by Stella Mcintyre

Created on: April 23, 2009

Mary Shelley was surrounded by attitudes towards family and parenting. Both radicals and anti-Jacobins used parenting metaphors in their analysis of the causes of the terror that ensued from the French Revolution.

The Anti-Jacobin Review naturally published anti-revolutionary propaganda, but they were also keen to see a connection between the Utopian idealism of Wollstonecraft and Godwin and revolutionary movements. What is interesting is the use of a parenting metaphor when the Anti-Jacobin Review referred to disciples of Godwin and Wollstonecraft as "the spawn of the monster".

Mary Wollstonecraft also uses a parenting metaphor:

"it becomes necessary to observe, that, whilst despotism and superstition exist, the convulsions, which the regeneration of man occasions, will always bring forward the vices they have engendered, to devour their parents"

Mary Wollstonecraft also discusses the effect of dereliction of parental duty on offspring:

"A great proportion of the misery that wanders in hideous forms around the world is allowed to rise from the negligence of parents"

Mary Shelley appears to agree with this, the monster's demands upon Victor are those of a child whose parent has failed in his duty:

"I learned from your papers that you were my father, my creator; and to whom could I apply with more fitness than to him who had given me life..on you only had I any claim for pity and redress."

In all this Mary Shelley appears to follow the ideas of her mother. "Frankenstein" contains many examples of tyrannical fathers whose despotic edicts lead to the fateful events of the story. Walton's father forbade him to undertake sea voyages, possibly causing Walton's interest in exploration to be inflamed. Clerval's father considers a background in trade to be preferable to a university education; thus preventing Clerval from accompanying Victor to Ingolstadt, leaving Victor sufficient isolation to become obsessed with his "unhallowed arts".

There are successful father figures in the novel; Victor's father is presented as a caring and devoted parent:

"my parents were possessed by the very spirit of kindness and indulgence. We felt that they were not the tyrants to rule our lot according to their caprice, but the agents and creators of all the many delights which we enjoyed".

In fact Victor seems to possess an acute awareness of the proper role of parents:

"My mother's tender caresses and my father's smile of benevolent pleasure while regarding me are my first recollections. I was their

• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next Page >>