Frankenstein, Death, and Original Sin
Trouble in Paradise - Understanding Orthodoxy by Rethinking ... by Matthew Lyon
Episode notes
Episode 11 —
Frankenstein, Death, and Original Sin
This episode explores Frankenstein by Mary Shelley as more than a warning about science—it’s a story about death, the human will, and what happens when traditional theological frameworks collapse.
🧭 Core Idea
In earlier Christian thought—seen clearly in Paradise Lost—the pattern is:
sin → death
But in Frankenstein, that pattern is reversed:
death → becomes the engine that drives human action
The novel presents a world where death is no longer explained within a theological framework, but becomes the central problem shaping everything.
⚔️ Historical and Theological Background
- John Milton writes within a world shaped by:
- Reformation theology
- divine sovereignty
- human fallenness ...
Keywords
free willevangelicalEastern OrthodoxyArminianfrankensteinWilliam GodwinMary ShelleyPercy Bysshe ShelleyMary Wollstonecraft