Frankenstein: AS & A2 York Notes

The complex narrative structure involves a series of interrelated and interconnected tales within tales: [Robert Walton [Victor Frankenstein [Monster] Victor Frankenstein] Robert Walton].

Originating as the shadow side of eighteenth-century Enlightenment, Gothic focused on the irrational and supernatural, on everything suppressed to ensure social and psychic stability.

The monster experiences both the power of language and the breakdown of that power when faced with a society that tends to judge on appearances.

Characters repeatedly assert their inability to express feelings in language. A traditional feature of Gothic, this suggests the inadequacy of language for capturing inner experience.

One of the key motifs linked to the monster is the moon, associated with change and the emergence of another self. The motif of the double is also central in the novel.