This essay aims to compare two exceedingly diverse novels, Daz 4 Zoe A contemporary novel focusing on the future and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley a piece of nineteenth century literature. Both discuss outsiders in society. While, both books are very different there are similarities. Both authors cope with the concern of what it is like to live with being an outcast in society. Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin Shelley wrote her ‘blood curdling’ novel in 1816 while on holiday in Geneva, Switzerland. In 1831, Shelley declares her desire to ‘quicken the beatings of the heart.
‘ This is the first of numerous signals that this book should be found in the Gothic Fiction genre. Frankenstein is commonly acknowledged as a Gothic novel with significant links to the Romantic Movement; yet, it has connections with other genres. The novel may be seen as the opening of science fiction, representing the scientific and technological advances suggesting potential consequences of future developments. Mary Shelley illustrates an intimidating yet realistic forecast of what the future may hold where man interferes with the creation of life.
Frankenstein is written in three, first person narrators, framed or embedded narratives. The narrator changes many times, starting of with Robert Walton and later becoming Victor and the monster. Daz 4 Zoe, a futuristic adventure, also falls into various genres. It can also be associated with science fiction and modern mystery. Swindells begins the book with a true story that has a similar moral to Mary Shelley’s interpretation. His true story essentially explains how if we did not get our priorities right, we will face a similar circumstance in the future as did the characters in this novel.
Daz 4 Zoe is written in journal style retelling events using alternate voices, written in first person narrative, (two narrators – Daz and Zoe. ) Daz 4 Zoe is a teenage novel with several modern social dilemmas: love, loyalty and the main theme of a divided society. Briefly, Daz 4 Zoe is about the citizens of the wealthy suburb, Silverdale, in contrast to the poor people in the run down neighbouring city. Due to the feeling of entrapment in the suburbs, the teenagers go into the city in search of excitement.
After a night of ‘chippying’ Zoe a ‘subby’ falls in love with a ‘chippy. ‘ This romance is a forbidden love which leads to excitement while the teenagers keep contact cross the divide and provides a tense ending, which leads to their escape Frankenstein, explores of the mysterious fears of human nature and of how a man destroys his family and friends through the careless creation of a ‘superhuman. ‘ A project, which initially would be very successful and break the boundaries of science. However, it eventually ended as a disaster, which leads to his and many other brutal deaths.
The first half of the novel deals with the creation of the monster and the story of Robert Walton, an explorer. The second half is concerned with the consequences of the monsters creation and how Victor tries to regain his power and capture the ‘superhuman’ In extremely different ways, both authors Robert Swindells and Mary Shelley explore the theme of perfecting human society. Daz 4 Zoe is concerned with social corruption; this is due to the subby and chippy segregation. Zoe has very little faith that there is possibility of change in this divide unless something drastic happens.
This illustrates perfection of the human race for the reason that by having a partition between two societies, the government hope to get rid of the bad elements in civilization. Frankenstein also deals with the corruption of social institution, this means science was developing before its time and that law and order was affected. In this case, because of the scientific phenomena many people were killed, science overruled law and order. This novel also shows Mary Shelley’s perspective of how she has little faith in creating the perfect human being. She does this by having hideous consequences by creating the ‘superhuman’
In their own way, the two novels show different perspectives. One of a perfect society, Silverdale. Also an attempt to create the perfect human, the monster. In the novel Frankenstein, Victor is probably the most apparent self-imposed outsider. We first notice this isolated behaviour when he grows up and leaves home in Geneva for Ingolstadt. Victor leaves his family to attend the university where he becomes obsessed with the old theories of science. “Thus ended a day memorable to me, it decided my future destiny. ” This quote shows how Victor decides to spend all his time studying the old theories of Science.
“From this day natural philosophy, and particularly chemistry, became nearly my sole occupation” This quote describes how he would put all his energy into his studies, however we realise this is an unhealthy obsession when his behaviour changes: “Two years passes in this manner, during which I paid no visit in Geneva. ” Victor isolates himself from his friends and family, spending all his time in residence at Ingolstadt never visiting home. Victor spends his months in pursuit of his scientific discovery and wonder, where he studies routes which make it possible to pursue his ‘peculiar attraction to the structure of the human frame.
‘ When Victor realises that he has the power to ‘bestow animation upon lifeless matter,’ he causes himself to develop into more of an outcast. Victor suddenly has astonishing new power and is excited that he can break the boundaries of science with his newfound supremacy. This knowledge makes him very determined and after two years of research, planning, experiments and creation, Victor constructs what was to be the perfect ‘superhuman. ‘ “No one can conceive the variety of feelings which bore me onwards… a new species would bless me as its creator and source. “
Captain Robert Walton. (2019, Dec 05). Retrieved from https://paperap.com/paper-on-robert-walton-2/