摘 要

《弗兰肯斯坦》是 19 世纪初优秀女作家玛丽·雪莱最重要的一部作品，也是英国文学史上著名的哥特式小说，被认为是世界上第一部科幻小说。作品主人公弗兰肯斯坦是一位对生命起源充满兴趣的科学家，希望通过利用被肢解的人体器官创造一个新人。然而他所创作的怪物面目丑陋，并因对人类的不满相继杀死了他的亲人与朋友。故事的怪诞与荒谬使小说呈现典型的哥特式氛围，而玛丽·雪莱亦借此作品表达了自己对科技与道德冲突的看法。本文从荒诞的人物、紧张的情节和恐怖的场景入手，探讨了作者如何构建《弗兰肯斯坦》中的哥特式特征。

关键词：《弗兰肯斯坦》；哥特式；恐怖

Contents

1. Introduction 1
2. Demonstration 3
   1. Absurd and weird characters in Frankenstein 3
      1. Frankenstein 3
      2. The monster 4
   2. Dramatic and suspenseful plots in Frankenstein 5
      1. The birth of the monster 5
      2. The crime of the monster 6
      3. The destruction of the monster 6
   3. Gloomy and horrifying setting in Frankenstein 7
      1. The laboratory of Frankenstein 8
      2. The terrible weather condition in the Alps 8
3. Conclusion 9

Works Cited 10

Bibliography 11

An Analysis on Gothic Features in Frankenstein

Introduction

Mary Shelley (1797-1851), Percy Shelley's wife, was an important and famous female novelist in the late eighteenth century and the early nineteenth century when English Romanticism was blossoming. William Godwin was Mary’s father, and he was a famous British politician， and her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, was a well-known feminist. Mary Shelley mainly received education in her home and many of her thoughts were affected by her parents. When she was sixteen, Mary Shelley

acquainted with Percy Shelley. They fell in love with each other quickly due to similar interests and married. In the summer of 1816, they traveled in Switzerland and neighbored with a great poet，Byron. One day Byron proposed that everyone write a ghost story, and the first science fiction, Frankenstein, was created by Mary Shelley.

It was published in 1818 and received a huge response upon publication.

Apart from Frankenstein, Mary Shelley also left many famous works, including 16 books and monographs, multiple short stories and essays, etc. The Last Man which was published in 1826 is also one of her most famous Gothic novels. Another contribution of Mary Shelley was to compile and print works of her husband, Percy Shelley, who died suddenly and left a lot of unpublished works. The famous long poem The Triumph of Life of more than 500 lines was one of these works. In 1839 she published a set of Shelley Poetry.

Frankenstein tells a horror story and Frankenstein is the protagonist of this novel, who was a scientist. He was interested in the origin of life and hoped to create a new person by using dismembered pieces. After a lot of attempts, one day he successfully created a man. However, his success gave him only horror and regret, as the man he created was a monster that was tall and ugly. Being frightened by the monster, he ran away and fell ill, and after recovery from the illness he decided to return home when he had been away from home for six years. However, a bad news of the death of his younger brother was waiting for him, and the police had arrested the loyal and lovely

maid Justin Moritz based on the on-the-spot evidence. On a stormy night, when Frankenstein, full of sorrow, was lingering alone in Mount Blanc, a sudden flash of lightning struck across a distant mountain peak, and in the light he saw his monster. At that time he understood that Justin was innocent and it was the monster who killed his brother. However, he felt it difficult to tell the truth and had to painfully witness the conviction of Justin. Then the monster described his painful experience and his resentment towards the indifference and abandonment of the world and begged for Frankenstein to create a female companion for him. Frankenstein reluctantly agreed to his request but eventually gave up because he was worried that the male and female monsters may spawn more monsters and the consequences would be unimaginable. He made up his mind to destroy the monster he himself created. After the life-and-death struggle between Frankenstein and the monster, the monster and Frankenstein both died in the North Pole.