Logan Null

Ms. Gardner

English 10H/Period 5

28 November 2017

The Nature of the Unnatural: An Annotated Bibliography

Croker, John Wilson. "Review of Frankenstein." ​Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism​, edited

by Jessica Bomarito and Russel Whitaker, vol. 170, Gale, 2006. ​19th Century Literature

Criticism Online​,

go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GLS&sw=w&u=k12_lcoall&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CRSTTBC42

7511128&it=r. Originally published in ​Quarterly Review​, vol. 18, no. 36, Jan. 1818, pp.

379-385.

John Wilson Croker, an Irish statesman and author, presents the reader of his criticism on

Frankenstein​ with a lengthy summary of the novel’s plot, followed by three passages that

“struck” him the most upon his “perusal” of the novel. Witty comments and allusions litter

Croker’s plot summary, which help to strengthen his opinion on the events in the book, and

his analysis on the three provided passages conveys his skepticism towards the novel’s

themes.

Croker confronts Mary Shelley’s work so viciously that his tone almost becomes humorous,

as he attacks the author, stating her novel is “nonsense.” However, he continues to say that,

“it is nonsense decked out with circumstances and clothed in language highly terrific.”

While impressed by Shelley’s elevated diction, Croker is clearly not a fan of the horrific but

fantastical adventures of Frankenstein and his monster, and his opinions are boldly stated
 in his writing. Ultimately, this article fails to bring any “bigger picture” ideas to the table

and, while entertaining, only amounts to the equivalent of a Rotten Tomatoes review from

the 1800s.

Geller, Allegra. “Women and Empire – Mary Shelley.” ​The British Scholar Society​, 30 Apr. 2012,

britishscholar.org/publications/2012/04/30/women-and-empire-mary-shelley/.

This article, written by Allegra Geller, columnist for The British Scholar Society, is a

wonderful tribute to the life of Mary Shelley. Constructed as a short biography of

Shelley’s life, Geller illustrates all the joyous and tragic events in Shelley’s life, from the

publication of ​Frankenstein​, to the death of her husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley, all while

respecting and honoring the literary legend.

The article, while beginning and ending with commentary, mainly focuses on the pure

facts surrounding Shelley’s life, with very little embellishment whatsoever. This is striking,

as Shelley’s life seems to be paralleled to the chaotic one of Victor Frankenstein, the

protagonist in her own novel. From the death of her children, parents, and spouse, to her

recurring illnesses, Shelley grows up to be the character she created when she was twenty

years old. This article almost hands this conclusion to the reader, not by exaggerating events

in Shelley’s life, but by retelling it as the captivating, tragic tale that it truly is.

Rettew, David. “Nature Versus Nurture: Where We Are in 2017.” ​Psychology Today​, 6 Oct. 2017,

www.psychologytoday.com/blog/abcs-child-psychiatry/201710/nature-versus-nurture-where-we-

are-in-2017.
 David Rettew’s article breaks the ideas of nature and nurture down into three sections, and

chronologically follows the history of the debate between these two ideas. Rettew,

a child psychiatrist at the University of Vermont, discusses the history of nature and nurture and

how the perceived relationship between these concepts has changed over time, starting in

ancient Greece, traveling through the 1800s, and ending in the present, 2017.

Only becoming too clinically and medically advanced as to be confusing a couple of times,

Rettew otherwise keeps his article very easy to understand and follow, simply breaking it into

three brilliantly named and cohesive sections: “Nature ​Versus​ Nurture,” “Nature ​and​ Nurture,”

and “Nature ​Is ​Nurture (and vice versa).” Rettew concludes the debate between nature or

nurture determining a child’s behavior by stating that the two are intertwined, as one can

affect the other, and vice versa. This ending statement awakens a new thought in the reader’s

mind: that Frankenstein’s monster’s actions and behavior could have only been a result of the

way others treated him (nurture), as the being is not of any natural origin, thus nature being

completely eliminated within him.

Shelley, Percy Bysshe. “On ​Frankenstein.​ ” ​Frankenstein​, Chelsea House, 2007. ​Bloom's Literature​,

online.infobase.com/HRC/Search/Details/1835?q=Frankenstein.

Percy Shelley’s article provides enlightening analysis and commentary on the emotional tones

and the use of pathos in ​Frankenstein.​ Shelley, husband of Mary Shelley, the author of

Frankenstein​, also presents a riveting moral of the story, being “Treat a person ill, and he will

become wicked.” This moral provides further insight, inspecting how Frankenstein’s
monster’s actions are possibly justified through his cruel treatment.

Shelley provides many exceptional examples from the novel to prove his point that the author

uses an emotional tone and employs pathos throughout the story to connect the reader with

both Frankenstein and his monster’s struggles. This article takes scenes from the novel, dissects

and examines them, and then presents the reader with a fascinating autopsy of the novel. This

autopsy reveals the moral of the story, enlightening the reader of the ultimate purpose of this

novel: through using a unique, creative, and original narrative, to state that the ways a person is

treated is reflected in their actions, gentle or monstrous, friendly or wicked, good or evil.