How Does Mary Shelley Use Language In Frankenstein?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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HelloLook at how Shelley manipulates the reader by portraying the Monster solely through the words of Victor (who is telling us the story). Victor’s language is very emotional and turbulent about himself, but more controlled and using language which is designed to create a negative image when talking about the Monster.

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How does Shelley use language to describe Frankenstein?


Figurative language

conveys meaning beyond the literal words used. It helps the reader form a clearer understanding of elements in a story, often in interesting and imaginative ways. Mary Shelley uses figurative language in her novel Frankenstein in the form of personification, symbolism, simile, and metaphor.

How is language important in Frankenstein?

Language plays several crucial roles in Shelley’s Frankenstein;

strongly linked with the idea of humanity, language comforts, educates

, and generates empathy in this novel. … They are both on personal journeys which create internal turmoil, and so they explore literature, writing, or spoken language.

What techniques does Mary Shelley use in Frankenstein?

Foreshadowing in Frankenstein. Use of

figurative language including similes, allusions, and personification

throughout the novel. Imagery found in different portions of Frankenstein.

How does Mary Shelley use language in Chapter 5?

In Chapter 5, Mary Shelley uses

pathetic fallacy

to a sense of horror and terror and could use it to create a gothic atmosphere, an example of pathetic fallacy is ‘I perceived that the fallen leaves had disappeared, and that the young buds were shooting forth from the trees that shaded my window’.

What language do they speak in Frankenstein?

We know that the monster has learned

French

, hence why he is able to speak with Victor. We also know that Victor speaks English, hence why he is able to speak with Walton (the sailor).

How does Victor Frankenstein speak?

How does the Monster learn to speak and read? The Monster learns to speak

by spying on the DeLacey family

. … The Monster learns to read when he finds three books abandoned on the ground: Paradise Lost, Plutarch’s Lives and The Sorrows of Werter. These books point to major themes of the novel.

Why does Frankenstein learn language?

In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1831), the monster’s aspiration to learn the language comes from various reasons:

His instinctive desire to be protected and recognized from others and loved for his existence as any ordinary human

, his curiosity about “the art of language,” and his hope to become a member of community.

When Frankenstein speaks of the being he has created what kind of language does he employ?

Contrary to many film versions, the creature in the novel is very articulate and eloquent in his speech. Almost immediately after his creation, he dresses himself; and within 11 months, he can speak and read

German and French

. By the end of the novel, the creature is able to speak English fluently as well.

How does the writer use language to create a spooky atmosphere in Frankenstein?

FRANKENSTEIN Mary Shelley creates an atmosphere of horror in chapter five by using frightening descriptions and language. Her intentions were to write a ghost story that would make the reader’s blood curdle and their heart beat fast. She uses gothic by using

scientific discovery

.

What is Mary Shelley’s writing style in Frankenstein?

The overall style of Frankenstein is

elevated and formal

. The characters use complex diction (word choice) to capture the intensity of their emotional experiences.

Which literary device is Mary Shelley using when she references a well known author or work of literature?


Allusions

in writing prompt a better understanding of the author’s text by referencing another commonly known work. Allusion became a popular literary technique during the romantic period and was efficaciously used by both Coleridge and Shelley.

What is Mary Shelley’s theme in Frankenstein and what literary devices does she use to communicate this message?

The

theme of creation

is at the center of the novel, Frankenstein. The story shows how Victor creates a monster and instills life in it after gaining scientific knowledge of life at Ingolstadt. Victor plays God or pretends to become one to create life. His ambition of creating life and emulating his own creation fails.

What happened in chapter 6 of Frankenstein?

Summary: Chapter 6

Elizabeth’s letter expresses her concern about Victor’s illness and entreats him to write to his family in Geneva as soon as he can. She also tells him that Justine Moritz, a girl who used to live with the Frankenstein family,

has returned to their house following her mother’s death

.

What is Chapter 4 of Frankenstein about?

Summary: Chapter 4


Victor attacks his studies with enthusiasm and, ignoring his social life and his family far away in Geneva

, makes rapid progress. Fascinated by the mystery of the creation of life, he begins to study how the human body is built (anatomy) and how it falls apart (death and decay).

Who is William Frankenstein Chapter 6?

William is

a five-year-old boy

. He has not been mentioned before. What does Victor do after his recovery? Victor visits Krempe and Waldman.

Does Frankenstein learn French?

Frankenstein, who he intentionally murdered), eloquent in his speech,

knew French and German as well as English

, and could understand hefty works of literature because he got the alphabet by reading a French version of Milton’s Paradise Lost (not a book for the faint of heart).

Why does the creature work so hard to learn their language?

Why does the creature work so hard to learn their language? … The creature works so hard to learn their language so

he can communicate and make friends

. It reveals that he will do what it takes to communicate and it also shows his effort and determination.

Why is Frankenstein’s head flat?

The flat-top was supposed

to indicate the top of the head having been sliced off

– like a boiled egg – in order to facilitate the brain of the freshly deceased criminal cut down from the gibbet. The top of the cranium is then replaced with a flat sheet of metal ( don’t ask me how the hair was supposed to be attached ).

Who is the real monster in Frankenstein?

The real monster in this novel is in fact

Dr. Victor Frankenstein himself

. Victor is a hostile and selfish being whose rejection of his creation led to his demise, and that of his family.

Does Frankenstein consider language a science?

Shelley makes a clear link between language and the creation of the monstrous.

The Monster characterizes language as a “godlike science” that he has mastered

, believing that this will allow him to compensate for his hideous form, which would then enable him to shape his own history and gain control of self.

What is the narrative structure of Frankenstein?

Frankenstein is

a multi-strand narrative with 3 different first person narrators

. Shelley uses a framing device (the reason for the telling of the main narrative) and epistolary narration (when a story is told through letters).

How does Mary Shelley Use atmosphere?

Throughout the novel, Shelley uses

a very gothic and gloomy atmosphere

partly because she is reflecting her personal life into the novel and also to emphasis on the horror that come when men try to play God.

How does Mary Shelley use nature in Frankenstein?

Mary Shelley uses nature

as a calming and restorative influence

in Victor Frankenstein’s life. Nature is a therapeutic remedy that he seeks out when he needs escape and regeneration, and while his family brings him comfort, it is nature that is the ultimate restoring agent.

What are the main themes of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley?

  • Family, Society, Isolation. In its preface, Frankenstein claims to be a novel that gives a flattering depiction of “domestic affection.” That seems a strange claim in a novel full of murder, tragedy, and despair. …
  • Ambition and Fallibility. …
  • Romanticism and Nature. …
  • Revenge. …
  • Prejudice. …
  • Lost Innocence.

Why does Mary Shelley use letters in Frankenstein?

Shelley used the

letters to provide more depth to the novel

. With the parallels between characters, we can consider the different voices of the same story shedding different perspectives. Each perspective influences the telling of the story based on that of the respective characters.

How does Mary Shelley use allusions in Frankenstein?

Mary Shelley’s title is an allusion

to Prometheus, a Greek god who created humans and shared fire with them

. … Victor Frankenstein alludes to this story when he describes his creation and its hideousness. Paradise Lost is the story of Adam and Eve and the fall of Satan.

How does Frankenstein use imagery?

Shelley describes the scene with spectacular imagery, making readers feel Victor’s disgust: ‘His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of

muscles and arteries

beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery …

What rhetorical devices are used in Frankenstein?

In Frankenstein, the author Mary Shelley employs many rhetorical devices such as

pathos, ethos, and logos

to appeal to the reader and more effectively convey the message. Victor Frankenstein intended to create a monster in order to keep him company.

What is unusual about Mary Shelley writing?

Mary Shelley originally

published Frankenstein anonymously

. When Frankenstein was first published, Mary Shelley did not attach her name to the story, and so the novel was considered anonymously written.

What influenced Mary Shelley’s writing style?

Characteristics of writing style

Mary Shelley had many important influences while growing up:

Her father, William Godwin, was an important philosopher

. Her mother,Mary Wollstonecraft, was famous journalist, radical thinker, and a feminist. Percy Bysshe Shelley was a major voice in English Romanticism.

Does Victor study oriental languages?

Henry and

Victor both start studying “Oriental” languages in school

, and Victor tries to avoid all the science people. They think he is being modest, but he can’t stand to look at them or talk to them because they remind him of the huge mistake he has made. He decides to return to Geneva.

Why did Victor study oriental languages?

Clerval induces Victor to study the Oriental languages Persian, Arabic, and Sanskrit

to help move his mind away from the sciences

. The two study and work together on their language studies, even comparing those languages and their works with the ancient Greek and Roman works.

Does Victor share his knowledge Walton?


Victor does not share his knowledge with Walton

. His own knowledge resulted in misery.

Juan Martinez
Author
Juan Martinez
Juan Martinez is a journalism professor and experienced writer. With a passion for communication and education, Juan has taught students from all over the world. He is an expert in language and writing, and has written for various blogs and magazines.