ENGL 393 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: The Principle, Vitalism, God Complex
20 Sep 2016
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See page 38 and 39: almost like he is blaming his downfall on his father. Allusions to christopher marlowe"s doctor faustus (1604: bottom of page 39, remember that faustus wants more power so he makes a deal with the devil but ends up damning himself. Language of power (and power of language) used to describe scientific endeavors and experiments: it seems like victor hasn"t really learned anything, hasn"t learned to control his power- hungry drive. Novel being critical of enlightenment science, pointing out the violence of it. Whence, i often asked myself, did the principle of life proceed? p51. Very pubic series of debates between wo professors at london"s royal college of surgeons. John abernethy (vitalist) vs. william lawrence (materialist); the latter was the shelley family"s personal physician. See marilyn butler"s article, frankenstein and radical science . Animals could be dissected alive in surgical amphitheatres without anesthesia.
