Narcissism In Mary Shelley And Frankenstein

Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus is the first but the most representative novel of Mary Shelley, a celebrated feminine novelist of Romantic Period in English Literature. The novel describes a story that a promising scientist, whose downfall is caused by his excessive pursuits of beauty and glory, is ultimately destroyed by the deformed monster created by him.This thesis is intended to analyze the narcissistic inclination in Mary Shelley herself and her narcissistic influence on Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus on the basis of narcissistic theories. Through investigating Mary's spiritual traumas which are caused by the absence of her parental love and the betrayal of her husband-Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mary's narcissism is clearly revealed. The console given by the nature gives her a sense of maternal love. Mary turns her love from outer world to inner world where her narcissism is strengthened. Her narcissism is reflected by the two heroes in Frankenstein-Victor and the monster. The importance of narcissism in characterizing the heroes is expressed through the analyses of Victor's excessive pursuits of beauty and glory and his evasion, as well as the analyses of the monster's regression and his sadomasochistic behaviors.