«Fearless therefore Powerful» Sociability and Emotions in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

Abstract

This paper analyses the role played by fear as the motive of both Victor Frankenstein and his monster’s behaviour. Moving from the natural horror the monster excites, fear is mostly considered by Mary Shelley as a normal reaction, and its absence marks pathological circumstances, such as cruelty or unsympathetic and antisocial feelings. Referring to the philosophical debate on moral sympathy and to the scientific discussion on Erasmus Darwin’s account of animal instincts, Shelley also provided remarkable criticis