The writers and their texts 2.1. The idea of a double, or doppelgänger, in literature is a very old concept and one that has brought us many famous works throughout the ages. Eight feet tall and hideously ugly, the monster is rejected by society. Throughout his narrative, the monster … The double (Dr Frankenstein and the Monster). Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray is the story of a young man that is very beautiful: his portrait represents his double, his soul corrupted by his bad actions. The theme of Frankenstein: The Poison that is Human Ambition Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein reveals how human ambition generally appears to be a double-edged sword. In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Victor Frankenstein, creates a monster that in a certain way represents his double. … Jekyll’s alter ego Hyde, is a version of the id, acting out the libidinal desires which Jekyll’s superego (or Jekyll as superego) would suppress. Literary Reflexivity. Yet when the two meet in chapter ten, their language is interesting because it is not necessarily what we expect. The idea of respectability, in particular, distinguished the middle class from the lower classes. Of course, the critical commentary touches upon these themes as well, but, since each voice is individual and the essays trace their own intricate paths, no attempt has been made to cross-index the commentary thematically. A Castle – There is no castle in Frankenstein. Modern man feels to be anonymous and negligible in a non-caring world which resembles much more an assembly line than a jolly place to live in. The strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, simonemanfredda@virgilio.it rossella.iaia@gmail.com gisella.brasca@tiscali.it. Dr. Jekyll inhabits a sterile, self-consciously repressed world of male professionals. Successivi. In doing this, he loses the sense of his proper self and identity, feels himself to be none or, better, a myriad of fragmented parts that fall apart. Self-awareness is the main theme that is present throughout all three novels, Frankenstein, Flowers for Algernon, and A Clockwork Orange. The Double 3.1. Shelley started writing the story when she was 18, and the first edition was published anonymously in London on 1 January 1818, when she was 20. Usually when there are instances of a double, there is. But Frankenstein rejection of his creature is crucial and this makes the monster an outcast, a murderer and a rebel against society. Doubles are typically used in literature as the kind of ‘evil twin’ of the protagonist (as in Dostoyevsky’s, a ‘splitting point’, in other words a pivotal moment in the text. When we think of Frankenstein, presuming we know nothing of the novel, it's fair to say that we'd assume Victor to be an eloquent man and the creature to be a hulking savage. Strict moral codes and ethical manners were opposed to corruption, money-making capitalistic interests and fake compassion and what was shown outside began to be inevitably separated from what was felt in the individual’s intimacy and in the private sphere: The Strange Case also functions as an historically specific moral allegory about Victorian hypocrisy and repression. By this, the monster changes, he exp lains his cruelty: “I The Doppelgänger – as a narrative device that permits the confrontation or division of the self, the violent encounter of the conscious and subconscious, or a haunting, uncanny physical doubling – is an imperative element of many Gothic narratives, and certainly one the key threads of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. A key work within English literature is obviously considered. The idea of dualism is a recurrent theme in literature, echoing the perceived division between good and evil. Man creates, innovates, and develops technologies for future generations. In many instances where there is a double, it is the embodiment of a specific set of characteristics either that the original character desires to have, or a concentration of their worst characteristics, thus living up to the ‘evil twin’ stigma. The Double in Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ 3.2. A key work within English literature is obviously considered The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner (1824) by James Hogg, where the protagonist’s second self is the figure of the devil himself, but already in Frankenstein: Or, the Modern Prometheus (1818) by Mary Shelley the creature that comes to life can be regarded as the evil alter ego of its creator, the young Genevan scientist. The first chapter contains an introduction to the history of the gothic novel, and Frankenstein’s place within it, and furthermore it also tells in short the life of Mary Shelley, and how the novel came to life. For instance, in the creator-creature dyad, Frankenstein and his creation are connected by forces beyond their understanding and control. The main theme of the story is the theme of the overreacher. These studies show how the themes of duplicity and dichotomy are extremely inherent components of the ages under discussion. The double (or doppelgänger) theme is a common Gothic theme, which refers to two characters who are supposedly halves of each other. Clearly, Victor Frankenstein is this modern Prometheus-in a way, he stole the idea of creation from God and used it for his own ill-advised purposes. The theme of the double Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray is the story of a young man that is very beautiful: his portrait represents his double, his soul corrupted by his bad actions. Now, I will try to relate each theme/element of Gothic texts with the contents of Frankenstein. It was a mixture of morality and hypocrisy, severity and conformity to social standards, prudery, sexual repression and rigid social control. […] Stevenson’s novella is, among other things, a tale of civilisation and its discontents, which conjures up the dark underside of the repressed world of the male professionals (doctors, scientists and lawyers) who form Jekyll’s circle. In Mary Shelley’s gothic novel, ‘Frankenstein’, the eponymous character states that the creature he constructs from corpses is “my own spirit let loose from the grave”. Theme of double in Frankenstein? ûØèÜöàþF›pL¯˜H~Djß3gÔzŒËòc؅O%Ê;úûÓ¶FáQÜl ê2GN£¿=éòiQY@œ,èqóHXžüã ¸>•. The major themes found in this novel are, theme of birth and creation, theme of fear of sexuality, theme of parental responsibility and nurture, alienation, unjust society, the idea of the 'Overreacher' which are described below. The creature, by contrast, is doomed to spend much of his life in darkness, able to walk around only at night so that he may hide from humans. In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Victor Frankenstein, creates a monster that in a certain way represents his double. 4 alienation in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and to present evidence that support the essay’s purpose. •The monsteris complementary to his creator (theme of the double): they both suffer from isolation (dr. Frankenstein isolates himself from society to follow his passion for science) and they both begin with a desire to be goodbut end up with a desire of revenge. A FOCUS ON THE MAIN VICTORIAN NOVELS ABOUT THE DOUBLE, The strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde At the end of the novel, Dorian dies when he destroys his picture with a knife. The latter, the deformed and repulsive Mr Hyde, slowly manages to prevail over the former and commits several wicked and criminal deeds. These characteristics are opposites but the creation presents both in his character. However, his monstrosity results not only from his grotesque appearance but also from the unnatural manner of his creation, which involves the secretive animation of a mix of stolen body parts and strange chemicals. The Double in Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde” 4. Throughout the novel, Frankenstein is gripped by “mutable… feelings”: heights of intellectual fervor, explosions of rage, sleepless guilt-ridden nights. Modern man feels to be anonymous and negligible in a non-caring world which resembles much more an assembly line than a jolly place to live in. The twentieth century has been characterized by major changes and particular socio-political circumstances: leaving the old century for the new one, the solid certainties of the previous era and both the faith in progress and the vision of a better future begin to collapse, giving space to a panorama of crisis. […] Stevenson’s novella is, among other things, a tale of civilisation and its discontents, which conjures up the dark underside of the repressed world of the male professionals (doctors, scientists and lawyers) who form Jekyll’s circle. Of course, we cannot forget to mention the two most cited works involving the question of the double and the identity crisis: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (1886) and The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890) by Oscar Wilde, while in the American short story William Wilson (1839) by Edgar Allan Poe the alter ego is interpreted by a perfect copy of the protagonist who carries also his own name. Major Themes in Frankenstein [This list has been composed with the idea of assisting readers to trace major themes as they unfold through the intricate texture of the novel. The theme of the double As a consequence of his manipulations with nature, Frankenstein is punished because his creature kills the people that the doctor loved. Parallels and doubles in Frankenstein. Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley (1797–1851) that tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment. Critical Viewpoint A number of critics have noted that the window in Frankenstein functions much like a mirror, showing the demonic double … All four characters, Charlie, Alex, Victor, and the monster are aware of themselves. a ‘splitting point’, in other words a pivotal moment in the text where it becomes apparent that the protagonist has suddenly become one of two halves. He begins to feel himself unnecessary, insignificant as a single individual and to make sense only as part of the mass: he is just one of the many tiny grains of sand that form the beach of humanity. Even the name Hyde is linked to the theme of the double: it means to hide, to do what you cannot do openly. The Victorians, in fact, were great moralisers but they promoted a code of values that reflected the world as they wanted it to be, not as it really was, a world based on duty, hard work, respectability and charity. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley deals with the varieties of themes, giving the novel a possibility of diverse interpretations. The quest for forbidden knowledge (Walton and Dr Frankenstein) is related to the theme of the overreacher. There is more than just a binary relationship between a good self and its evil other. The double. Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus’ 2.2 Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ 3. Frankenstein. The monster devotes himself to the destruction of ideal domesticity once he recognises he is doomed to be excluded from it, and in this he may be acting as Victor's double. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde are symbolic of the duplicity of the Victorian Age: on the one side Jekyll represents the public face of the individual and is a respectable man; on the other side, at night in the bad areas of London, he is Mr Hyde, who represents the dark side present in all people. A common element in all these stories is their moral message: sooner or later the protagonists will be punished for their sins because in the end the evil will be defeated. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is Robert Louis Stevenson's most famous and important novel and it is one of the greatest classics of the fantasy genre. Jekyll’s alter ego Hyde, is a version of the id, acting out the libidinal desires which Jekyll’s superego (or Jekyll as superego) would suppress. The idea of a double, or doppelgänger, in literature is a very old concept and one that has brought us many famous works throughout the ages. Shelley's Frankenstein contains a protagonist, Victor Frankenstein, but that protagonist is not a "hero." The presence of the double causes conflict, as there can never be peaceful co-existence between a character and their second manifestation. In some cases human. Henry Jekyll is a brilliant scientist who, by mixing special drugs, succeeds in creating a potion which is able to separate the two natures of man: good and evil. The theme of the double is a constant of the Victorian writers, in particular of those of the second generation and through it they reveal the hypocrisy of their own time. identity is shattered into a myriad of pieces: just before the advent of mass society, the individual begins to loose the sense of his/her own value, counting less and less. The overcoming of natural and divine rules the creation of a human being without the participation of … In the other novel, the theme of the double is more evident: in fact it is the portrayal of “good” and “evil” and its main characters are the … Comparison of the Double in Frankenstein and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde 5. The theme of mutability, notably introduced in Chapter X, recurs in this reflection by Frankenstein. A second theme stresses the idea of human injustice towards outsiders. There is more than just a binary relationship between a good self and its evil other. Frankenstein Doubles are typically used in literature as the kind of ‘evil twin’ of the protagonist (as in Dostoyevsky’s The Double), however the concept can also be used to link two characters together that share the same characteristics and values (as in Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway). where it becomes apparent that the protagonist has suddenly become one of two halves. Shelley's use of the motif of the double is a classic feature of Gothic texts. Even the name Hyde is linked to the theme of the double: it means to hide, to do what you cannot do openly. In doing this, he loses the sense of his proper self and identity, feels himself to be none or, better, a myriad of fragmented parts that fall apart. Frankenstein is obsessed with going down in the history books as one of the greatest scientists of all time. The Picture of Dorian Gray. Furthermore, a large and growing body of critical literature has investigated the existing correlation between duplicity and the peculiar characteristics of the Romantic and Victorian periods. Monster is Frankenstein’s double, representing the evil side of his character? Black … The theme of the double is a particularly common feature in nineteenth century Gothic Literature. On the surface, therefore, this society appears as the age of reason, social development and charity.