The aim of this session was to consider the significance of the creature's narrative and identify some of the issues and ideas being shaped by Shelley through the presentation of the creature. Students were asked to consider:
- How Shelley uses the creature to present ideas that seem to reflect the Enlightenment philosophy of John Locke. Locke proposed the idea that knowledge is derived from personal experience and the creature's behaviour appears to reflect this philosophical model.
- The novel is full of examples of human cruelty and Shelley seems to offer a novel that illustrates the destructive power of prejudice, ignorance and emotional violence in the hope that society may become more tolerant.
- How a supernatural character is used to address serious human concerns.
Homework: Read the novel, read the key quotes sheet, read the gothic quotes sheet and read my exemplar essay. In the next session we will consider how Shelley shapes meaning through the creature and we will consider to what extent this gothic text could be considered 'cruel' or 'shocking'. What did Angela Carter mean when she commented that a 'gothic tale is a cruel tale'? Similarly, why did Mario Praz state that 'the gothic is a novel of terror and wonder'? In what sense could this novel be considered to be 'shocking'? Your reading will inform the quality of the class discussion in the next session.
READ READ READ READ READ READ READ READ READ READ READ.
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