'The Romantic Literature'

Assignment

Name: Kunvarani Nidhi K

Paper: ‘The Romantic  Literature’

Unit:  ‘Frankenstein: Mary Shelley’

Topic: ‘How ‘Repression’ and ‘Hysteria’ played           

              Vital role in the novel ‘Frankenstein’.

S. t. d:  M.A-(sem-2)

Roll.no:  11

Year:  2013

Allotted to:

Respected sir, Dr Dilip Barad

                        Heenaba Zala

                          &

                ‘Department Of English’

Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavsinhji University

Bhavnagar.                

·      How ‘Repression’ and ‘Hysteria’ played vital role in the novel ‘Frankenstein’ by ‘Mary Shelley’?

‘Frankenstein’ the novel is written by very well-known female writer ‘Mary Shelley’ in 1818.

‘Frankenstein’ the title of this novel is based on the central character of the novel. ‘Victor Frankenstein’ the central figure of the novel.

The main themes of this novel is love, loneliness, Hunger for the knowledge, science and nature and ‘Repression’ and ‘Hysteria’ there are some main themes of this novel.

The writer of this novel Mary Shelley choose different kinds of themes for this novel. Through  this novel we can know about the intellectuality of the writer.  Romantic period (During the creation) was mainly based on industrial and politically revolution and during that era man’s hunger for the knowledge increased more and more. So, this novel also based on hunger for the knowledge and ‘Repression’ and ‘Hysteria’.

Oxford Dictionary defines that the meaning of ‘Repression’ is ‘tending to keep your feelings or desires hidden.’ And, the meaning of ‘Hysteria’ is ‘extreme’ or ‘uncontrollable emotion.

Here, in this novel Mary Shelley represents the character of victor as a multiplicity or mingling of gendered characteristics. Victor became ‘A life giving Mother’ for the monster. Because of his hunger for the knowledge made him a mother. Victor Frankenstein the mother and also father of the ‘Monster’.

Victor is a promethean usurper. So, that the other or sub-title of the novel is ‘Modern promethean’. He is-

“Engaged upon a rape of nature.”

                   - Mellor 1988

Shelley’s Frankenstein      

Cruxed  the definitions of gender by creating an androgynous figure.

Through this novel, Shelley provides us a locus for her critique of repressive artificial sexual roles and psychological disorder of the character victor Frankenstein. Here, Mary Shelley gives female malady to a male character.

Beret strong observes that 18^th century hysteria theory combined femininity and masculinity.

“Hysteria is located at the crossroads between masculine and feminine as they are culturally constructed.”

                  ‘Literature and psychology’

                                                 (1989)

While Elaine showalter’s work has illustrated that how Victorian doctors reduced the concepts of madness and hysteria to a specifically female complaint. Even then sensibilities of the 19^th century still remain as a symptom to men.

       

Hysteria is a nervous disorder it is related with the mode psychological unbalanced situation of the mind. The hysteric was treated through

“Management of the mind.”

   Here, in this novel this definition or view of Ferrier became very appropriate.

Because, in his novel ‘victor Frankenstein’  has a knowledge of many types. But, even if just for the shake of his desire to “controlled the world” or “Hunger for the knowledge” he lost many things and he lost himself also.

In this novel the character of victor of victor is just like the character of ’Doctor Faustus’ in the work by Christopher Marlowe ‘Doctor Faustus’s desire also to become ‘Man of god’ or his wish for to get the more knowledge.

In the same way. Here, ’Doctor Faustus’ an example is quite appropriate for the Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’.

In the beginning of the novel we can got the idea that Frankenstein disobey his father. His father denied him to create this work, even if victor  Frankenstein don’t obeyed to his father just because his repressed desire to became god of the world.

Here, in this novel repressed desire of Frankenstein  which is unspeakable desire we can listened through the mouth of Monster. Shelley observes that because of a social and psychological system categorizes strong emotion as feminine and common, the men who experience such emotion risk chaos-

“A redefinition of gender and class status.”

Here, in this novel Shelley deconstructed the idea that only women can gives  birth to child but the creation of Monster through she given the title of victor Frankenstein the mother of the Monster. Shelley illustrates this redefinition most  clearly in several episodes of  hysteria that she associates with victor and by attributing hysteria to a male character. Shelley shown cultural orthodoxy of masculinity, especially as represented in victor’s project. The representation of a male hysteric like victor in Shelley’s text collaborates her belief that, despite a culture’s artificial fragmentation of emotions by gender, the male body can, if need be then speak in a “Female” voice.

Because of ‘silence desire’ Frankenstein lost his ‘All Family members’-

“All  his near and dear one.”

Because of his this kind of desire his all family fall. He is himself responsible for the death of his family. Throughout this whole novel he himself not proved as a good-child, good-father, good -lover, good-brother and not as a good-friend also.

After the creation of Monster first of all he became happy. Because he thinks that he got the whole power of the world. But after creation he himself also afraid of Monster. And, He falls in fever.  be know the future of his family.

                        

After creating Monster he put him alone, Monster feel  loneliness and crave for the emotions and feelings that he neither got from his creator nor from the society. Then, Monster all those things learnt silently from the society. Then, he knows his creator and with this scene Monster became real Monster of the novel.

Then, he told victor that if you don’t want to accept me then create one another lady Monster for me. so,  create lady Monster but then he thinks that if I ‘m not destroyed this Monster then it is became harmful for the whole world. So that’s why he destroyed lady Monster but unfortunately this thing Monster also seeing that thing , victor don’t aware about this thing.

That is the beginning of the fall of family of Monster. Then, slowly and steadily he killed whole family member of the victor. Here, we can see the repressed desire of the Monster to get love, feelings and emotions.

The end of this novel end with the death of ‘victor Frankenstein’, his family and then he himself also committed suicide in the end.

Throughout the study of this whole novel we  can say that “Repression” and “Hysteria” played vital role in this novel “Frankenstein”.