Annotated Bibliography Example in MLA

The Role of Obsession in the Novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Allen, Stephanie. Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ Is a Cautionary Tale on the Monstrosity of which Humans Are Capable. Article, 2014.

People got used to thinking about the monster as someone who does not look like a person and who is not capable of thinking. The article, to the contrary, speaks about the existence of monsters who are, like humans, aware of their actions. Frankenstein is just the mad scientist, obsessed with the idea of creating something that would make a breakthrough. Still, he does not count the possibility of nature to penetrate science and make its own corrections which are very often dreadful. Allen claims the human monsters who can freely decide about the others’ destiny limit freedom and spread horror.

Bissonette, Melissa B. Teaching the Monster: Frankenstein and Critical Thinking. Article, 2010, pp.106-119.

The author of the article is a teacher who intends to develop students’ critical thinking regarding literature problems. Frankenstein is mostly viewed as the dubious character, who, on the one hand, is a victim, and on the other, the incarnation of evil. Notably, it is important to realize the reasons for obsession through defining the background which could influence the protagonist’s behavior and perception of the world.

Feldman, Paula. Probing the Psychological Mystery of Frankenstein. Journal, 1990.

This is one of the most interesting journal articles about Frankenstein one can read, because it presents the idea of motherhood as the central them in explaining the protagonist’s obsessive behavior. Mainly, Feldman discusses the fear Frankenstein experiences while seeing his creature alive and his ability to recognize the creature’s future actions. In other words, it is the same feelings a mother faces after giving birth, especially as she is scared and subconsciously aware of her child’s behavior. The obsession here is autobiographical; namely, Shelley once lost her child, which resulted in the personal blame and story about a monster.

Haynes, Roslynn. Frankenstein: The Scientist We Love to Hate. Journal, 1995, pp.435-444.

The author investigates the question of Frankenstein’s obsession, considering his play with God and blind following of his scientific interests. To be more specific, Victor is the incarnation of a real mad scientist who is so obsessed with the experiment that he becomes an antagonist as a result. Roslynn speaks about the outcomes that the exaggerated scientific interest may bring if one loses control.

Holmes, Richard. The Science that Fed Frankenstein. Journal, 2016, pp.490-492.

The idea of the article lies in the moral responsibilities scientists should take into consideration while doing their experiments. Individually, Frankenstein was obsessed with the scientific discoveries that resulted in the creation of something that was uncontrolled. The author asserts that the central idea is the lack of ethics, and the inability to be objective because the struggle for knowledge makes the scientist blind in his moral choices.

Lepore, Jill. The Strange and Twisted Life of “Frankenstein.” Article, 2018.

It is interesting to know that after two hundred years after Frankenstein was published, there is still discussion about the ideas Mary Shelley struggled to present. The author of the article dwells upon the hidden intentions of the novel, which are transmitted through the story of the obsessed scientist and his creature. In general, it turns out that Frankenstein possesses the issues of autobiography, politics, and social concerns which Shelley found better depicted in the form of a fairy tale about a real monster and the outcomes of his constant experiments. On the whole, the article allows for the story to be viewed from a different angle, considering the writer’s perception of the world, the social standards, and the values people consider to be important.

Macphee, Jack. Frankenstein: The Dangers of Obsession. Article, 2018.

Jack Mcphee presents the reading audience with the issue of God, personal identity, and the lack of objectiveness in one’s actions. In other words, the reason for obsession is obvious; it is the goal of any scientist to be acknowledged. Still, Frankenstein was so blind in his intentions that he did not take into account the possibility of his creatures to be independent in their actions. What is more, Jack considers the lack of God as the cause of Frankenstein’s obsession, namely the absence of responsibility to violate the rules of nature.

Swingle, L. J. Frankenstein’s Monster, and Its Romantic Relatives: Problems of Knowledge in English Romanticism. Journal, 2015.

The story of Frankenstein is the real source for investigating the scientific vision of the world in the times of Mary Shelley. The author of the article aims to convince that the novel is the representation of the knowledge issue during English Romanticism. Individually, the information can be rather useful for defining the reasons for Frankenstein’s obsession, since Swingle considers the lust for knowledge and scientific discovery as the main causes of the creator’s constant experiment with human nature.

Van Wynsberghe, Scott. The Problem with Frankenstein: A 200-Year-Old Novel Is a Cobbled-Together Monster. Article, 2018.

Scott also believes that the novel about Frankenstein is the autobiography of the mother who once lost her child. To be more precise, the author dwells upon the feminist ideas when mother nature tries to prevent the violation of its rights regarding the scientific experiment on human bodies. Moreover, the article attempts to find out the main theme through defining its real genre, whether it is either science fiction or horror.

Wilson, Frances. How Frankenstein became a Monster – And What He Means to Us Today. Article, 2016.

Initially, Frankenstein was perceived as an imagined character for making the horror story that scared people with plot twists, a dreadful setting, and descriptions of the experiment. Still, today Wilson proposes treating Frankenstein as the result of social principles and priorities that limit people, making them obsessed with the ideas of recognition and acceptance. Moreover, the author speaks about the theme of slavery, where the creature realizes his dependence and limited freedom. Without a doubt, the article is very informative since it contributes to the understanding of Frankenstein’s behavior, which was based on the inability to be heard, noticed, and socially adapted.

Works Cited

Bissonette, Melissa Bloom. Teaching the Monster: Frankenstein and Critical Thinking. Proquest Research Library, vol 37, no. 3, 2010, pp. 106-119., Accessed 27 June 2018.
Feldman, Paula R. Probing the Psychological Mystery of Frankenstein. Approaches To Teaching Shelley’s Frankenstein, 1990, pp. 67-77., Accessed 27 June 2018.
Haynes, Roslynn D. Frankenstein: The Scientist We Love to Hate. Public Understanding of Science, vol 4, no. 4, 1995, pp. 435-444. SAGE Publications, doi:10.1088/0963- 6625/4/4/007.
Holmes, Richard. Science Fiction: The Science that Fed Frankenstein. Nature, vol 535, no. 7613, 2016, pp. 490-492. Springer Nature, doi:10.1038/535490a.
How Frankenstein Became a Monster – And What He Means to Us Today. Newstatesman, 2018, https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/books/2016/09/how-frankenstein-became-monster-and-what-he-means-us-today. Accessed 27 June 2018.
Lepore, Jill. The Strange and Twisted Life of “Frankenstein.” The New Yorker, 2018,
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/02/12/the-strange-and-twisted-life-of-frankenstein. Accessed 27 June 2018.
MacPhee, Jack. Frankenstein: The Dangers of Obsession. Colby.edu, 2018, http://web.colby.edu/st112wa2018/2018/02/28/frankenstein-the-dangers-of-obsession/. Accessed 27 June 2018.
Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” Is a Cautionary Tale on the Monstrosity of Which Humans Are Capable. Oxford Royale Summer Schools, 2018, https://www.oxford- royale.co.uk/articles/shelley-frankenstein.html. Accessed 27 June 2018.
Swingle, L. J. Frankenstein’s Monster and Its Romantic Relatives: Problems of Knowledge In English Romanticism. Texas Studies in Literature and Language, vol 15, no. 1, 2018, pp. 51-65., Accessed 27 June 2018.
The Problem with Frankenstein: 200-Year-Old Novel Is a Cobbled-Together Monster. National Post, 2018, http://nationalpost.com/opinion/the-problem-with-frankenstein- 200-year-old-novel-is-a-cobbled-together-monster. Accessed 27 June 2018.

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