88 pages 2 hours read

Mary Shelley

Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1818

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Themes

The Dangers of Knowledge

In Frankenstein, though knowledge is beneficial to humankind, there are limits to the kinds of knowledge humans should attempt to acquire. Frankenstein’s warnings against acquiring this dangerous knowledge are woven into the novel from the beginning. The very reason he tells his story is to keep Walton from following in his footsteps.

Frankenstein describes how, growing up, he was drawn to the promise of alchemy and had a “thirst for knowledge” (25). Once he arrived at university, he gravitated to the practicality of natural sciences. However, it is not just knowledge he desires as an adult; he craves “the secrets of heaven and earth” (23). Furthermore, he seeks this knowledge not solely for the benefit of mankind but also for the personal glory it will bring. 

He is attracted to natural scientists’ “almost unlimited powers” (33). When he discovers the secret of creating life, he revels in the fact that “[w]hat had been the study and desire of the wisest men since the creation of the world was now within [his] grasp” (37). He imagines that “[a] new species would bless [him] as its creator and source” and that “many happy and excellent natures would owe their being” to him (39). 

In seeking to discover nature “in her hiding-places” (33), Frankenstein exploits its deepest secrets for his own personal gain.

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By Mary Shelley