Frossard 1
Craft Table by Janelle Frossard for:
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Craft Moves: / Page Numbers: / Explanations:excessive semicolons / 79M, 79B, 80T, 81M, 81B, 82B, 83T, 83B, 84M, 85M, 85B, 86T, 87B, 88B, 89B, 90T / Shelley uses an extreme amount of semicolons, making use of them on every page of her text. This is unusual, as semicolons are often a punctuation mark used sparingly.There are even times when Shelley uses semicolons in untraditional (and seemingly incorrect) ways: “I did confess; but I confessed a lie” (83). Typically, a semicolon would be used in place of the coordinating conjunction—but is instead used here with a coordinating conjunction. Overall, the semicolon adds a real flow and connected feeling to the writing. It also gives it an air of sophistication (semicolons are considered a sort of “high-class” punctuation) that fits with the narrator (Victor Frankenstein)—a well-educated young man who would be expected to speak in a proper and dignified manner.
dramatic verbs / 79M, 82B, 83B, 86T, 87T, 88M / Throughout this section of Frankenstein, many verbs are used to add extra feeling to an already poignant chapter in the book—Justine’s trial and conviction. Here, Justine is wrongly accused of murder, and the verbs help to emphasize the drama and the guilt that the narrator is feeling (because he knows that Justine is innocent, and his own creation is the real killer). Words like “suffered” and “obliterated” paint a picture of Victor’s shame as the trial begins, and the same uncomfortable, heavy feeling continues with words like “parched” and “endured” once the trial has ended. Dramatic verbs really help to paint the scene for the reader.
long, wordy sentences and paragraphs / 80M, 82M, 87T, 87M, 88T / The long, wordy sentences and paragraphs throughout these ten pages are really just an extension of the semicolon explanation. Because the narrator is a well-educated young man from an upper class family, it makes sense that he would talk/write the way that he does. He uses long explanations that include many descriptive words, he uses excessive semicolons to link his ideas together, and he does this in a consistent and unapologetic manner. While this kind of writing could completely break a different character type, it absolutely makes Victor Frankenstein’s character and helps the reader to believe that he really is capable of creating the life and chaos that he becomes responsible for. Shelley convinces the reader that this is how the character would really communicate and tell his story.
parenthetical additions / 82M, 86T, 86B / Parenthetical additions not only create another way for Shelley to jam-pack sentences, but they allow Victor Frankenstein to share his personal thoughts and feelings. While it may seem that Frankenstein is always sharing his thoughts and feelings (it is, after all, an account told from his point of view)—he is really, more often in these pages, just sharing a play by play of events. For this reason, Shelley uses parentheses to allow Frankenstein to comment on the events that he observes and takes part in. For example, when speaking of his belief that his own creation (and not Justine) is the true murderer, he states: “(I did not for a minute doubt)” (82), using parentheses to reveal his true feelings to the reader. Parentheses become an obvious hint that Frankenstein is sharing an opinion and, perhaps, something a little more personal.
dashes / 84T, 85B, 86M, 87T, 88B, 89T / Dashes are used to add clarification to statements as Frankenstein discusses Justine’s trial and conviction. Much like parenthetical additions add clarity to the narrator’s thoughts and feelings, dashes are also used to indicate additional material and clarity. In some instances, dashes are used to give more information about a character Frankenstein is discussing. In other instances, dashes simply work to clarify meaning instead of a specific character. Either way, dashes give Shelley another way to work with her long, wordy sentences and paragraphs. Dashes add a dash of variety.