Gothic Elements of Frankenstein

The supernatural event, Frankenstein’s creation, is one element the author utilizes to support the Gothic genre. The setting around the creation creates an ominous mood. For example, Chapter

. . .
This is symbolic for the beginning of Victor and the creature’s “November,” the birth of their misery. For example, in Chapter Nine, when the Frankensteins visit their house in the country, Victor blames himself for William’s murder and Justine’s execution.

Additionally, the monster’s birth results in Shelley’s use of another element of the Gothic genre, Victor’s overwrought emotion. The rain and absence of light are metaphors for sorrow and distress; the metonymies further the cheerlessness of the conception scene. The ominous dream, a common component of Gothic novels, serves as a presage of the monster’s savage homicide of Victor’s true love. November, a bleak and gloomy month, marks the beginning of wintry weather, a time of isolation and cold. the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and the candle was nearly burnt out” (Shelley, 34-35). Victor dreams that he “saw Elizabeth, in the bloom of health, walking… I embraced her, but as I imprinted the first kiss on her lips, they begin livid with the hue of death” (35). The supernatural event, portent dream, overwrought emotion and metonymy of gloom and horror combine to create the haunting and poignant tale that is Frankenstein. Five opens with the evening of Frankenstein’s creation, a “dreary night of November. This portentous dream that eventually becomes reality is a consequence of Victor’s desertion and society’s rejection of his creation. The setting also implements the gothic element of the metonymy of gloom and horror. The hyperbole of the pilgrimage demonstrates Victor’s extreme desperation to rid himself of the regret and sorrow caused by the monster.

Common topics in this essay:
Chapter Twenty-Three, Chapter Five, William Justine, Nine Frankensteins, Shelleys Frankenstein, Frankenstein Gothic, , Immediately Frankensteins, gothic novel, supernatural event, overwrought emotion, metonymy gloom, emotion metonymy gloom, supernatural event portent, gothic genre, event portent, example chapter, overwrought emotion metonymy, literary devices, novel supernatural, portent dream overwrought, event portent dream, dream overwrought,

Approximate Word count = 440
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

Already a member? Click here