Frankenstien;In her 1831 introduction to the novel Shelley explained how she wanted to 'curdle the blood and quicken the beatings of the heart'. Do you think she achieves her aim? Look closely at chapter 20.

... In her 1831 introduction to the novel Shelley explained how she wanted to 'curdle the blood and quicken the beatings of the heart'. Do you think she achieves her aim? Look closely at chapter 20. Shelley's aim to 'curdle the blood and quicken the beatings of the heart' of the reader instantly prepares the reader for a gothic novel with traditional themes such as, tampering with unknown sciences, revenge, the role of women at the peril of male figures, murder and many more. A typical quality within gothic literature is the physical reactions of characters and how they are portrayed as carrying out dramatic motions in response to events in the novel, in order to emphasise the terror or ghastliness of what they are witnessing. This physical reaction is the key effect Shelley is trying to put upon the reader. This heightens the sense of terror throughout the book. Another point

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