some excerpts from some essays i've read about the post-partum & tokophobia readings of frankenstein to think about after reading today's chapter (please be aware, if you choose to seek these essays out in full, they contain spoilers for later parts of the book).
from āFrankensteinās Postpartum Depressionā, by Micaela Walley:
Throughout the novel, we see Dr. Frankenstein experience every single symptom of postpartum depression. In chapter four of the novel, Dr. Frankenstein begins the private rituals of creating new life. He withdraws from family, friends, and his professional work to devote his entire being into the creation of another creature. However, in chapter five, at the first glimpse of the creature, all hope and devotion that heād previously felt is gone and replaced by the need to get away from it. The real horrific experience of the novel is not at the ghastly image of the creature, but in the idea that the creature is inescapableāalways waiting, wanting, and needing something more from him.Ā Ā
After the creature is born, chapters five and six revolve around Dr. Frankensteinās mental breakdown. He struggles to sleep and is bedridden for months with anxiety. He also completely isolates himself aside from his caretaker, Henry Clerval. [...] When he returns home and must face the reality of the creatureās existence, he is put right back into a negative headspace that haunts him for the rest of the novel.
from "The Madness of Motherhood", by Amber Bird:
It is important to note that although the term āpostpartum depressionā would not have existed for Mary Shelley, the condition most certainly would have. The pattern of having a baby and developing the symptoms of depression would be expected of women giving birth. Paired with the acceptance of Victorās role as mother/parent in the novel, it is important to note that he manifests the feelings of anger, anxiety, guilt, hopelessness, and lack of interest that are commonly associated with postpartum depression.
Regardless of the lack of medical jargon needed to talk about the effects of child birthing, postpartum depression was and is a real, debilitating, mental illness that demands attention. Noticing these connections, one can no longer push for surface-level interpretations of Victor as a bad parent. He is a sick parent. He is a mentally ill parent. And adaptations should provide space for this type of Victor to exist.
The modern-day implications of this reading frames Shelleyās novel as a mandate to rise up and perceive the world differently. Frankenstein can no longer be read or adapted through the lens of simply ābad parenting.ā Admittedly, Victor was a bad parentāhe abandoned the creature the day it was created. But those actions, the weeping and wailing and self-absorption that make Victor a bad parent, cannot stand without a serious consideration of the symptoms of postpartum depression that are also present in the novel. More than anything, applying an understanding of postpartum depression to Victor provides room for empathy and understanding. It makes him humanāa living, breathing, feeling human. [...] Re-reading the āEvil Dr. Frankensteinā as a potentially mentally-ill patient is not only supported by the text, but is necessitated by the sheer progress of our time. A Victor Frankenstein with postpartum depression is evidence that we can no longer afford to read individuals or societies on the surface. Instead of ignoring, brushing off, or vilifying behavior we do not understand, itās time we embrace vulnerabilities with empathy and understanding.
2087
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