{"id":536,"date":"2022-07-01T13:10:25","date_gmt":"2022-07-01T13:10:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/?p=536"},"modified":"2022-07-01T13:10:25","modified_gmt":"2022-07-01T13:10:25","slug":"mary-shelleys-primordial-vision-in-frankenstein","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/?p=536","title":{"rendered":"Mary Shelley\u2019s \u201cPrimordial Vision\u201d in Frankenstein"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Of the many mythic elements within Mary Shelley\u2019s Frankenstein<\/em>, notions of creation, a lost Eden and the danger of acquired knowledge arise most prominently upon initial inspection, as the author herself directly references the classic myth of Prometheus and the Miltonian work, Paradise Lost. <\/em>These references demonstrate within Shelley a unique ability to comprehend the complexities of the mythic element of life. From the psychological hypothesis of Dr. Carl Jung, that \u201cmyths do not derive from external factors\u2026but are, in truth, the projections of innate, psychic phenomena,\u201d it appears that Shelley\u2019s mind is particularly in tune with her unconscious, the part of the psyche from which all mythic elements arise (Guerin 239). However, in following this philosophy, it is clear that she is not merely a messenger or interpreter of mythology, calling upon the legacies of these well-known myths, but a creator of myth as well, demonstrating the possession of (in Jung\u2019s terminology) \u201cprimordial vision,\u201d or the extraordinary access into the unconscious and the ability to portray it through art (Guerin 240). By observing several archetypes and mythic motifs that she creates and places into her novel, the audience is able to benefit from her talent and make out an image, although thinly veiled, of this ancient human psyche that has \u201cbeen ingrained in [the mind of mankind] from earliest times, and, eternally living, outlasting all generations\u201d\u2014the psyche that connects all humanity, past and present (Guerin 239).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the most striking mythic elements of those not directly related to the classic and Miltonian references, is the archetype of Justine\u2019s scape-goat, sacrificial death. While this moment in the novel could evoke impressions of the Christian crucifixion, it does not appear to be a direct reference to that specific event, as her death does not bring any valid atonement for the crime nor liberation for the guilty. Rather, the event depicts an underlying, mythic representation of mankind\u2019s need for justice\u2014the unconscious yearning of the human psyche for retribution. In this fictional world of Geneva, justice is met with Justine\u2019s execution, thus satisfying the need in the minds of the Genevan officials and citizens. However, for the reader, the event of Justine\u2019s death is, in itself, unjust, thus evoking emotions of the unmet psyche\u2019s yearning. Elizabeth illuminates this emotion and mythic element, \u201cOh how I hate [the world\u2019s] shews and mockeries!\u2026the executioners, their hands yet reeking with the blood of innocence, believe that they have done a great deed. They call this retribution<\/em>. Hateful name!\u201d (Shelley 114). Rather than creating an ideal picture of justice in her novel, Shelley creates its void, enabling her readers to experience the fullness of their psyche\u2019s emotional response, and awakening with vigorous passion an awareness of the human psyche\u2019s desire for true justice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another mythic element, similar to that of justice, is the motif of childhood bliss, and the psyche\u2019s positive emotion toward the representation of true innocence. Victor Frankenstein\u2019s story opens with a description of a perfect, dream-like childhood, establishing a mythic understanding of a human longing not only for innocence, but for the peace, comfort, and fulfillment that come with its possession. The \u201cdomestic circle\u201d of Frankenstein\u2019s youth, \u201cfrom which pain and care seemed forever banished,\u201d is a blissful memory which carries and supports him through the end of his tragic story (Shelley 71). It is, by the end, his only beacon of hope, the source of his ability to live, which he accesses most effectively though dreams: \u201cI was sustained and inspirited by the hope of the night: for in sleep I saw my friends, my wife\u2026the benevolent countenance of my father\u201d (Shelley 226). Here, Shelley establishes the mythic vitality of this youthful bliss and innocence by the depiction of Frankenstein\u2019s constant desire to return to it. Jung theorized an \u201cintimate relationship between dreams, myths, and art,\u201d are access points into the unconscious psyche (Guerin 240). In highlighting Frankenstein\u2019s dream-state as the access point to the desired subject of his dreams, Shelley again uncovers aspects of the human psyche for her audience to experience. The emphasis of \u201cpleasure\u201d that Frankenstein feels \u201cin dwelling on the recollections of childhood before misfortune had tainted [his] mind\u201d is an invitation for the reader to seek and experience the same by remembering a time of innocence and bliss; and thus, to glimpse more of the ancient human psyche within their own mind.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As peace, comfort, and bliss come to Frankenstein through the memory of his childhood, they also make an appearance at the sight of the beauty and grandeur of the natural world. Dr. Jung claimed that \u201call the mythologized processes of nature\u2026are symbolic expressions of the inner, unconscious drama of the psyche,\u201d which mankind projects onto nature as a method of accessing and understanding the unconscious (Guerin 240). Shelley demonstrates an intimate knowledge of this aspect of the human psyche by the scenes she creates in which Frankenstein finds relief through immersion into the natural world. She portrays \u201cMont Blanc, in awful majesty,\u201d and Frankenstein, \u201cgazing on this wonderful and stupendous scene\u201d (Shelley 124). Shelley paints a syntactic picture of an awe-inspiring image in nature\u2014a vast mountain range, the sea in the distance, river-like with ice, terrible and dangerous\u2014all of the most powerful and least understood monuments of the natural world. In this surrounded place, Frankenstein expresses \u201cMy heart, which was before sorrowful, now swelled with something like joy,\u201d indicating a higher element of fulfillment, different from that of justice or of a return to childhood bliss (Shelley 124). In his psychological theories, Jung relates the mountain archetype to the \u201cgoal of pilgrimage,\u201d which he sees, on a psychological level, as self-recognition (Guerin 230). Thus Shelley conveys the most important state and greatest desire of the human psyche in this brief moment which, of course, Frankenstein is unable to fully attain, as the scene is immediately interrupted by the entrance of his monster\u2014his shadow and his demise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of these mythological creations point toward aspects of Jungian psychological theories and reveal, through such theories, the presence of \u201cprimordial vision\u201d in Shelley\u2019s art. She demonstrates a remarkable understanding for expressing aspects, recently defined by Dr. Jung theories, of the unconscious human psyche. Her ability to present such ideas to the world not only enables readers to piece together a hidden image of Jung\u2019s ideas of an ancient mind, but also to vicariously experience the effects and emotions of that mind, leading ultimately to a greater (by however small a measure) understanding of what it means to be human. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

October 15, 2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Works Cited:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guerin, Wilfred E; Labor, Earle; Morgan, Lee; Reesman, Jeanne C; Willingham, John R. A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature. <\/em>Oxford University Press, New York, 2011.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein; Or, the Modern Prometheus. <\/em>Edited by D.L. MacDonald and Kathleen Scherf. Broadview Press Ldt., Ontario, 1999. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Of the many mythic elements within Mary Shelley\u2019s Frankenstein, notions of creation, a lost Eden and the danger of acquired knowledge arise most prominently upon initial inspection, as the author herself directly references the classic myth of Prometheus and the Miltonian work, Paradise Lost. These references demonstrate within Shelley a unique ability to comprehend the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[473,464,115,461,474,112,465,472,471,116,119,470,469,475,113,463,466,468,467,54,462,460,476],"class_list":["post-536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-critical-analyses","tag-childhood-bliss","tag-dr-carl-jung","tag-frankenstein","tag-frankensteins-monster","tag-innocence","tag-john-milton","tag-jung","tag-justice","tag-justine","tag-mary-shelley","tag-milton","tag-mythic","tag-myths","tag-nature","tag-paradise-lost","tag-primordial-vision","tag-psyche","tag-psychic","tag-psychology","tag-romantic-period","tag-shelley","tag-victor-frankenstein","tag-wilfred-e-guerin"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/536","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=536"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/536\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":587,"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/536\/revisions\/587"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}