The critique I chose was from a book called "The Gender Atom" which is not at all about Frankenstein but in the first chapter, it makes some very good points about Mary Shelly's intentions in Frankenstein.
These are the following main points the author makes:
> Frankenstein is traditional because it is a horror story that involves the "frightened female swooning in the monster's arms." However, the story is untraditional because the hero as a scientist is a "new society identity" never touched upon in fiction. The author also points out that this is the "first true science fiction."
>The reading also claims that Mary Shelly placed a warning in her story that warned society about the dangers of science. The author claims that Mary Shelly believed when the power of science is placed in the wrong hands, it can lead to serious danger and harm others.
>The author points out that "Frankenstein" adopts the idea that "scientists have done such a thorough job of portraying themselves as guardians of rationality that many of them may believe they... have no psychology at all." For this reason, the author also believes that readers see the destiny of scientists as one of isolation.
>In the review, a "mad scientist" is defined as a man who is disconnected from his motivations and therefore he becomes emotionally and morally hardened. In fact the author suggests that Mary Shelly observed her "lifelong neurotic" husband in order to form the character of Victor Frankenstein.
>Mary Shelly was possibly trying to unmask the scientists who were seen as perfect. But she also "give[s] psychology some its most fruitful insights." The author claims that Mary Shelly bases her story off of feminist psychology because feminists psychology also contends that "scientists cannot know the whole of nature because scientists are themselves not whole."
It seems that for the most part, this review was a review of Mary Shelly's intentions in creating the character of Victor Frankenstein and his story.
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