Mary Shelleys Frankenstein - Narratives of Seduction...

Frankenstein:nbsp;nbsp;Narratives of Seductionnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp; The following essay is concerned with the frame structure in Mary Shelley`s Frankenstein and its’ functions as it is suggested by Beth Newman`s Narratives of seduction and the seduction of narratives.nbsp; To start with, the novel Frankenstein is a symmetrically built frame narrative with a story at its center. This is not always the case with frame structured novels, as there are examples without a proper center (e.g. Heart of Darkness). The elaborate system of frames indicates that this center reveals some kind of a mystery. However, it would be wrong to asume that the center alone contains the meaning of the novel. On the†¦show more content†¦My companion must be of the same species, and have the same defects. This being you must create. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Frankensteins’s desire, on the other hand, is to kill his creature. Realising that he will probably not be able to achieve his aim himself, he relates his story to Captain Walton in order to make him promise to finish his plans of killing the Monster. Frankenstein says in the middle of Chapter 7 in Volume III (p. 145): Yet, when I am dead, if he should appear; if the ministers of vengeance should conduct him to you, swear that he shall not live. The pattern of stories trying to seduce the listener reoccurs in the novel on a smaller scale. An obvious example of this is the Monster’s attempt to raise old Mr. DeLacey’s pity by telling him a false story about his origin. Another less obvious example is the way he arranges Justine’s execution. By killing William and putting the miniature the boy had in Justines pocket he makes up the „storyâ€Å" of Justine murdering William in order to get the picture. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; As mentioned before, the seduction of the stories of the Monster and Frankenstein aim at binding the listener to a promise. The theme of promising is also reflected in two contrasting episodes of the novel, the one about the RussianShow MoreRelatedMetamorphoses Within Frankenstein14861 Words   |  60 PagesThe Critical Metamorphoses of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein You must excuse a trif ling d eviation, From Mrs. Shelley’s marvellous narration — from th e musical Frankenstein; or, The Vamp ire’s Victim (1849) Like Coleridge’ s Ancient Mariner , who erupts into Mary Sh elley’s text as o ccasionally and inev itably as th e Monster into Victor Frankenstein’s lif e, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometh eus passes, like night, from land to land and w ith stang ely ad aptable powers of speech Read MoreEssay on Romanticism4035 Words   |  17 PagesBlakes Albion to Byrons Manfred to Keats musings on the disassociated nature of the Poetic Self. Some writers personified this division in distinct physical manifestations, usually a hero and his inverse doppelganger. Most famously in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein, the various selves in De Quinceys Confessions of an English Opium Eater and in the complex mirroring of major characters in James Hoggs ambiguous masterpiece Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner. Although critics (as