Historical Context
Two important people who influenced Mary Shelley while she wrote Frankenstein were
Percy Shelley and Lord Byron. This is where Shelley most likely learned
about Romanticism, who's ideologies are present throughout the novel.
Ideologies from the French Revolution are also apparent in Shelley's
writing. Intellectuals in the Revolution believed that it is their
responsibility to research and discover the unknown. That is the same
stance Frankenstein takes when he is working on creating life. During
Shelley's time period Darwin was working on his theory of biological evolution. When Mary Shelley came up with her idea for Frankenstein at
Lord Byron's house, this was one of the topics that was previously
discussed. She had also attended Andrew Crosse's lectures. Crosse was a
British scientist who conducted experiments with electricity. Some of
his experiments shared similar ideas to those of Frankenstein's when he
is trying to create life. In the early 19th century, explorers also
began looking for an arctic passage to connect the Atlantic
and Pacific oceans. A Scottish explorer, John Ross, went on a mission
to find a northwest passage in 1818. His trip is similar to Walton's
attempt to find the North Pole. This is also related to the larger sense
of discovery throughout society during the era Shelley was writing.
Enlightenment thinking was also extremely important towards shaping Frankenstein .
This period advocated the development of science and technology. In the
novel, Frankenstein takes science a step farther than anyone else has
ever gone in creating life. However, this could also reflect Shelley's
opinion of technological development. She may have thought that if
mankind became too advanced they could create something they couldn't
control, such as the monster that Victor brings to life.
