Literary Psychoanalysis In Frankenstein

Psychoanalysis is one of the many parts of Psychology that Sigmund Freud, who was the father of Psychotherapy, had created for the advancement of Psychology. Psychoanalysis is a system used to analyze how the unconscious and conscious mind interact together. The aim of finding this interaction between the two parts of our mind is to make the unconscious mind conscious, thus gaining insight into how we think and to treat or possibly cure fears and anxieties. When using psychoanalysis on yourself or others one can uncover how they think unconsciously, what they fear, how they were raised as a child, and multitude of other things that might have been repressed over time. Literary psychoanalysis is a very popular subject among psychologists and
From our present-day perspective, the book Frankenstein is about science and it’s dangers when it goes against the laws of nature. Every time a science experiment that resembles Frankenstein’s “dangerous science” theme occurs, people flock to the consensus that it will end in trouble. However, the theme of science isn’t the main idea nor focus from Mary Shelley’s intention in Frankenstein’s meaning. One of Frankenstein’s easily understood main themes is the dangers of scientific experimentation, but if one threw aside all of their preconceived ideas they would realize that there are multiple dominant themes that aren’t so easily understood. It isn’t the dangers of scientific experimentation with which Frankenstein is mostly concerned, but rather the “traits in the scientist's character, and his treatment of his progeny.” The science in Frankenstein is merely a narrative convenience to Mary Shelley, Victor Frankenstein could have been a poet or philosopher and the dominant themes would still remain the same. During Mary Shelley’s time period, the term “scientist” hadn’t been created yet which shows just how insignificant the theme of science and its dangers really are. The novel’s message instead consists of “egotism, neglect and alienation, and their consequent destructive