Frankenstein

In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein all the ingredients of the gothic tale are there – the castle, the stormy weather, a monster, violent death, gory effects and passionate love. It can be read at many levels; today most people will associate it with a classic horror story. However, considering its full title, “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus”, one understands that there is more to it than just a horror story and morbid entertainment. The story of Frankenstein can be read as an allegory, that is, a narrative with a symbolic meaning, where the characters are personifications of more abstract ideas as, in this case, human ambition and wayward self-righteousness.

In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein all the ingredients of the gothic tale are there – the castle, the stormy weather, a monster, violent death, gory effects and passionate love. It can be read at many levels; today most people will associate it with a classic horror story. However, considering its full title, “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus”, one understands that there is more to it than just a horror story and morbid entertainment. The story of Frankenstein can be read as an allegory, that is, a narrative with a symbolic meaning, where the characters are personifications of more abstract ideas as, in this case, human ambition and wayward self-righteousness.