How does Shelley evoke a sense of horror in Chapters 4 and 5 where she describes the construction and ‘birth’ of the creature? Do you think she was successful in awakening thrilling horror, making the reader dread to look around, curdling the blood an

Mary Shelley wrote this novel in 1816, after a nightmare, when she was just 18 years old. Mary, her husband and the poet Lord Byron were snowed in inside a villa in Switzerland. They discussed ideas of scientists, God and the powers each possesses. In the nineteenth century, science was a relatively new idea but it was very controversial, as many people felt threatened by it. They decided that science was trying to overpower religion and endeavouring to shatter all Christian beliefs about life. There were ideas about how a body came to life; Christians believed God gave it a soul, and scientists considered the body solely parts linked together. This is why Frankenstein was considered a horror story, as it explored how powerful science really was and also the dangers resulting in playing God.

Shelley uses a number of techniques throughout Chapters 4 and 5 to evoke a sense of horror, including the language that is used. Victor’s personal thoughts during these Chapters, give us, as...