Mary Shelley’s famous work, "Frankenstein," marked the beginning of the whole new genre of literature, science fiction. Studying the critique of this work of Walter Scott and Sherry Ginn, the reader comes to the same conclusion with the critics: this book is extraordinary in nature and it is unlikely that before "Frankenstein" there was something like the work of Shelley. Although both of the above critics write about different aspects of "Frankenstein", though, Scott and Ginn agree on the fact that Shelley has created something truly new, what does not fit into neither autobiographical work, nor fiction, nor romance, nor science works and what demonstrates a great knowledge of human nature.
Sherry Ginn uses "Shelley's Frankenstein: Science, Science Fiction, or Autobiography?" to adequately argue that this novel is something more than just an autobiography, asserts that with "Frankenstein" there was born a new genre, and shows how Shelley’s life events made an impact on her as a writer and on the topics that she considered in her book. As a professor of psychology at Wingate University and engaging in Women's Studies Program, Sherry Ginn on the basis of her competence explores the psychological context of writing the book. And indeed, a lot of events that took place in "Frankenstein" can be correlated with events in the life of Shelley. Ginn gives the example of the lack of maternal care, consonant with the life of Shelley, and of the obsessive scientist whose prototype was the Mary Shelley’s husband (Ginn). Another example of the similarity between reality and fiction is Shelley’s passion for reading. Since she was very fond of books, it can be assumed that the passion of Victor Frankenstein for knowledge was also deducted from Shelley’s own experience (Shelley 35, 42). In other words, Shelley learned by herself and made her young character self-taught as herself (Shelley 36). So I agree that life events of Shelley had an impact on her work at the psychological level, but I also agree with Ginn on the fact that many of these life events influenced her psychologically rather than directly, and that she did not intend to write an autobiographical novel. Ginn analyzes multiple sources about Shelley’s life and the book. Considering the theory about the autobiographical content of the book, Ginn shows that, in fact, "Frankenstein" is a kind of mixture of science, autobiography and romance, and the analysis of the only one feature of this book affects a thorough analysis of the work in its entirety. In support of the thesis that "Frankenstein" is a story which combines science, love and fantasy and is based on a certain psychological state of Mary Shelley, Ginn brings the theory of the Eight Stages of Man, describing the periods of human life, and comments on these stages applying to Shelley. All the studies and theories, that the author of the critique uses, have a scientific basis or deep analysis or study of a scene from the book or from the life of Shelley. It is such a versatile and deep approach that makes the sources used big helpers in building a strong statement, and a detailed scientific basis makes them valid.
In conclusion, although Walter Scott and Sherry Ginn consider various aspects of the novel, yet directly or indirectly, they have express similar thoughts. Creating a new genre, which marked a new era of science fiction, the book "Frankenstein" includes deep psychological insight that Mary Shelley drew from her own life. However, she did it unconsciously, at least not all events in this book are autobiographical, so attributing to this work only autobiographical feature would be incorrect. Both Ginn and Scott point out several aspects in this book, ranging from romance and ending with scientific work. Exploring the "Frankenstein" in the context of Mary Shelley’s life events, Ginn shows the effect of these events on her as a person and as a writer. Scott analyzes the story from the writer’s point of view, acknowledging realism and accuracy of the characters’ experience. Thus, both critics emphasize Shelley’s skills in transferring feelings on paper, reflecting her in all character’s joys and sorrows.
Works Cited
Ginn, Sherry. "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: Science, Science Fiction, Or Autobiography?". Clas.ufl.edu. Web. 1 Aug. 2016.
Scott, Walter. "Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine 2 (March 1818): 613-20—By Walter Scott.". Rc.umd.edu. N.p., 1818. Web. 1 Aug. 2016.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. 1st ed. Planet eBook.com. Web. 1 Aug. 2016.
"Sherry Ginn Books, Author Bio, Book Reviews & More At Alibris UK". Alibris.co.uk. N.p., 2016. Web. 1 Aug. 2016.
