M.K.Bhavnagar university. Department of English

Year- 2015-2016

• Name:- Vala Asha T.• Roll no:- 37.• Paper no:- 5(The Romantic Literature)• Topic :- Psychological study of the novel

“Frankenstein”.• Enrolment No:- PG15101041• class:- Sem-2 (M.A. part-1)

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Introduction of the novel.• Frankenstein or the

modern Prometheus written by Marry Shelly published in London 1818 .

• She is educator and feminist philosopher biographer ,essayist, short story writer and novelist.

Psychological study of the Novel.

• Simple meaning of psychology: it is the science of the mind ,human mind is the most complex machine on the earth. It is the source of all thought and behavior.

• Frankenstein is a novel that finds itself a victim of Psychoanalytical criticism.

• Victor Frankenstein had no plans to create both male & female.

•   Frankenstein is a unique novel in the canon of English literature. Shelley presents a unique character in Victor Frankenstein and his creation, the monster.

• While the corpse as a character really delineates the story from another, Mary Shelley decided to shift focus away from the creature.

• Psychology is very wide and vast branch. But literature is more vast and wider than it.

So in literature we can find reflection of most of the branches like

.

philosophy,

astrology,

.

sociology,

anatomy,

.

science,

psychology etc.

• Here Victor is a protagonist, and he cannot make balance between his ‘id’ & ‘ego’. So, his fall happens.

• He is too much obsessed by his knowledge and success. He almost lost himself in quest of his creation.

• He almost loses himself by allowing

“passion and transitory desire to disturb (his) tranquility”

• In this quest he goes far and far from his friends and family and falls dipper and dipper into his passionate consumption. He becomes slave of his power of the ‘ego’.

Freud’s theory and complexes can be applied here. There are three parts of

Id.

Ego.

Super ego.

• We have here ‘Monster’ for id. Here we can see Victor’s some kind of behavior with other characters like Monster and Elizabeth is the result of his ‘Ego’.

• And the ‘Super ego’ is the conscious thoughts. They are often defined by guilt or other feelings that are come as a result of ‘id and ‘ego’. At some point, in this novel,

• Victor goes or reaches at the level of this super ego.

• These three consciences Freud are inter-connected with each other.

• The novel reveals many aspects of conscious and unconscious mind.

“Beware; for I am fearless, and there for powerful.”

• No matter whose words are these in the novel, but they shows the level of id. There is no fear so there is power. But it may become dangerous also. As for Victor Monster is the consequence of his id.

• Before creating it, he was not aware about reality or its danger. So, in id person doesn’t know even about his/her own self. And Victor passes through this level of mind.

• He also does action without thinking. The murder of William is an example of his id.

• And the quote that I wrote above can be applicable to the id of both Victor and Monster.

• But there is different between both ‘id’. Victor is the grown up person.

• He very soon knows about disaster, while the id of Monster takes longer time to go.

• After creating Monster, Victor realizes what he has done.

• After seeing him he frightens first. This fear is his ‘ego, his acceptance or rather knowledge about his work These are the parts of his ego.

• And then comes super ego. It can be seen as guilt feeling that is a result of ‘id’ and ‘ego’. It plays critical and moralizing role.

• Super ego prevents a person from doing what his/her id may want to do. Super ego gives moral standards, by which ego operates. It is ethical component of mind.

• Super ego gives moral standards, by which ego operates.

• It is ethical component of mind.

• We can see mental development of all the characters throughout this novel.

• So, where Monster’s ego works, Victor’s super ego works. • And Monster reaches at the level of super ego, when

victor dies.

Conclusion.• The end of the novel, we become able

to see the super ego component in Monster. When he himself gives fire to Victor’s dead body, when he starts to think him as his father… These show his super ego, his feeling of guilt. It seems that if again such situation will come, then his super ego will surely remind him, prevent him.

• As “Frankenstein” is too worthy novel, too many branches find their place into it.