frankenstein character essay

'Frankenstein' Characters

Descriptions and Analysis

• B.A., English Literature, Cornell University

In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein , characters must reckon with the conflict between personal glory and human connection. Through the story of an alienated monster and his ambitious creator, Shelley raises themes such as familial loss, the search for belonging, and the cost of ambition. Other characters serve to reinforce the importance of community.

Victor Frankenstein

Victor Frankenstein is the main protagonist of the novel. He is obsessed with scientific achievement and glory, which drives him to discover the secret of manifesting life. He devotes all his time his studies, sacrificing his health and his relationships for his ambition.

After spending his adolescence reading outdated theories on alchemy and the philosopher’s stone, Frankenstein goes to university, where he succeeds in germinating life. However, in trying to create a being in the mold of man, he fashions a hideous monster. The monster runs off and wreaks havoc, and Frankenstein loses control of his creation.

Out in the mountains, the monster finds Frankenstein and asks him for a female companion. Frankenstein promises to create one, but he does not want to be complicit in the propagation of similar creatures, so he breaks his promise. The monster, enraged, kills Frankenstein’s close friends and family.

Frankenstein represents the dangers of enlightenment and the responsibilities that come with great knowledge. His scientific achievement becomes the cause of his downfall, rather than the source of praise he once hoped for. His rejection of human connection and his single-minded drive for success leave him bereft of family and love. He dies alone, searching for the monster, and expresses to Captain Walton the necessity of sacrifice for a greater good.

The Creature

Referred to as “the creature,” Frankenstein's unnamed monster yearns for human connection and a sense of belonging. His terrifying façade frightens everyone and he is chased out of villages and homes, leaving him alienated. Despite the creature's grotesque exterior, however, he is largely a compassionate character. He is a vegetarian, he helps bring firewood to the peasant family he lives near, and he teaches himself to read. Yet the constant rejection he suffers—by strangers, the peasant family, his master and William—hardens him.

Driven by his isolation and misery, the creature turns to violence. He kills Frankenstein’s brother William. He demands that Frankenstein should create a female creature so that the pair can live away from civilization peacefully, and have the solace of each other. Frankenstein fails to deliver this promise, and out of revenge, the creature murders Frankenstein's loved ones, thus transforming into the monster he has always appeared to be. Denied a family, he denies his maker a family, and runs to the North Pole where he plans to die alone.

Thus, the creature is a complicated antagonist —he is a murderer and a monster, but he began his life as a compassionate, misunderstood soul searching for love. He demonstrates the importance of empathy and society, and as his character deteriorates into cruelty, he stands as an example of what can happen when the basic human need for connection is not fulfilled.

Captain Walton

Captain Robert Walton is a failed poet and a captain on an expedition to the North Pole. His presence in the novel is limited to the beginning and ending of the narrative, but he nevertheless plays an important role. In framing the story, he serves as a proxy for the reader.

The novels begin with Walton's letters to his sister. He shares a primary trait with Frankenstein: the desire to achieve glory through scientific discoveries. Walton greatly admires Frankenstein when he rescues him from the sea, and he listens to Frankenstein’s tale.

At the end of the novel, after hearing Frankenstein's story, Walton’s ship becomes trapped by ice. He is confronted with a choice (which happens to parallel the thematic crossroads faced by Frankenstein): go ahead with his expedition, risking his own life and those of his crewmen, or return home to his family and abandon his dreams of glory. Having just listened to Frankenstein’s tale of misfortune, Walton understands that ambition comes at the cost of human life and relationships, and he decides to return home to his sister. In this way, Walton applies the lessons that Shelley wishes to impart through the novel: the value of connection and the dangers of scientific enlightenment.

Elizabeth Lavenza

Elizabeth Lavenza is a woman of Milanese nobility. Her mother died and her father abandoned her, so the Frankenstein family adopted her when she was just a child. She and Victor Frankenstein were raised together by their nanny Justine, another orphan, and they have a close relationship.

Elizabeth is perhaps the primary example of the abandoned child in the novel, which is populated by many orphans and makeshift families. Despite her lonely origins, she finds love and acceptance, and stands in contrast to the creature’s inability to find true familial connection. Frankenstein constantly praises Elizabeth as a beautiful, saintly, gentle presence in his life. She is an angel to him, as his mother was as well; in fact, all the women in the novel are domestic and sweet. As adults, Frankenstein and Elizabeth reveal their romantic love for each other, and get engaged to be married. On their wedding night, however, Elizabeth is strangled to death by the creature.

Henry Clerval

Henry Clerval, the son of a merchant of Geneva, is Frankenstein’s friend from childhood. He serves as Frankenstein’s foil : his academic and philosophical pursuits are humane, rather than scientific. As a child, Henry loved to read about chivalry and romance , and he wrote songs and plays about heroes and knights. Frankenstein describes him as a generous, kind man who lives for passionate adventure and whose ambition in life is to do good. Clerval’s nature is then quite in contrast with Frankenstein’s; instead of searching for glory and scientific achievement, Clerval searches for moral meaning in life. He is a constant and true friend, and he nurses Frankenstein back to health when he falls sick after creating the monster. Clerval also accompanies Frankenstein on his travels to England and Scotland, where they separate. Whilst in Ireland, Clerval is killed by the monster, and Frankenstein is initially accused of being his murderer.

The De Lacey Family

The creature lives for some time in a hovel joined to a cottage, which is inhabited by the De Laceys, a peasant family. By observing them, the creature learns to speak and read. The family is comprised of the old, blind father De Lacey, his son Felix, and his daughter Agatha. Later, they welcome the arrival of Safie, an Arabian woman who fled Turkey. Felix and Safie fall in love. The four peasants live in poverty, but the creature grows to idolize their compassionate, gentle ways. They serve as an example of a makeshift family, dealing with loss and hardship but finding happiness in each other’s companionship. The creature longs to live with them, but when he reveals himself to the peasants, they drive him away out of terror. 

William Frankenstein

William is Victor Frankenstein's s younger brother. The creature happens upon him in the woods and tries to befriend him, thinking that the child’s youth would make him unprejudiced. However, William is terrified of the ugly creature. His reaction seems to suggest that the creature's monstrosity is too much for even the innocent. In a fit of rage, the monster strangles William to death. Justine Moritz, the orphan nanny, is framed for his death and later hanged for the alleged crime.

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109 Outstanding Frankenstein Essay Topics

Welcome to the Frankenstein Essay Topics page prepared by our editorial team! Here, you’ll find a selection of top ideas, questions, and titles for any academic paper. We have topics about Frankenstein’s literary analysis, characters, themes, and more.

• 🔬 Literary Analysis
• 🎭 Characters
• 📊 Compare & Contrast
• 🗺️ Navigation

🎓 References

Frankenstein is a famous novel, and students will often have to write papers about it. If you have received such an assignment, this article is for you! When writing a Frankenstein literary analysis essay , there are many areas you can consider, such as characters, themes, and context. Below, we have provided 99 outstanding ideas that you can use for your assignment or to find inspiration. Don’t forget to illustrate your arguments with quotes from text when writing your Frankenstein literary analysis.

🔬 Frankenstein Literary Analysis Essay Topics

• What are the literary devices used to create the image of Victor Frankenstein ?
• What literary devices are used to create the image of the Monster?
• What is the importance of setting in Frankenstein ?
• Romanticism in Frankenstein : the use of poetry in the novel’s narrative
• Who is the narrator of Frankenstein , and why is the narration important?
• Narrative technique in Frankenstein .
• Nature symbolism in Frankenstein .
• Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein as a tragedy
• How does weather reflect the narrative of Frankenstein ? Give examples.
• What does fire symbolize in Frankenstein ?
• How is the power of nature depicted in Frankenstein ?
• What is the purpose of letters in Frankenstein ?
• The importance of allusions in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein .
• Biblical symbolism in Frankenstein .
• Why is Frankenstein called Modern Prometheus?
• Point of view in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
• Frankenstein : a deconstructive reading
• Analyze the romantic elements in Frankenstein .
• Is Frankenstein a gothic novel?
• What literary devices are used to create fear in Frankenstein ?
• What is the writing style of Frankenstein ?
• Examine the role of suspense and foreshadowing throughout Frankenstein . Do you think these devices are effective?
• How does foreshadowing differ among the three main narrators of Frankenstein (Walton, Victor, and the Monster)?
• What is the purpose of the ring composition of Frankenstein ?
• How does Mary Shelley ’s Frankenstein allude to the myth of Prometheus?
• How is Frankenstein a romantic and horror novel?
• What role do letters from Elizabeth play in Frankenstein ‘s narrative?
• What would the novel be like if it was narrated by only Frankenstein or only the monster ?
• What does the novel gain from having so many levels of narration? Why do you suppose it might have been structured with so many embedded narratives?
• In what ways and for what ends does Mary Shelley utilize the myth of Prometheus in her novel, Frankenstein ?
• Three Separate Narratives within Shelley’s Frankenstein
• Frankenstein : Weather, Seasons, and Emotional Symbolism

🎭 Frankenstein Essay Topics: Characters

• How are women depicted in Frankenstein ? How does Shelley make them look passive?
• Why isn’t Frankenstein ’s monster given a name?
• Who is the real monster in Frankenstein ?
• Is Frankenstein ’s monster responsible for the characters’ deaths ?
• What did the childhood of Victor Frankenstein look like? What role does it play in the narrative?
• Does the monster’s eloquence and persuasiveness make it easier for the reader to sympathize with him? Why do you think most film versions of the story present the monster as mute or inarticulate?
• Trace the similarities between Victor Frankenstein and the Monster . Consider their respective relationships with nature, desires for family , and any other important parallels you find.
• Do Victor and the Monster become more similar to Frankenstein ‘s plot? How does their relationship with each other develop?
• Victor attributes his tragic fate to his relentless search for knowledge. Do you think that this is the true cause of his suffering?
• Why does Shelley describe all female characters in Frankenstein as self-sacrificing and passive?
• Who is more human, the Monster of Frankenstein ?
• Analyze the motivations of the main characters in Frankenstein .
• Victor and the Monster feature radically different perspectives on the events of Frankenstein . Whose viewpoint do you support?
• Is the Creature’s demand for a female companion a valid request? Examine the pros and cons of Victor’s compliance.
• After watching the she-monster torn to pieces, the Creature vows that Victor will “repent of the injuries (he) inflicts. Is the Creature justified in his feelings? Why or why not?
• What role does Elizabeth play in Frankenstein ?
• What is the motivation behind Victor’s vow to find and destroy his creature? Has he learned any lessons?
• Discuss the humanity of Frankenstein ‘s Monster.
• What role does Justine Moritz play in the novel?
• What is the Monster’s experience of meeting people? How do they react? Why is it so?
• How does the Monster learn to read and speak? What is his motivation?
• What role does Safie play in Frankenstein ? Look at her situation from the feminist perspective. She considers marrying a Christian as the only way to become a freer woman. What does this fact tell us about the society she lives in?
• Why does the Monster kill William Frankenstein?
• Examine the relationship between Victor Frankenstein and his monster. How do they interact and communicate with each other?
• How does the creature of Frankenstein form the archetypal monster/horror character?
• “Victor Frankenstein and the Monster share the same personality: like father, like son”. Defend or attack this statement.
• How does Walton’s narration affect the story? How does it affect your interpretation of characters and events?
• Do you think that the monster has free will? Provide textual examples in support of your claim.

🌻 Frankenstein Essay Topics: Themes

• How is the theme of loneliness depicted in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley?
• Discuss the role of sickness in the novel. Victor often seems to fall ill after traumatic events. Is this a means of escape, and, if so, is it effective?
• In what ways does Frankenstein present science and knowledge as dangerous and destructive ?
• How is the idea of exploration revealed in Frankenstein ?
• Responsibility as a Theme in Frankenstein
• How are the dangers of obsession shown in Frankenstein ?
• What ethical concerns the use of animal and human bodies by Victor Frankenstein might raise?
• Analyze Frankenstein through the prism of feminist theory
• Describe the theme of kindness and compassion in Frankenstein
• Frankenstein : the theme of birth
• To what extent does Frankenstein support Mary Wollstonecraft’s claim that women were treated as inferior to men?
• Homosexuality in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
• Science is portrayed in a bad light in the novel Frankenstein . The author implies that the direction that civilization moves in is determined by what it understands about power. Analyze this statement in relation to the current society.
• Does Frankenstein present the value of the domestic circle?
• Describe how the theme of ambition is presented in Frankenstein .
• Throughout the novel, Victor Frankenstein states that he had no choice, that he was destined, that it was fate that he created the monster. Were his actions really a matter of fate? Or is he simply using fate as an excuse for his actions?
• Critical analysis of human Nature in Frankenstein , as it Connects to Freudian Psychology
• Scientific inquiry in Frankenstein
• Frankenstein as a feminist novel
• Desire and revenge in Frankenstein and Prometheus
• The theme of knowledge portrayed in Frankenstein

⌛ Frankenstein Essay Topics: Context

• Describe how Mary Shelley’s life experiences influenced the story of Frankenstein
• What is the historical relevance of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley? Find in the text the examples of reactions to the historical movements of the Enlightenment , industrial revolution, and romanticism.
• How are the ideas of Shelley’s parents presented in Frankenstein ?
• How does Frankenstein rely on the ideas, beliefs, and issues presented in other texts?
• How might Frankenstein be read as a commentary on scientific progress?
• Historical Context in Frankenstein
• Frankenstein : the autobiography of Mary Shelley?

📊 Compare & Contrast Frankenstein Essay Questions

• Compare and contrast Frankenstein and The Last Man by Mary Shelley
• Science & Nature in Frankenstein & Blade Runner
• How is the theme of revenge shown in Frankenstein and Hamlet ?
• Frankenstein : compare the novel with the movie of 1937
• Compare Frankenstein and The Picture of Dorian Gray
• On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer vs. Frankenstein : compare & contrast
• Compare Frankenstein and Macbeth
• Make a comparison of The Handmaid’s Tale and Frankenstein
• Which Frankenstein movie is most like the book?
• Macbeth & Frankenstein : compare & contrast
• Discuss the differences and similarities between Victor Frankenstein and Beowulf
• Compare and contrast Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Robert Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde .
• How has Frankenweenie , a film by Tim Burton, transformed Frankenstein by Mary Shelley to appeal to modern audiences?
• Frankenstein vs. Great Expectations : compare & contrast
• From superhuman to posthuman: The gothic technological imaginary in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Octavia Butler’s Xenogenesis
• Science, gender and otherness in Shelley’s Frankenstein and Kenneth Branagh’s film adaptation
• Compare and contrast the theme of appearances in Frankenstein to the same theme in other literary works.
• Monstrous characters in Frankenstein and Hedda Gabler
• Pity and revenge in Frankenstein and The Cry of the Children
• Technology’s effect on human relationships: comparing Station Eleven and Frankenstein
• Gender roles in Frankenstein and Fantomina
• Choosing a Topic: Purdue OWL
• Selecting a Topic: UM-Flint
• Introduction to Research: Cornell University
• Find a Topic Idea: Questia
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• Frankenstein

Background of the Novel

Historical context.

Gothic fiction is the subgenre of Gothic horror. It is mode or genre in film and literature that has the combination of fiction, death, horror, and sometimes romance.

This genre was originated by Horace Walpole with the publication of his novel The Castle of Otranto in 1764. The novel was subtitled as “A Gothic Novel” in the second edition. The main characteristic of the gothic literature is that it focuses on the emotions and terror (pleasurable terror).

Gothic fiction also serves as an extension to the literary movement of Romanticism. The movement was relatively new and not widespread when Walpole published his novel.

Many critics regard the genre of gothic fiction response to the 18 th century British and European movement “Age of Reason.” The movement was both political and artistic and focused on the power of the human mind than anything else.

Sanctioned by an unrestrained belief in humanity, the masses set forth to restructure society as a result of which The French and The American Revolution exploded.

Moreover, the Industrial Revolution forced common people into long exhausting days in factories. In response to these gloomy days, the Gothic literature started presenting the dark sides of the age in which “materialistic” human progress is at peak.

The writers of the “Age of Reason” had sometimes started believing in the “infinite perfectibility of man.” However, gothic literature presented man as miserably imperfect and dependent on the mercy of higher and powerful forces of nature and death.

Literary Context

The gothic novel flourished until 1820. The novels belonging to gothic literature focus on horror and mystery. It contains castles, dark forests, the trap door, the supernatural, the secret rooms, and other familiar dark elements.

Frankenstein is one of the famous gothic novels. It was written during the time when the gothic literature was slowly developing into Romanticism. Frankenstein, like Romanticism, is based on the “sublime” power of nature.

The main influence of Shelley while writing Frankenstein was Paradise Lost by John Milton, written in the 17 th century. The epic poem deals with the fall of humankind from grace. An epigraph of Frankenstein , Shelley quotes the verses from Paradise Lost in which Adam blasphemies God for crafting him, just as Victor Frankenstein is cursed by the Monster for creating him.

Frankenstein Summary

The novel opens with Robert Walton writing a letter to Margaret Saville, his sister. Robert Walton is the captain of a ship that is headed towards the North Pole. In the letter, Robert Walton writes that his crew members recently found a man wandering at sea. The man they found is Victor Frankenstein, who told him his story.

In Switzerland, Frankenstein has been living a perfect childhood. He has a loving family that adopts needy orphans. Among the orphans, there was a beautiful Elizabeth who then became the closest friend, love, and confidant of Victor Frankenstein. Frankenstein also has another best friend, Henry Clerval, who was also wonderful and caring. His mother died due to scarlet fever when Victor turned seventeen years old and went to the University of Ingolstadt. 

At university, Victor starts studying natural philosophy with pleasure. He starts studying the secrets of life with such passion and zeal that he loses his connection with his family. Soon he becomes a leading figure in his field of study, and suddenly one night, he comes to the secret of life. Victor sets his knowledge of life into work and envisions, creating a new and noble race.

However, when he produces his first creation, its horrifying appearance makes him abandon it. Frankenstein expects the Monster to disappear forever, however, after a few months, he receives the message of the murder of his youngest brother William. Victors see the Monster wondering at the murder and become assured that his brother is killed by the Monster.

However, he remains silent as he knows that no one would believe him. An adoptee in his family named Justine Moritz is wrongly accused of the crime of murder and is imprisoned and then executed. Frankenstein is overwhelmed with guilt.

The Frankenstein family goes on vacation to escape the tragic event. To lessen his guilt and suffering, Victor frequently climbs the mountains and spends time in the beauty of nature.

One day, suddenly, the Monster appears and begs Victor to listen to his story. The Monster tells him that just because of his dismaying appearance, he is living a life of suffering and rejection. He also tells him about how he learns to speak and read. The Monster blames the inability of a human to notice his inner goodness that made him angry and thus results in his isolation. He demands the creation of the female Monster from Victor so that she can give him love and affection that no human will ever give. At first, Victor refuses. However, he then agrees. 

When they return to Geneva, Victor’s father proposes that Victor should marry Elizabeth. Victor declines the proposal saying that he will first travel to England. Frankenstein meets Clerval on his way to England. Frankenstein then leaves Clerval in Scotland at his friend’s house and goes to a distinct island to create the female Monster.

However, one night, Victor senses that the female Monster may turn out to be more damaging than the male Monster. Simultaneously, he notices that the first Monster is seeing him throughout his work from the window. When he creates the Monster, its horrifying sight makes him destroy him. 

The Monster declares to avenge Victor. He warns him that he will be with him on his wedding night. Frankenstein throws the remains of the female Monster into the ocean. When he goes back to shore, the people accused him of the murder committed on that very night. He collapses and becomes delusional for two when he learns that the victim of murder is his best friend, Clerval. The next day when he wakes up, his father has arrived and clears him of the charges of murder against him.

Victor goes back to Geneva with his father. He marries Elizabeth. On their wedding night, instead of accompanying him, the Monster kills Elizabeth. Soon, the father of Victor dies with excessive grief. Victor becomes alone in the world and decides to take revenge from the Monster. He follows the Monster to the Arctic Ocean, and on breaking ices, he is entrapped. He is then rescued by the crew of Walton’s ship. 

In another letter to his sister, Walton writes to his sister, telling her that they have failed to reach the North Pole and also could not rescue Victor Frankenstein. Frankenstein dies soon after he is rescued from the sheets of ice. In his final letter to his sister, Walton writes about the discovery of the Monster, who grieves over the corpse of Victor. The death of Victor marks the accomplishment of his revenge, and he then ends his own life.

Frankenstein Characters Analysis

Victor frankenstein.

The life story of Victor Frankenstein is the center of the novel Frankenstein. He is a young boy who grows up in Geneva. He always read ancient works and outdated alchemists. This background of knowledge does not serve him at all at the University of Ingolstadt. In Ingolstadt university, he studies modern natural science and soon becomes a leading figure in his field. He learns the “secret of life,” and with it, he creates a huge Monster.

The Monster kills his brother, best friend, and newly wedded wife. The Monster also indirectly kills two other people: Justin Moritz and Victor’s father. Victor was highly ashamed of his act of creating the Monster; however, he does not tell anyone about the horror he has created even when it is getting out of control.

Over the course of the novel, Victor changes from an innocent youth into a disillusioned man by the fascinations he gets from the prospects of science. He becomes the tormented man resolute to abolish the result of his arrogant scientific efforts. It is not clear what exactly made Frankenstein conduct this kind of act; either he wants to attain the God-like power to create a new life or his remoteness from the public life in which he conducted his scientific experiments.

However, his act doomed him forever as it lacks humanness. He alienates himself from the world and eventually binds himself completely to the obsession of taking revenge from the Monster.

At the end of the novel, Victor, after chasing the Monster, is trapped at sea and is rescued by Walton’s ship. Frankenstein narrates his story to Walton and then dies. As the novel has multiple narratives from multiple perspectives, the readers have a contrasting interpretation of the character of Victor. Some view him as a classic mad scientist who crosses all the boundaries without any concern of consequences, while some brave adventurer into a mysterious land and does not hold him responsible for the consequences of his actions.

The Monster

It is the mad scientific creation of Victor Frankenstein. Victor creates him from the old body and parts and chemicals. When he is born, he is eight feet tall and immensely strong; however, he has a mind of a newborn. Victor abandoned him for his horrifying looks. He is highly confused and tries to assimilate into the society of humans, but society also rejected him. When he looks into the mirror, he realizes his ugliness that prevents society from looking deep into his inner goodness.

To seek revenge from his creator, he kills the younger brother of Victor Frankenstein. Moreover, when Victor diminishes his creation of the female counterpart of the Monster at his request, he also kills Victor’s best friend and his newly wedded wife.

Though the Monster shows pure hatred for Victor, he is not evil and wicked by nature. When Victor provides the Monsters’ narration of the experiences, it is revealed that he is highly kind and sensitive to human actions. He helps the poor peasants and saves a drowning girl. However, the people beat him for his looks. He is doomed between compassion and hatred and ends lonely and grief-stricken in his life. Even when Victor dies, he has a mixed feeling of joy and sorrow. He is happy because Victor is the source of his suffering and grief because he is the only one who has some association with.

Robert Walton

He is the main narrator of the story. He narrates the story through letters to his sister. He is the captain of the ship bound to the North Pole. The ship is entrapped between the ices. When they are waiting for the ice to melt, he and his crew members rescue Victor, entrapped in the braking ice, while chasing the Monster for revenge. When Victor recovers from his illness, he tells his account of his life to Walton and then soon dies. Walton’s meaningful and strong friendship with Victor is about to form that he dies, and he laments over his death.

The job of the Walton is of a channel through which the story of Victor and his Monster is narrated to the readers. His role is somewhat parallel to Victor Frankenstein. Walton, like Frankenstein, is adventurer and explorer; he is chasing after the “country of eternal light.” The influence of Victor of Walton is ironic.

Before he meets Victor, his ship is in control, moving smoothly without any danger; however, afterward, he becomes a miserable object of the dangers of a reckless scientific drive. However, he immediately turns down his treacherous pursuit and serves as a foil to Victor. 

Elizabeth Lavenza

She is the adopted sister of Victor Frankenstein. She turns into his best friend, confidant, lover, and, ultimately, his wife. In the novel, she is the mother figure. When the mother of Frankenstein is dying, she wishes for Elizabeth to replace her place.

In the life of Frankenstein, Elizabeth plays a significant role. When the Monster kills her, he deprived Victor of his beloved and the only female companion he has. For some critics, Elizabeth is unrealistic and obscure who is not as developed as the male characters of the novel. The character of Elizabeth is also obscure because the narrator, Frankenstein, is not able to see her clearly. Whenever he sees her, he considers her as his procession.

At a crucial moment in their life, Frankenstein overlooks her, and ultimately she dies. Though the Monster warns him that he will be with him on his wedding night, he is reluctant to realize that the Monster is threatening Elizabeth’s life.

Henry Clerval

Clerval is the best of Victor Frankenstein. The story of Clerval is placed parallel to the story of Frankenstein in the novel. It illustrates the comparison between the outsized ambitions of Victor and the ordinary ambitions of Clerval, an ordinary man.

Initially, Clerval is portrayed as a boy who adored hardships, enterprise, and even danger. Clerval, like Walton, also shares the desire of Victor to achieve great things in his life. He also made a discovery at his university.

At this discovery, he claims to find the “means of materially assisting the progress of European colonization and trade” in other countries. Victor makes a comparison between his own findings and creation of the monster and the discovery of Clerval. With the comparison, he asserts that it is because of ambitious men like Clerval that give rise to colonialism. 

The friendship between Frankenstein and Clerval also illustrates the significance of friendship and companionship. Being a friend with Clerval, Frankenstein feels strengthened and comfortable and shares his feelings with him. Frankenstein says these words for Clerval: “Excellent friend! how sincerely you did love me, and endeavor to elevate my mind until it was on a level with your own!”

Alphonse Frankenstein

He is the father of Victor and is a very sympathetic man. He consoles Frankenstein when he suffers from pains and motivates him to realize the importance of family.

William Frankenstein

He is the youngest brother of Frankenstein. He is dear to everyone in the family. He is killed by the Monster in the woods outside Geneva to seek revenge from Frankenstein for creating him and then abandoning him. The death of William makes Frankenstein very guilty for creating the Monster.

Justine Moritz

She is the young girl adopted by the Frankenstein family like other children. She is wrongly accused of murdering William and is imprisoned and then executed.

Caroline Beaufort  

She is the mother of Frankenstein and the daughter of Beaufort. When her father dies, she is taken by Alphonse Frankenstein and then marries her. When Frankenstein leaves for the University of Ingolstadt at the age of seventeen, she dies of scarlet fever. 

He is the merchant and father of Caroline Beaufort. He is also a friend of Victor’s father.

It is the family of peasants that also include a blind man. The Monster learns to read and speak by observing them. They beat the Monster when he reveals himself to them, thinking that they might help him.

He is a professor of chemistry at the University of Ingolstadt. He ignites Victor’s interest in science. He dismisses the knowledge of alchemy that Victor has and makes Victor read the science that will enable him to search for “big questions.”

He is a professor of natural philosophy at the University of Ingolstadt. He also dismisses the study of Victor of alchemy and calls it a waste of time. He encourages Victor to study something new.

He is the magistrate at the shore who wrongly accuses Frankenstein of murdering his friend Henry Clerval.

Themes in Frankenstein

Treacherous knowledge.

The central theme of the novel Frankenstein is the pursuit of knowledge. The protagonist of the novel, Frankenstein, tries to rush to the knowledge to know the secret of life that is beyond the limits of humans. Similarly, Robert Walton also tries to go beyond the exploitations of humans by struggling to reach the North Pole. This merciless hunt for light, of knowledge, proves to be dangerous.

For instance, with his high knowledge of science, Victor creates a monster that kills his dear ones; likewise, Walton entraps himself between the sheets of ice. Though both of them were obsessive to explore new things, the obsession of Victor to avenge the monster overwhelms, and he eventually dies; whereas, Walton soon realizes, and he withdraws his obsession for the treacherous mission.

Sublime Nature

The late 18 th century and early 19 th -century movement of Romanticism embraced the sublime natural world as a source of unlimited emotive experience. It also offers the feasibility of the spiritual renewal of the characters. Victor goes to the mountains to elevate his spirits after being caught up in depression and guilt after the death of Justine and William.

Similarly, when the Monster encounters the cold of winter and abandonment, his heart lightens when the spring arrives. Throughout the novel, the influence of nature on the moods of characters is very evident.

However, the power of the natural world to console him vanishes when he realizes that he cannot get rid of the monster no matter wherever he goes. Moreover, at the end of the novel, Victor hunts the Monster and natural functions only as the representative setting for his primitive tussle against the Monster.

Miscreation and Monstrosity

The theme of miscreation and monstrosity is another central theme of the novel Frankenstein. Victor, using his knowledge of natural science, creates an eight feet tall monster with a horrifying appearance. Victor abandoned his creation and so as a society.

However, his monstrous behavior does not result from his strength and looks, but his miscreation in an unnatural way. Victor creates him from mixing the stolen body parts and chemicals. He is not a product of science, but supernatural workings.

The Monster is the only apparent entity of all the monstrous entities in Frankenstein . These include the monstrous knowledge of Victor that he used to create the Monster.

The readers can also say that the way Victor is selfish, secretive, and ambitious, he himself is a monster who is alienated from his society. Man on the outside, “monster” from inside. He is consumed by the “monstrous” obsession to avenge the Monster and eventually die.

For most of the critics, the novel itself is monstrous as it is the combination of the multiple texts, voices, and tenses.

For Victor, science is a mystery that must be investigated; once the secrets of science are discovered, it must be resentfully protected. When he meets the natural philosopher M. Krempe, he considers his model scientist who is “an uncouth man, but deeply imbued in the secrets of his science.” The entire life of Victor Frankenstein after creating the monster is masked in secrecy; likewise, his animalistic obsession with avenging the monsters is also secretive until he narrates his story to Walton. 

As Victor does not reveal his creation because of the guilt and shame, the monster is also living a forceful life of isolation because of his horrifying appearance. Both of them confess their secrets to Walton, and Walton immortalizes their tragic experiences in the letters to his sister. Victor confesses before him that he has destroyed his life; similarly, the Monster takes benefit from the presence of Walton, someone who will understand him and sympathize with him.

Family, Society, Isolation

In the preface of the novel, Shelly claims the novel to be a pleasing representation of “domestic affection.” In the novel, full of tragedy, murder, and despair, this claim seems to be strange and weird. In fact, in the novel, all these murders, despair, and tragedy occur because of the lack of association with both family and society. 

In other words, the real evil in the novel is neither the Monster nor Frankenstein; it is the alienation and isolation. Victor isolates himself from his family and society in the pursuit of knowledge; therefore, he does not realize his responsibilities towards the society and the consequences of his actions.

Similarly, the evil nature of the Monster is nor by birth but by his abandonment by society. He is filled with anger and hate and wants to isolate Victor the way he is isolated. Therefore, isolation from society and family is the worst fate that a person can have and is the root cause of evilness in the world.

Determination and Failure

In the novel Frankenstein , the characters of Walton and Victor illustrate the deep determinations of humans, as well as their flawed nature. Through scientific achievement, Victor and Walton try to change society; however, it is their ambition that marks their failure.

They become blind with their ambitions and cannot realize the consequences of their actions. Victor creates the Monster and tries to attain God-like power.

However, he fails to fulfill his responsibility as a creator, thus highlighting his failure. He thinks to be like a god; however, he ends up being the father of a devil. Walton soon realizes the danger of his determination and prevents himself and his crew from dying; however, he does not give up on his ambition in a positive mood but says that his glory is robbed. This suggests that all people who try to seek ambitions above anything, they are nothing but “unfashioned creatures” who have faulty and weak natures. 

When Victor creates the Monster, he has horrible looks but is innocent and has an open heart. When he receives the mistreatment from his creator Victor and from society, he becomes angry and vengeful. This behavior of the Monster is understandable as he gets hurt by the unfair treatment and rejection and wants to hurt them back. When Felix attacks the monster and escapes with the peasants, he says that his heart is now filled with the feeling of hatred and revenge, and “I bent my mind towards injury and death.” The monster wants to isolate Victor from society as he is isolated. For him, revenge is more dear to him than food and light.

In the novel, revenge is not also consumed by the monster, but also by the protagonist of the novel, Victor Frankenstein. When the monster murders his brother, friend, and wife, he vows revenge against the monster. The desire for revenge turns both the Monster and human into true monsters that lack any feeling and emotions.

Prejudice is one of humankind’s everlasting and destructive flaws. Almost for every character, the Monster is dangerous and destructive because of its horrible outward appearance. However, nobody knows the inner reality of the monster, which is warm and kind hearted. Despite his efforts to help the people and peasants, the Monster finds himself beaten up and rejected by the villagers. He becomes convinced that humans, by nature, are barbaric and brutal. The only character in the novel who befriends the Monster is De lacy, a blind man. This suggests that humans are blinded by their own prejudice and barbaric

Lost Innocence

The novel Frankenstein is the illustration of the loss of youthful innocence. The most apparent case is Victor, the protagonist of the novel. Victor is a highly ambitious man and wants to change the world with his creation. He wants to explore the mysterious powers and gain knowledge of the hidden mysteries of creation.

However, he lost his innocence in the course of gaining this knowledge. Victor creates the Monster that shows him the inherent corruption and wickedness of him and his own species. In return, the barbaric nature of Victor also destroys the innocence of the Monster.

The loss of innocence by both Victor and the monster leads to the death of William, Justine, Clerval, and Elizabeth. These four characters in the novel are portrayed as kind, innocent, and gentle. Through this, Shelley highlights the fact that innocence is never static; humans lose innocence at some stage of life. However, some lose it early while some late.

Frankenstein Literary Analysis

In Frankenstein , the central conflict revolves around the inability of the Victor to understand the consequences of his actions. He only focuses on his goal and works hard to achieve his ambition without any concern about its impact on the people surrounding him. The presence of the Monster in the novel is a constant reminder of Victor’s failure and his lack of sense of responsibility. He does not accept the fact that his action against the laws of nature. 

The first sign of conflict appears when Frankenstein immerses himself in the studies at the University of Ingolstadt and neglects his family and society. This conflict increases when Victor discovers the secret of life, and he becomes obsessed with creating a monster.

He never worries about the experiences of the Monster and nor he is worried that he has abandoned his family in pursuit of knowledge. What he is concerned with is his ambition and nothing else. His quest for creation comes to the peak when he creates the Monster, and the horrible sight of it makes him run from the room in horror. This episode shows the conflict between Frankenstein and his moral obligations. He is the one who creates it, and when he does not like it, he abandons it.

The tension in the novel increases when William Frankenstein, younger brother of Victor, dies, and the adoptee Justine is accused of the murder. The murder provides a chance for Victor to take responsibility for his actions but fails. By allowing Justine for execution than revealing the truth, he further increases the conflict. Victors meet up the monster in the mountains, and Monster’s narrating the account of his suffering, loneliness, and alienation heightens the conflict. This meeting gives another chance to Victor to give up his selfishness. Victor reluctantly accepts the demand of the Monster to create a female monster for him, and then the two will live outside human society.

However, Victor reignites the conflict when he gives up on creating the female monster and throws away the remains of his works in the sea. Unaware of the consequences of his action, his reckless choice makes the Monster vow revenge against him. The Monster killed his friend Henry Clerval and his newly wedded wife, Elizabeth.

Though the Monster clearly states him that he will take revenge, Frankenstein is genuinely surprised by the Monster’s revenge. The life of Victor is turned into a living hell, deprived of the loved ones. The conflicts are shifted to its final stage when Elizabeth is killed.

At this stage, Victor vows to avenge the Monster and hunt him to destroy him. The conflict is partially resolved by Victor’s vow as it is what the Monster exactly wants. The total attention of his creator is turned to him, and the two interlocks each other’s fate.

Victor hunts the Monster around the world, and when he reaches the Arctic Ocean, he encounters Walton. At this point, the story is brought back to the point from where it started. The narration is switched back to Walton from Victor. Victor dies because of his exhaustion after narrating his story of life to Walton. The climax of the novel occurs when walks see the Monster in the room weeping at the dead body of Victor.

Frankenstein never realizes his role in creating the tragedy and chaos that caused miseries of the Monster and the deaths of many innocent people. In contrast to Victor, the Monster shows guilt and self-abhorrence, which suggests that he is more “human” than his manly creator. At the end of the novel, Walton listens to the Monster’s perspective of the story as well, which makes him feel a combination of inquisitiveness and sympathy. In the falling action of the novel, the Monster tells his plan to end his life and then set off alone to carry out his plan.

Abstract ideas and concepts in a literary text are represented by objects, characters, and figures. Following are the symbols in the novel Frankenstein by Merry Shelley

Fire and Light

In displaying the hope and faith in science, Walton asks: What could not be expected in the country of eternal light?“ In the novel Frankenstein , light is the symbol of discovery, knowledge, and enlightenment. For Victor and Walton, the natural world is full of hidden places, dark secrets, and unfamiliar mechanisms. It is the goal of scientists to discover them, that is to say, to reach the light. The next to light is it’s dangerous and more controlling cousin fire. When the Monster first experiences the blazing flame, he gets to know its dual nature. It is productive as it gives out light, as well as it is destructive; it hurts when it touches it.

The fire symbol in the novel is representative of the full title of the novel Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus. In Greek Mythology, the knowledge of fire is given to humanity by god Prometheus. He was then severely punished for it. In the novel, Frankenstein tries to become god Prometheus and is indeed punished; however, he does not give the knowledge of fire but of the secret of life.

The recurrent images, structures, and literary devices in a literary text are called Motifs.  The emphasis on the idea helps develop the major themes of a work. The following are the motifs in the novel Frankenstein by Merry Shelley

Passive Women

Though the novel Frankenstein is written by the daughter of the leading feminist, the novel lacks a strong female character. The novel has women who are passive and calmly suffer and then dies. For example, the mother of Victor Caroline Beaufort is a sacrificing woman who spends her life in taking care of the adopted daughter; Justine is wrongly accused of murder and is executed; Victor aborts the creation of the female monster in fear of it more destructing nature; Elizabeth waits for Victor throughout her life and is helpless to Victor to come back and marry her and is eventually killed by the Monster. Despite the passivity of the female character, one can also argue that Shelley wants to put emphasis on the destructive actions of Victor and the Monster, which is why she does not establish her female characters as strong and dominant as males.

The character of Victor and Monster illustrates the motif of abortion with their feeling of the ugliness of the Monster. When Victor first sees his creation, he says: “When I thought of him, I gnashed my teeth, my eyes became inflamed, and I ardently wished to extinguish that life which I had so thoughtlessly made.” Similarly, when the monster sees himself, he has some views about it that looks like his creator. He says I, the miserable and the abandoned, am an abortion, to be spurned at, and kicked, and trampled on.” Both of them regretted the creation of the Monster and wished that Victor had never created it. 

The motif of abortion also occurs in other pursuits of Victor. He aborts his act of creation when he discards the female monster before animating it. When Victor describes the natural philosophe, he figuratively aborts materialization. He says: “I at once gave up my former occupations; set down natural history and all its progeny as a deformed and abortive creation; and entertained the greatest disdain for a would-be science, which could never even step within the threshold of real knowledge.” With the creation of a monster, Victor also aborts the natural philosophy saying that it is unhelpful and intellectually grotesque. 

Setting of the Novel

The story of the novel Frankenstein is set in Switzerland. The country is in central Europe. Mary Shelley was living in Switzerland when she started writing the novel.

The setting of the novel is not static. It changes within Europe and also across the world. Victor Frankenstein travels to England, France, Germany, and Scotland. Elizabeth belongs to Italy, the peasant family is French, and Walton visits Russia. Safie belongs to Turkey, Clerval decides to shift to India, and the Monster decides to move to South America.

The frame story of the novel is narrated by Walton and is set in the Arctic Ocean.  As the novel Frankenstein encompasses the whole world, it is represented as a collective and universal story. The wide and multiple settings of the novel suggest that it can be read as an allegory. The rapid expansion of European power across the globe in the time to Shelley is driven by the likewise advancement in the science that facilitates Victor Frankenstein to craft the Monster. 

Gothic Novel

With the employment of elements of secrecy, mystery, and disturbing psychology, the novel Frankenstein belongs to the genre of Gothic literature. The novel is an account of the doomed monster of Dr. Frankenstein. The Gothic novel initiated as a literary genre in the 1750s. The genre has the characteristics of secretive and mysterious events, supernatural elements, ancient setting, isolated locations, and mental undercurrents that are associated with the repressed sexuality or family dynamics.

The novel provides an obscure description of the procedure that Victor uses to create the Monster. His dialogue “Who shall conceive the horrors of my secret toil” increases the horror instigating the reader to imagine the procedure itself. The action of the novel mostly took place in the nighttime with mysterious circumstances. 

The novel also suggests that the weird behavior that Victor possesses is because of the repression. When he admits his love for Elizabeth, his tone is incestuous as they grew up as siblings.

Moreover, he appears to be reluctant to marry her and is obsessed with his friend Henry. His need to have a live remote from sexual reproduction shows that he may have a traumatic mind or disgust heterosexuality and may be general sexuality

Frankenstein also falls short of the traditions of Gothic literature. In contrast to traditional Gothic elements like ghosts, etc., the birth of the Monster is not mysterious but deliberate. The questions of his birth and creation are known to the readers.

Moreover, the question of whether he really exists or is the creation of the character’s mind is totally out of the question. The mystery around which the novel revolves is not the creation of the Monster, but what he wants. The setting of Frankenstein is the same during the time it was written.

However, traditional gothic novels and stories were always set in the past. Moreover, it is custom to show that past people lack knowledge that leads to supernatural situations. Frankenstein suggests that excessive knowledge and extreme focus of innovation is also destructive. 

Science Fiction

Frankenstein also initiates the genre of science fiction. According to many critics, Frankenstein is the first novel of science fiction. The genre of science fiction deals with the speculations about the possible applications of scientific advancement and technology. The rules necessary to maintain order in life have lapsed in the science fiction novels.

For instance, in science fiction, the common practice is the existence of life out of the earth. Science fiction novels can be used to criticize contemporary society implicitly through scientific developments and fictional technologies.

For example, the rapid expansion of European power across the globe in the time to Shelley is driven by the likewise advancement in the science that facilitates Victor Frankenstein to craft the Monster.

Point of View

The novel Frankenstein has multiple narrators; however, the story is narrated from the first-person point of view. Each narrator narrates the story at a different point in the novel. The constant shifts in narrator and different points of view suggest the readers look beneath the reality and ponder on the deep things.

The novel opens with the narration of Walton. Walton is a ship captain and is writing letters to his sister. The narration shifts to Victor Frankenstein, who narrates his account of life to Walton and tells him about his weird creation and how he happens to be at sea.

After listening to the story of Victor, Walton admires his experiences. When Victor reaches in the story to the episode in which he meets the Monster, the narration shifts to the Monster. The Monster narrates his miseries in the first person.

Initially, the readers and Victor both assume the monster to be inhumane and barbaric; however, listening to his perspective, both realize the kindness and innocence of the monster. The narration again changes to Victor, who continues his story. The novel ends with the narration of Walton, who ends the story from the first-person point of view.

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Victor Frankenstein Analysis

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Published: Mar 19, 2024

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Introduction, victor's ambition, the admirable and dangerous nature of victor's ambition, the devastating consequences, victor's lack of responsibility, the dangers of unchecked scientific progress, victor's character as a reflection of the human condition.

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Roger Corman, 98, Dies; Prolific Master of Low-Budget Cinema

He had hundreds of horror, science fiction and crime films to his credit. He also helped start the careers of Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and many others.

By Aljean Harmetz

Roger Corman, who for decades dominated the world of B movies as the producer or director of countless proudly low-budget horror, science fiction and crime films, died on Thursday at his home in Santa Monica, Calif. He was 98.

His death was confirmed in a statement by his family posted late Saturday on his official Instagram page.

Mr. Corman produced more than 300 films and directed roughly 50 of them, including cult classics like “A Bucket of Blood” (1959), “The Masque of the Red Death” (1964), “The Wild Angels” (1966) and the original “The Little Shop of Horrors” (1960), which he shot for $35,000 in two days on a set left over from somebody else’s movie.

When he got tired of directing, he opened the door to Hollywood for talented young protégés like Francis Ford Coppola (“Dementia 13”), Martin Scorsese (“Boxcar Bertha”), Jonathan Demme (“Caged Heat”), Peter Bogdanovich (“Targets”) and Ron Howard (“Grand Theft Auto”).

Mr. Corman “was able to nurture other talent in a way that was never envious or difficult but always generous,” Mr. Scorsese said of him. “He once said: ‘Martin, what you have to get is a very good first reel, because people want to know what’s going on. Then you need a very good last reel, because people want to hear how it all turns out. Everything else doesn’t really matter.’ Probably the best sense I have ever heard about the movies.”

Among the others Mr. Corman nurtured was Jack Nicholson, who was 21 when Mr. Corman gave him his first movie role, the lead in “The Cry Baby Killer” (1958), and 23 when he had a small part as a masochistic dental patient in “The Little Shop of Horrors.” Before he went on to stardom, Mr. Nicholson acted in eight Corman movies and wrote three of them, including “The Trip,” an uncautionary tale about LSD.

Bruce Dern and Peter Fonda were also part of the Corman repertory company, working together in “The Trip” and “The Wild Angels.” An unknown Robert De Niro played Shelley Winters’s heroin-addicted son in “Bloody Mama” (1970). The first script by Robert Towne, who later went on to write the Oscar-winning screenplay for “Chinatown,” was Mr. Corman’s nuclear-catastrophe love triangle, “The Last Woman on Earth” (1960). In order to earn his fee, Mr. Towne was also required to play the movie’s second lead, a handsome young man who is killed by the Last Woman’s jealous husband.

In addition to being remembered for the opportunities he gave young filmmakers, Mr. Corman was renowned for his ability to make movies with almost no money and even less time. In 1967, for example, Boris Karloff owed Mr. Corman two days’ work. According to Mr. Bogdanovich, “Roger said: ‘I want you to take 20 minutes of Karloff footage from “The Terror,” then I want you to shoot 20 more minutes with Boris, and then I want you to shoot another 40 minutes with some other actors over 10 days. I can take the 20 and the 20 and the 40, and I’ve got a whole new 80-minute Karloff film.’”

The result was the critically praised “Targets,” in which Mr. Karloff played an aging horror film star who confronts a deranged Vietnam veteran on a murderous rampage at a drive-in theater where one of his movies is playing.

From 1954 to 1970, Mr. Corman produced or directed dozens of movies for American International Pictures, most of them on a handshake deal with the fabled B-movie impresario Samuel Z. Arkoff. Budgets started at $29,000. “The Wild Angels,” considered a big movie, cost $360,000.

Bringing Bergman to the Drive-In

In 1970 Mr. Corman formed his own production and distribution company, New World Pictures. What he did next surprised Hollywood: He became the American distributor of Ingmar Bergman’s “Cries and Whispers.” The film earned Bergman nominations for Academy Awards in 1974 as writer and director; its cinematographer, Sven Nykvist, won an Oscar.

In his autobiography, “How I Made a Hundred Movies in Hollywood and Never Lost a Dime” (1990, with Jim Jerome), Mr. Corman explained that he did not want his new company “to be identified, even stigmatized, by exploitation filmmaking.” So he booked Bergman into drive-ins, and New World went on to distribute films by Akira Kurosawa, François Truffaut and Federico Fellini.

“Cries and Whispers” made a profit of more than $1 million in American theaters. Nonetheless, the name Roger Corman forever remained, in the words of the film critic David Thomson, “a synonym for blithe exploitation.”

Roger William Corman was born on April 5, 1926, in Detroit. The son of an engineer, he assumed that he would be an engineer, too.

Even during the Depression, his parents, William and Anne (High) Corman, and their two sons — Roger was 18 months older than his brother, Gene — lived comfortably. But his father had to take a major cut in pay, and to Roger it was obvious that the wolf was lurking around the next corner.

“I have always assumed that somehow shaped my attitude toward money,” Mr. Corman reflected in his autobiography.

Driven west by the harsh Michigan winters, the family moved to Southern California. After excelling at Beverly Hills High School, Roger spent a year as an engineering student at Stanford University in the middle of World War II, then spent his sophomore and junior years at the University of Colorado as a cadet in a Navy program.

He returned to Stanford when the war ended, graduating in 1947 with a degree in electrical engineering. But after working for just four days as an electrical engineer, he quit engineering forever.

He was hired as a messenger at 20th Century Fox for $32.50 a week and eventually rose to story reader. But, he wrote in his memoir, “I knew I was going to be a writer, producer or director of motion pictures, and I needed more background in the arts of the 20th century.” He enrolled at the University of Oxford on the G.I. Bill to study the work of T.S. Eliot and D.H. Lawrence.

After six months at Oxford and six months in Paris, he came home and sold a chase-across-the-desert script to Allied Artists for $3,500. He was so unhappy with the finished film, “Highway Dragnet,” directed by Nathan Juran, that he decided to become his own producer.

An Inauspicious Start

With the $3,500, a borrowed one-man submarine and $6,500 raised from a dozen friends, he was almost ready to film “Monster From the Ocean Floor,” a movie about a man-eating mutant spawned by atomic testing. But he needed another $2,000 and a director. He got both by offering the directing job to a young actor, Wyott Ordung, if Mr. Ordung, who also appeared in the film, would put up the last $2,000.

On his first few movies, Mr. Corman produced, thought up the story, drove the equipment truck and filled in as a stunt driver. Knowing nothing about directing but needing another outlet for his energy, he became his own director in 1955 with “Five Guns West.” For the next 15 years, he directed almost all the films he produced.

He earned his first taste of respectability and the favor of European critics with a series of horror films based on Edgar Allan Poe stories, most of them starring Vincent Price. The series began with “House of Usher” in 1960, with a script by the science-fiction writer Richard Matheson, and culminated in 1964 with “The Masque of the Red Death,” photographed by Nicolas Roeg, and “The Tomb of Ligeia.”

Mr. Corman liked to call himself an outlaw filmmaker, and many of his movies celebrated outlaws: Peter Fonda as the head of a nihilistic motorcycle gang in “The Wild Angels,” with real Hells Angels riding their choppers alongside the actors; and Shelley Winters as the incestuous head of a murderous family in “Bloody Mama.”

In preparation for “The Trip” (1967), he spent seven hours hugging the ground beneath a redwood tree in Big Sur while tripping on LSD for, he said, the first and only time.

“The Wild Angels,” “Bloody Mama” and “The Trip” were all denounced by critics, and they all made money. One of Mr. Corman’s few commercial failures was his most deeply felt film, “The Intruder” (1962), the story of a rabble-rousing white supremacist. Mr. Corman gave the role of the Northern bigot who spreads hatred in a Southern town to a young stage actor, William Shatner. When no studio agreed to be his partner, Mr. Corman, a self-proclaimed lifelong liberal, provided most of the $80,000 budget and distributed “The Intruder” himself.

New World, New Honors

By 1970, Mr. Corman was burned out by directing and by his peripatetic bachelor life. That summer he completed the last movie he would direct for 20 years, “Von Richthofen and Brown,” about the World War I German flying ace known as the Red Baron and the Allied pilot who shot him down. (His next directorial effort, the 1990 science fiction-horror hybrid “Frankenstein Unbound,” was also his last.)

On Dec. 26, 1970, at the age of 44, Mr. Corman married Julie Halloran, a former Los Angeles Times researcher whom he had been dating off and on for six years. With his wife and his brother as co-producers, he formed New World Pictures.

At New World, he was responsible for “The Student Nurses,” “Private Duty Nurses” and “I Never Promised You a Rose Garden,” an intelligent and disturbing adaptation of Hannah Green’s semi-autobiographical novel about a teenage girl with schizophrenia, which received an Academy Award nomination for its screenplay, by Gavin Lambert and Lewis John Carlino.

He sold New World in 1983, keeping the valuable film library, and promptly created a new production and distribution company, Concorde-New Horizons. In 1997 he sold Concorde-New Horizons and its library for $100 million.

He is survived by his wife, Julie, and his daughters, Catherine and Mary, according to the statement from his family.

Mr. Corman remained active into the 21st century. He produced for Netflix “Splatter” (2009), a three-part online horror series with a difference: Audience votes determined which characters would be killed. He produced intentionally cheesy monster movies like “Sharktopus” (2010), “Piranhaconda” (2012) and “CobraGator” (2016) for the Syfy channel.

He received an honorary Oscar in 2009, and in 2011 he was the subject of a well-received documentary feature, “Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel,” directed by Alex Stapleton.

Interviewed by The Hollywood Reporter in 2013, Mr. Corman was philosophical about his life’s work. “Motion pictures have always been part art and part business,” he said. “If I have a burning vision, it’s to keep on working.”

Peter Keepnews and Yan Zhuang contributed reporting.