"How far do you agree that Mary Shelley has created a monster?".
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein was published finally in 1831,There are many aspects to the novel that can be considered to be monstrous or the work of a monster. The most commonly referred to monster of the novel is Victors creation. Physically, the creature consisted of a tangled mass of dead body parts stitched together to become what nature would never have produced, hence the use of the word "monster", meaning "unnatural". This quality is labelled by horror philosopher Noel Carroll, as "ontological impropriety."-The perpetual taboo of blending categories between living and dead, animate and inanimate sets an absolute boundary between the dead and the living- and its considered monstrous. However,other aspects such as the novel as a whole when thinking about the traditional values of the time, and Victor Frankenstein's part in usurping the power of god need to be analysed for their "monstrous" value.
Generally speaking any people would clam that Mary Shelley's created a monster by producing the novel as a whole. When placed into context, the noel was published in 1818 anonymously, and would have been highly controversial. "Frankenstein" posed many questions, probing at the authority of God and religion in general. For example, the novel explores and relates to Milton's "Paradise Lost"-the epic poem whereby Lucifer is depicted as not such a horrific figure, merely taking one step too far and becoming Satan, much like Victor can be seen. Also the fact that Shelley suggested another "being" can be created by anyone other than God is seen as blasphemous, as God is both the giver and taker of life.
The fact hat recent critics see the text itself as monstrous can be backed up by Shelley's own thoughts. May Shelley may have realised the blasphemous nature of her work and this may have something to do with why she made changes to the novel and re-published it in 1831.
