Frankenstein (Reupload)

 Frankenstein, Mary Shelley's most well-known novel, conceived during her stay with Lord Byron and John William Polidori, fittingly displays a plethora of gothic literature attributes. The first and most central gothic feature of Frankenstein is the tragedy of man's hubris. Doctor Frankenstein attempts to play God by reanimating dead tissue, but only brings ruination upon himself. Secondly, the element of the supernatural figures heavily into the story of Frankenstein. The reanimation of dead tissue was obviously not a possibility in Shelley's day, but the idea served many purposes in the novel, including but not limited to the aforementioned hubris of man and the elements of horror that was also common to Gothic literature. Furthermore, Shelley's exploration into explanation of the supernatural elements is a trend found within many examples of Female Gothic specifically. Finally, the setting of Frankenstein is heavily gothic as well. The Bavarian backdrop of Ingolstadt and Frankenstein's hometown of Geneva are both framed by the massive Alps, suggesting the grandness and power of nature. In addition, the frozen north where Walton discovers the monster and Frankenstein himself only reinforces the power of nature over man.