Mary Shelley’s Ecological Vision:interpretation Of Frankenstein From The Perspective Of Ecofeminism

Mary Shelley is a renowned female writer in the British Romanticism period for her creation of the first science fiction——Frankenstein,or the Modern Prometheus.Considered as one of the most outstanding Gothic novels in the literary field,it has drawn critics’ attention for its high artistic appeal since its publication.The core of ecofeminist philosophy is to make explicit the affinity between women and nature.Furthermore,ecofeminism has also contributed a lot to theorizing links between women’s oppression and domination of nature in the patriarchal society,which presents an obstacle to the realization of gender equality and the construction of ecological harmony.Based on the perspectives of ecofeminism,this thesis analyzes Frankenstein following the track of literary criticism,namely,author,text,reader.The opposition between genders has been discovered;Mary Shelley’s ecofeminism philosophy has been explored;the ecological crisis in the era of industrial revolution has been reflected;and,by ways of interaction with readers,the feminist consciousness as well as environmental awareness has been awakened.This thesis can be divided into five parts,corresponding to five chapters.The first chapter briefly introduces the author,Mary Shelley,and her work,Frankenstein,reviews studies on Frankenstein at home and abroad and summarizes the ups and downs of the ecofeminist development.The second chapter analyzes the similarities between women and nature in the patriarchal society,making a comparison between them,and discusses women’s obedience and humiliation in Victorian Age as well as the sharp contradiction between man and nature in the Industrialized Age.In the third chapter,the author demonstrates women’s struggles for their gender equality and nature’s revenge against human’s unrestrained exploitation.The fourth chapter reveals Mary Shelley’s vision of ecological feminism that not only women and men,but man and nature can exist harmoniously,and explains her hope that people could shoulder their ecological responsibilities.Finally,the author concludes the whole text in the last chapter.As the vanguard of ecofeminism,Mary Shelley discloses in Frankenstein that the female and nature have commonality between them,both of whom have the ability to nourish new lives;men and women should get along with each other on the basis of equality,and humans should also be kind to nature.Hopefully,by analyzing the subordination and resistance of women and nature in the patriarchal society and further revealing Mary Shelley’s ecological vision,this thesis can make some contribution to the research of both the works and ecofeminism.