Nature And Setting In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Nature; a Maternal Presence During strenuous times, it is common for people to grab onto something to aid them through that struggle. In the novel Frankenstein, nature is the aid that is provided to characters. From the very beginning of Frankenstein, Mary Shelley incorporates nature, with Robert Walton writing, “I shall satiate my ardent curiosity with the sight of a part of the world never before visited, and may tread a land never before imprinted by the foot of man” (11). This fascination of nature has a prominent role in the remainder of the novel, with more characters than just Robert Walton.

In Mary Shelley’s iconic gothic novel, Frankenstein, Romantic themes are strongly represented in order to propagandize Romanticism over the elements of knowledge and the Enlightenment. In her novel, Shelley uses gothic nature settings to foreshadow dark events that are about to happen in the novel. She also uses nature to intensify the effect that is brought during significant scenes, a strong example being, when Victor Frankenstein’s monster approaches him after a long period of time. Nature and its use to influence mood is one of the most paramount themes of both Frankenstein and Romanticism.

Victor Frankenstein is a Romantic and Gothic protagonist, because he has an interest with the past. He revels in the works of famous natural philosophers, who drive him to pursue the sciences, and his use of knowledge results in the birth of the Creature, which has large and unfortunate

Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, is one of the most important and popular novels in the Romantic genre to this day. The novel was originally controversial because it touched on many fragile subjects such as the human anatomy and the development of science. The structure of Frankenstein begins as an epistolary, narrative story told by Robert Walton to his sister in England. Walton’s letters tell us that he is exploring, searching for what lies beyond the North Pole, and he eventually connects with Frankenstein. Shelley creates the protagonist, Dr. Victor Frankenstein, who has a fascination with life and death.

After this passage, Victor then moves to exclaim that he would be alright if “Wandering spirits” would “take me...away from the joys of life.” By connecting the daunting and rainy landscape to the feelings of elation and awe that envelop Victor, the reader can interpret that, unlike the beginning of the novel where Victor is accustomed to the sunny bliss of Geneva, he is instead much more at ease within the dark yet powerful landscapes of the mountains. Using the darkness of the rainy day, Shelley helps to paint a picture of the melancholy that begins to take hold of Victor’s

The Romantic Movement started in Germany and then it moved all around the world and became well known in England. It was a reaction to the Enlightenment and the focus on the human reason. It was a reaction towards the Industrial Revolution and Neo Classical Movement as well.

The Tides that Turned Mother Nature is disrupted when Victor Frankenstein attempts to “...Pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation” (Shelley 28) . In the novel, Frankenstein’s interest in alchemy and natural philosophy form an irreversible desire to change natural order. Over time, we are able to see the life altering effects of altering life, and how characters who stick to nature 's path are more successful. In Shelley’s Frankenstein, a foil between Victor and Henry is developed to demonstrate that romanticism results in authentic joy, whereas altering the natural world leads to fatal repercussions.

Shelley sets the challenging tone in the beginning by hinting to a possible dangerous predicament that Victor may find himself. He describes the landscape as “terrifically desolate” (66). This is a recurring description that Shelley often uses when Frankenstein desires solidarity and secludes himself from society. It can be seen again when he isolates himself on the Orkneys Islands, “[…] whose high sides were continually beaten upon by the waves”, as well whose “soil was barren” (119). Shelley’s description of the soil and the roaring tides add to the dreary and treacherous scenery she attempts to create.

Not even hours after the Creature comes to life, Victor feels “mingled with this horror, I felt the bitterness of disappointment; dreams that had been my food and pleasant rest for so long a space were

Numerous research has concluded that several emotional bonds exist between humanity and nature that can impact everything from attitude to anxiety. Novels of the romanticism period, a significant literary era that encompassed most European works written in the early 1800’s, are most known for describing the impacts that nature has on people and implying that unexpected consequences can arise out of this relationship; Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a prime example of such a novel. The prime conflict of this 1818 science-fiction story occurs between the titular character, Victor Frankenstein, and a monster he creates through his own scientific innovations. Because of Victor’s abandonment of the monster, it becomes intent on destroying the scientist’s

In Frankenstein, on Victor’s way home after being away for six years, a key moment in the novel that weather sets the mood is when “It echoed from Saleve, the Juras, and the Alps of Savoy; vivid flashes of light dazzled my eyes, illuminating the lake making it appear like a vast sheet of fire; then for an instant, everything seemed of pitchy darkness, until the eye recovered from the preceding flash” (Shelley 50). The author, Shelley uses weather to describe the murder of his young brother, William. The weather conditions effect Victor’s mood and convey his emotional feelings of Victor as being scared, sad, or depressed. The imagery in the quote relates to the thunder thus a way to broadcast the murder of his younger brother across the land and

Natural landscapes in "Frankenstein" help the author to bring out the theme of sublime Nature, dangers of forbidden knowledge and monstrous results of wrong actions. Nature is visible throughout "Frankenstein" in all its glory and contrasts. Natural surroundings have been shown to have therapeutic powers. The natural beauty of St. Petersburg beckons Robert Walton to keep heading towards the North Pole. The immortal beauty of the mountains and lakes is contrasted with the ephemeral nature of human existence and grief.

Primarily, Victor Frankenstein’s home life had a formative influence in his early life since it molded him into who he became as an adult. Victor was born into a very wealthy and distinguished family, who did not let their social status and wealth define who they were in society. His family remained generous and noble. By being the affectionate people they were, Victor’s parents raised him as their plaything which left him with a large amount of confidence, and the belief that greatness is part of his destiny. This makes Victor unusually determined and ambitious (his ambition becomes great and he crosses the boundary of mankind and experimenting).

While Victor is not literally alone, due to his family and best friend Henry Clerval, Victor understands himself to be emotionally imprisoned. As a result of this he resolves that he cannot communicate his emotions to the people who, on the surface seem to be the ones closest to Victor such as Clerval or his wife Elizabeth, but in all actuality, Victor comes to the conclusion that he must face his emotional turmoil alone. In his younger years, Victor would attempt to cope with his emotions by engrossing himself in his studies of science, biology and early genetics, however, by encompassing himself in his work he only solidifies himself as an outcast. Victor even displays the depth of his emotional solitude when he asserts “swelling as it proceeded, it became the torrent which, in its course, has swept away all my hopes and joys. Natural philosophy is the genius that has regulated my fate”(Shelley 27)

Furthermore, Victor attributes his change in feeling to “human nature”. This contrasts with the horrifying description that the reader is just given of the creature. Here Victor is explaining the creature’s disgusting body, and explaining his reaction to it as human nature. Victor goes on to tell Walton the following: Oh!