WEEK 1: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

"Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley is a gothic horror novel that almost everyone has heard of, but very few people know the full story. I remember picking up "Frankenstein" in my middle school library, but barely making it past the first chapter. Now that I've had the chance to fully immerse myself in the story, I see it in a completely different light. 

The one gothic element that really captivated me while reading was Shelley’s usage of light and darkness, specifically with the moon (and not just because my last name is Moon, though that does influence my interests a tiny bit). The descriptions she used to convey the tone and mood throughout the story paints the perfect picture for gothic horror. Mixing beauty with horror is what I find to be the essence of the genre, as we typically see dramatic and visually appealing scenes (the beauty aspect) set in darkness (the horror aspect). In the beginning of chapter 5, there is a comparison made from the monster’s yellow appearance and the yellow light of the moon. Shelley used moonlight as a motif, and what was really interesting to me was that every time she brought it up she paired it with the haunting image of Frankenstein’s monster. Seeing “the pale yellow light of the moon illuminate the chamber” and following this with the hideous smile of the monster in chapter 23 brought this strange and haunting ambience that I couldn’t ignore. Seeing how Shelley juxtaposed the different meanings of moonlight (good vs. evil) definitely gave me a higher appreciation towards her storytelling. Moonlight is something bright and beautiful, but it can also be terrifying. We typically see the moon as a symbol of femininity and light, not horrifying man-made monsters. I saw this as the author reminding the reader that you can’t have light without darkness, that the two are forever connected. Meaning, you can’t hide away from the dark, like Victor tried to.

- ☽Stacy Moon☾