Through discussing the works of Dicken's Great Expectations and Shelly's Frankenstein I plan to show that, although on the surface the novels appear to be very differnt, there are a number of similarities to be seen when we explore the character's origins through genre convention. I plan to show how different works, through the narrative, can be shaped by personal and personal influences, by religous traditions, gothic and melodramatic conventions, repetition of myth and of course predominately realism.
Both aithors draw on their own life experiences to shape the novels. Shelly may have drawn on the death of her own Mother in childbirth, and also on her Mother's feminism. It is also suggested that having no name of her own (she was named after her Mother) she was a snameless as Frankensteins monster. Shelly is also influenced by her Father's love of Milton, which was quite commonplace around the time that the novel was written.
Steel engraving (993 x 71mm) for frontispiece to t...
Manuscript page from Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
English: Miss Havisham, Pip, and Estella, in art f...The reader can also see the influences of OPercy Shelly and Lord Byron, who's company she was in when writing. These influences are expressed in the form of romantic conventions, which are indicated by descriptions of nature and the way that nature is inspirational, eg: p 94-95 ' in the meanwhile....pleasure to me'
Dickens draws on his own poor background and his desire to to climb the social hierachy. The reader also sees more suspense and indepth descriptions of the charaters with distinct mannerisms, for example the 'click' in the throat of the convict. This is because Great Expectations was originally a serial in a magazine and Dickens neede to make the charaters easily recognisable.
Both authors use language to represent reality or give the illusion of reality. They create and develop the charaters by using descriptive passages, and use action in ythenarrative to...