many different interpretations, as is the case with most decent pieces of literature, but in this case, there is proof--and a lot of it--for many different facets of the book. I really enjoy debating with others the points and themes that I took from the book.

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: I read this book the summer before 6th grade, and I just remember the book making me happy. The little prince seemed so care-free, and I envied that about him.

 The Confessions of Nat Turner by William Styron: I had to write my ID paper on this book, and it made me thing about the many aspects that come with writing a slave narrative. This author was white and wrote about the struggles of a black slave. Although, in my opinion, he made some mistakes in going about this, he was brave in doing so, and brought about an interesting aspect to argue.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin by Mark Twain: What most intrigued me was the usage of the n-word throughout the work, and the fact that we read it with this inclusion at school. I really felt as though I was going on the adventures and overcoming obstacles with Huck, Jim, and the many people they met along the way.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe: I had never before read, or even though about reading, about the religious mercenaries in Africa, so my being introduced to some of the African tribal customs and the struggles the peoples had to endure was very eye-opening and a refreshing change in content for me.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelly: I really enjoyed the fact that there were many levels of story telling throughout the novel. First, the whole novel is a letter to Elisabeth, then the narrator tells the story of Dr. Frankenstein. During Frankenstien's story, he recounts how the monster told him his story, and even in that story, there was the story of the family he met. I don't really understand why, but I found that aspect of the novel very interesting.

Macbeth by William Shakespeare: This was my first Shakespeare, so by definition it was memorable to me. it was a milestone in my life, and an introduction into a kind of story and writing style that I had never encountered before.