Masculinity and femininity has, over generations, been defined and shaped by men through the medium of patriarchal culture. Further, the beginning of the nineteenth century and the Industrial Revolution accelerated the masculinization of culture due to the exponential increase in the production of knowledge by men and the multiplication of cultural codes and languages written in male script (Aker & Morrow, p
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein Bakhtin distinguished the literary form of the novel as distinct from other genres because of its rendering of the dynamic present, not in a separate and unitary literary language, but in the competing and often cosmic discord of actual and multiple voices, thus making contact with contemporary reality in all its openendedness (Bender et
In fact, feminism in particular almost ceased because of a fear that French ideas would contaminate the British way of life. As a result, traditional family structures and ideals of masculinity and femininity came increasingly to be seen as a central and defining part of British life (Caine, p
x). Bakhtin's definition of the novel is important because it serves to illuminate the reason why Mary Shelley's Frankenstein has come to be regarded as connecting important, but widely disparate, elements of nineteenth century culture in Victorian England (Fisch et
putting you quite among the commonality and mob of your sex." (Hobbs, 1993) gothic novel, however, offered the ideal vehicle for Shelley to indirectly express such emotions, which she did admirably through the relationship between Victor Frankenstein and the monster he gave birth to
the empires of Mexico and Peru had not been destroyed." (Shelley, p
further reinforced the differences between men and women by arguing that within the family men would inevitably carry greater authority." (Shiach, p
It's ironic that the creature seems to be espousing the principle, 'if you won't love me, you won't get to love anyone else.' The doctor discovers "For the first time, also, I felt what the duties of a creator towards his creature were" (Shelley, 2003, p
Others have noted the allusions to King Arthur in the story, Arthur sired an illegitimate son who then pursues the King in a life-long effort to gain what he cannot ever have due to the circumstances of his birth. One critic states; "scattered throughout Frankenstein are several subtle echoes of the demi-god Hercules - the illegitimate and neglected son of Zeus - who lives a short and unhappy life while struggling in vain to find a niche for himself in a world filled with humans who admire his strength and courage, but fear his unpredictable temper" (Thompson, 2006, p
Works Cited Shelley, M. (2003) Frankenstein, New York: Barnes & Noble Thompson, T