Speciesism in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
(2015) LIVR41 20151Master's Programme: Literature - Culture - Media
English Studies
- Abstract
- This essay analyses how Mary Shelley challenges speciesist thinking popular at the time of the publication of Frankenstein (1818). Speciesism is a discriminatory belief that favours the human species over any species other than human, and that is manifested in how we perceive and treat nonhuman beings. Much literary criticism has touched upon Frankenstein’s monster’s otherness, mainly in relation to racism. However, this essay argues that the monster’s otherness is linked to his nonhuman appearance and is therefore subjected to speciesism by being perceived and treated as a nonhuman animal. The essay also discusses Victor Frankenstein as the epitome of the Enlightenment scientist who engages in speciesist thinking and practises, the... (More)
- This essay analyses how Mary Shelley challenges speciesist thinking popular at the time of the publication of Frankenstein (1818). Speciesism is a discriminatory belief that favours the human species over any species other than human, and that is manifested in how we perceive and treat nonhuman beings. Much literary criticism has touched upon Frankenstein’s monster’s otherness, mainly in relation to racism. However, this essay argues that the monster’s otherness is linked to his nonhuman appearance and is therefore subjected to speciesism by being perceived and treated as a nonhuman animal. The essay also discusses Victor Frankenstein as the epitome of the Enlightenment scientist who engages in speciesist thinking and practises, the novel’s criticism of speciesist practices
such as vivisection, and the novel’s promotion of vegetarianism. Shelley questions speciesism by blurring the species boundaries that separate human beings from nonhuman beings, which is why the human-animal binary will be an underlying theme throughout the essay. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/7440027
- author
- Kallman, Alexandra LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- LIVR41 20151
- year
- 2015
- type
- H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
- subject
- language
- English
- id
- 7440027
- date added to LUP
- 2015-06-23 13:37:27
- date last changed
- 2015-06-23 16:08:18
@misc{7440027, abstract = {{This essay analyses how Mary Shelley challenges speciesist thinking popular at the time of the publication of Frankenstein (1818). Speciesism is a discriminatory belief that favours the human species over any species other than human, and that is manifested in how we perceive and treat nonhuman beings. Much literary criticism has touched upon Frankenstein’s monster’s otherness, mainly in relation to racism. However, this essay argues that the monster’s otherness is linked to his nonhuman appearance and is therefore subjected to speciesism by being perceived and treated as a nonhuman animal. The essay also discusses Victor Frankenstein as the epitome of the Enlightenment scientist who engages in speciesist thinking and practises, the novel’s criticism of speciesist practices such as vivisection, and the novel’s promotion of vegetarianism. Shelley questions speciesism by blurring the species boundaries that separate human beings from nonhuman beings, which is why the human-animal binary will be an underlying theme throughout the essay.}}, author = {{Kallman, Alexandra}}, language = {{eng}}, note = {{Student Paper}}, title = {{Speciesism in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein}}, year = {{2015}}, }