Subversion And Reconstruction:a Study Of The Images Of Orphan In Mary Shelley's Noveis

Mary Shelley(1797-1851)was an English novelist,travel writer,dramatist,biographer,short story writer and essayist.She was known to the world by her inspiring literary output,particularly her six novels,which include Frankenstein(1818),Valperga(1823),The Last Man(1826),Perkin Warbeck(1830),Lodore(1835),and Falkner(1837).These six novels,different as they seem,have one thing in common,that is,all the protagonists are ORPHAN.Adopting close reading as the major research method,as well as taking the historical background into account,this dissertation aims to clarify the intention of Mary Shelley's construction of the images of orphan in her six novels.In the early 19th century when Mary Shelley lived,the blind worship for science,the despotism and tyranny,the Christian theology,the traditional female consciousness,as well as the money-oriented attitude were the mainstream ideology in the field of science,politics,religion,gender and economics.However,when Mary Shelley constructed the images of orphan in her six novels,she invested them,like Victor,Euthanasia,Richard,Verney,Adrian,Fanny and Elizabeth,with new perspectives toward science,politics,religion,gender and money,which are contrary to the mainstream ideology in her times.The orphans,including Victor as well as other protagnists in Mary Shelley's six novels,speak for the modern individuals who are complete in themselves.In Frankenstein,the real purpose of Mary Shelley,in constructing the transformation of orphan Victor's attitude towards science,is to criticize the mainstream ideology of the day in the scientific field,that is,the blind worship for science,as well as to reconstruct the modern individual's rational understanding of science.In Valperga and Perkin Warbeck,the real purpose of Mary Shelley,in constructing orphan Euthanasia and orphan Richard as republican rulers,is to criticize the mainstream ideology of the day in the political field,that is,the despotism and tyranny,as well as to reconstruct the modern individual's liberal thoughts in the political field.In The Last Man,the real purpose of Mary Shelley,in constructing orphan Verney's as well as orphan Adrian's distrust toward Christian theology,is to criticize the mainstream ideology of the day in the religious field,that is,the Christian theology,as well as to reconstruct the modern individual's individual consciousness in the religious field.In Lodore,the real purpose of Mary Shelley,in constructing orphan Fanny's untraditional understanding of gender,is to criticize the mainstream ideology of the day in the gender field,that is,the sexual education,as well as to reconstruct the modern individual's female consciousness.In Falkner,the real purpose of Mary Shelley,in constructing orphan Elizabeth who doesn't define the meaning of her life by the amount of money,is to criticize the mainstream ideology of the day in the economic field,that is,the money-oriented attitude,as well as to reconstruct the modern individual's money philosophy.Mary Shelley writes for inspiration and improvement.The images of orphan in the six novels above-mentioned are her hope,through which she wants to break the bondage forced by the mainstream ideology and to enlighten the readers.