“Dubliners” is a collection of fifteen short stories written by James Joyce in which the author analyses the failure of self-realisation of inhabitants of Dublin in biographical and in psychological ways. The novel was originally turned down by publishers because they considered it immoral for its portrait of the Irish city. Joyce treats in “Dubliners” the paralysis of will in four stages: childhood, youth, maturity and public life. The paralysis of will is the courage and self-knowledge that leads ordinary men and women to accept the limitations imposed by the social context they live in. In “Dubliners” the style is both realistic - to the degree of perfectly recreating characters and idioms of contemporary Dublin - and symbolic – giving the common object unforeseen depth and a new meaning in order to show a new view of reality. Joyce defines this effect “epiphany” which indicates that moment when a simple fact suddenly explodes with meaning and makes a person realise his / her condi
Its lasting appeal comes mainly from two factors: the Romantics’ interest in the effects of science on man and the horrific and macabre elements of Gothic tales like the emotional language and the atmosphere of suspense and danger.
Frankenstein is considered the foreshadowing of science fiction because, unlike the other Gothic novels, the author Mary Shelley substitutes science for the supernatural.
Moreover, Frankenstein may be considered as a Faustian dream because the main character, Dr. Frankenstein, is a scientifically updated version of Faust : he wants to overcome man’s limitations and acquire a God-like power over physical matter.
Then, the novel is a Romantic curse because it treats the Romantics’ interest in the effects of science on man and the Frankenstein’s monster is a symbol of the Romantic concern for the isolation of the individual by society.
The story is narrated in the first person by three different omniscient narrators:
- the first part is in the epistolary form and it is narrated by an English explorer, Robert Walton, who, writing to his sister in England, organizes an exploration to the Arctic and, here, he saves the Swiss scientist Dr Frankenstein;
- then, there is Frankenstein’s autobiographical account: Dr. Frankenstein, saved by Robert, narrates the story of his life and experiments;
- within Frankenstein’s narration a report by the monster himself is inserted, which explains the reasons for his “monstruos” and cruel behaviour;
- the story is concluded by Walton again in epistolary form.
At the end of the post you can see a PowerPoint presentation of "Frankenstein" through the link listed:
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