I. Administration

A. Schedule for the remainder of the semester.

B. The weeks ahead.

C. Questions?

II. Frankenstein as a Moral Critique of Reason

A. Morality and Frankenstein—see lecture.

B. Reason and Frankenstein

1. The Characters

a. Victor is a paragon of reason—he is a genius who constantly rationalizes. Victor is science personified—think of his pursuit as an illustration of how the human pursuit of knowledge naturally unfolds.

b. The creature is also a genius, teaching himself language and the art of argument and eventually prevailing over Victor.

c. Walton is also a rational man, and that is what ultimately endangers him.

d. All men—an accident?

2. The Focus – Science

3. The Events – Reasoning is a part of the texture of the narrative, via the arguments advanced by Walton, the rationalizations of Victor, and the later interactions of Victor and the creature. See lecture.

C. What would the main argument here be? What can be said for this argument?