Mary Shelley challenges society in Frankenstein Romantic writer Mary Shelley's gothic novel Frankenstein truly does more than simply tell a story and, in this case, horrifies and frightens the reader. Through his careful and deliberate construction of characters as representations of certain dominant beliefs, Shelley advocates a value system and lifestyle that challenges those prevalent in the late 18th century during the "Age of Reason." It can therefore be said that the novel challenges the prevailing ideologies, of which the dominant society has been constructed, and supports many of society's alternative views and thoughts. Shelley can be said to have been influenced by her mother's early feminist views, her father's radical challenges to society's structure and her own, and indeed by her husband's views as romantics. Considering these vital influences on the text, we can see that in Shelley's construction of the meaning of Frankenstein, she encourages a life led as a challenge to dominant views. Many consider Shelley to be an early feminist. Certainly his mother's view on the matter cannot be doubted. In her book “A Vindication of Women's Rights” Mary Wollstonecraft criticizes the way society treats women. Likewise in Frankenstein Shelly, more than simply telling a story, challenges a dominant patriarchal value system. In the novel, women are constructed as victims of male selfishness and selfishness. Caroline Beaufort, Victor Frankenstein's mother, lived in "poverty" due to her father's "abominable pride" who refused to accept help or charity. Safie, the Turkish merchant's daughter, is almost estranged from the person she loves due to her father's "betrayal". So we can see that Shelly presents us with a…paper patriarchy…in the middle, which seeks technology without morality and judges primarily on appearance. Shelley encourages his reader to reevaluate value structures within society. , supporting the way they live and considering an alternative lifestyle. So Frankenstein should certainly be considered more than just a story; it is an important vehicle for presenting the writer's themes. Bibliography/ Works Cited Brooks, P. “‘Godlike Science/ Unhallowed Arts’: Language, Nature, and Monstrosity.” Frankenstein's Resistance. Ed. George Levine. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1979.Shelley, M. Frankenstein. Ed. Candace Ward. New York, Dover, 1994. (London). Stevenson, W. Study of readership and influence in Frankenstein. Sydney. University of NSW Publishing. 1987 Walton, M. Notes on Shelley's Frankenstein. Item. 1994