The Romantic Prometheus: Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”, P. B. Shelley’s “Prometheus Unbound” and Lord Byron’s “Manfred”.
| Thesis title in Czech: | Romantický Prométheus v dílech “Frankenstein” Mary Shelley, “Nespoutaný Prométheus” P.B. Shelleyho a “Manfred” lorda Byrona |
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| Thesis title in English: | The Romantic Prometheus: Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”, P. B. Shelley’s “Prometheus Unbound” and Lord Byron’s “Manfred”. |
| Key words: | Prométheus, romantismus, lord Byron, Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, Manfred, Odpoutaný Prométheus, Percy Bysshe Shelley |
| English key words: | Prometheus, Romanticism, Lord Byron, Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, Manfred, Prometheus Unbound, Percy Bysshe Shelley |
| Academic year of topic announcement: | 2014/2015 |
| Thesis type: | Bachelor's thesis |
| Thesis language: | angličtina |
| Department: | Department of Anglophone Literatures and Cultures (21-UALK) |
| Supervisor: | Mgr. Miroslava Horová, Ph.D. |
| Author: | hidden - assigned and confirmed by the Study Dept. |
| Date of registration: | 22.10.2014 |
| Date of assignment: | 22.10.2014 |
| Administrator's approval: | not processed yet |
| Confirmed by Study dept. on: | 22.04.2015 |
| Date and time of defence: | 22.06.2015 00:00 |
| Date of electronic submission: | 01.06.2015 |
| Date of proceeded defence: | 22.06.2015 |
| Submitted/finalized: | committed by worker on behalf on and finalized |
| Opponents: | PhDr. Zdeněk Beran, Ph.D. |
| Guidelines |
| Following the time of political turmoil and social change sweeping through Europe (the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars, the Industrial Revolution), the mythological figure of Prometheus was especially popular in English Romantic literature. The Promethean symbol and values of liberty and defiance were evident inspirations of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, P. B. Shelley’s Prometheus Unbound and Lord Byron’s Manfred. I was intrigued by the subtitle of Mary Shelley’s novel “The Modern Prometheus” and being interested in English Romantic literature, I seek to discuss the manner in which and mainlywhy the aforementioned authors present and discuss Prometheus in their work.
Prometheus’ chief characteristics are his caring and self-sacrificing, yet rebellious and cunning nature - he is in short an individual that the Romantics could relate to, also because he suffered for his ethical beliefs and was mentally strong enough to stand up against the Olympian authorities. His name translates as ‘forethought’ or ‘foresight’ and this is without doubt connected to why the Romantics found him relevant at the time. There are a few issues that will need to be confronted. First of all, there are countless versions of the ancient myth, so instead I will direct my attention to the values and symbols associated with Prometheus. Secondly, there are also other literary works that had influenced the ones analyzed; for example, Frankenstein to some extent draws on Milton’s Paradise Lost, Byron’s Manfred refers to the German legend and Goethe’s appropriation of Faust and P. B. Shelley’s Prometheus Unbound is a reaction to the work of the ancient Greek tragedian Aeschylus Prometheus Bound. After a brief introduction on the literary and historical context, my chief aim is to find why Prometheus is so topical for the selected authors of this period. To do this, I will use the following method of research. 1) Focus on each of the chosen literary works separately and identify specific Promethean aspects discussed by the Romantic author. 2) Discuss the Promethean set of values and symbols presented in connection to or comparison to the protagonist of the chosen work (Mary Shelley’s Dr Frankenstein, Byron’s Manfred and P. B. Shelley’s Prometheus). 3) Critically assess the way in which the ancient Prometheus is changed, deconstructed or newly formulated. |
| References |
| With this in mind, besides discussing the primary sources, my secondary source materials include the following titles that are available either in the university libraries or online:
§ Creature and Creator: Myth-making and English Romanticism, Paul A. Cantor (CUP Archive, 1985) § The Cambridge Companion to Greek Mythology,Roger D. Woodard (Cambridge UP, 2007) § Prometheus Bound, Aeschylus (Cambridge UP, 1983) § Mary Shelley’s „Frankenstein“, Harold Bloom (Infobase Publishing, 2007) § Romantic Poetry and Prose, Harold Bloom (Oxford UP, 1973) § In Frankenstein’s Shadow, Chris Baldick (Oxford UP, 2001) |