ipl-logo

Romantic Themes In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

1282 Words6 Pages

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. 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.
The first expression of nature and its effect on the mood of characters is portrayed with Robert Walton and the many letters that he sends to his sister. Walton claims that the northern breeze braces his nerves and fills him with delight and excitement …show more content…

Petersburg is what urges him to keep his course going north. Continuously, Walton expresses his pleasure with the beauty of the mountains and lakes he encounters on his journey, overwhelming him with a joyful, gay mood. (Academic Help) On the other hand, Walton’s crew views the wind as a cold and unwelcoming host, and are rather melancholy towards the end of Frankenstein. Rather than letting nature and mood dwell on Walton and his crew, the novel progresses towards Frankenstein and his monster.
The influencing power of nature is somewhat withdrawn at major points in the book, mainly due to its connection with the Byronic hero, Victor Frankenstein. Towards the beginning of the novel, Frankenstein is shown to be both an intellectual and nature loving person at the same time, having both Romanticism and Enlightenment traits. (Academic Help) As the book progresses, Frankenstein

Show More
Related

  • Why Does Mary Shelley Use Of Personification In Frankenstein

    656 Words  | 3 Pages

    Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is a gothic novel that tells the story of scientist, Victor Frankenstein, and his obsession with creating human life. This leads him to creating a gruesome monster made of body-parts stolen from grave yards, whom upon discovering his hideousness, the monster seeks revenge against his creator, causing Victor to regret the creation of his monster for the rest of his life. Shelley uses the literary elements of personification, imagery, and similes to give a vivid sense and visualization of Victor Frankenstein’s thoughts and feelings as well as to allow us to delve deeper into the monster’s actions and emotions. Throughout the novel, Shelley uses personification of various forces and objects to reflect the effect in Victor’s actions.

    Read More

  • The Relationship With The Natural World In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

    672 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the idea of the natural world is recurring and helps relate many characters with nature. Victor Frankenstein, the protagonist in the novel, has a very close and unique relationship with the natural world. In Victor’s life, the idea of the sublime or the natural world comes up in emotional and significant moments. Nature changes Victor’s mood, forms his character, and shows his growth through poetic devices. In Frankenstein, nature directly affects what Victor sees and feels.

    Read More

  • Light And Dark In Frankenstein Analysis

    1868 Words  | 8 Pages

    Light and Dark in Frankenstein Throughout Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the reader is torn between the forces of good and evil, as well as which characters represent which force. Perhaps the most masterful element of this novel is conveying how an individual can not be judged as wholly good or evil, and how having elements of both traits greatly forms the human experience. By using the motifs of light and dark to represent the positives and negatives of humanity, Mary Shelley is able to effectively convey character traits, depict transitions of good and evil within characters, and employ haunting symbolism and imagery into the novel and transform it into a literary masterpiece. The use of light and dark as imagery in the novel could not be

    Read More

  • The Weather In Frankenstein

    445 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many more books show a usage of weather in their story, this combined to give an audience a profound piece of literature. The weather development predicted many conflicts of the

    Read More

  • Foreshadowing And Thematic Elements In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

    524 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mary Shelley's use of foreshadowing and different thematic elements, is what makes Frankenstein a true horror story. Themes such as fate and deception are prevalent throughout the novel. These themes aide in foreshadowing and allowing the reader to predict what will happen throughout the story. One prediction is that the monster that Victor has created, will attack the town and destroy everything he loves. Frankenstein will have to admit his faults and be outcast from his family and country.

    Read More

  • The Influence Of Nature In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

    1191 Words  | 5 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • The Power Of Nature In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

    1120 Words  | 5 Pages

    In the novel Frankenstein, the author Mary Shelley shows the everlasting power of nature by limiting the knowledge man can learn about it. Throughout the book there are many times when Victor yearns for nature in order to heal him from the misery and violence in his life. This misery and violence are caused by his determination to learn more about the natural world. The monster Victor creates, due to his loneliness, defies the unwritten rules of nature and exemplifies the supernatural aspect of the novel. Victor’s mood completely shifts when he is around nature and he instantly feels calmer when near it.

    Read More

  • Natural Imagery In Frankenstein

    1333 Words  | 6 Pages

    he natural imagery in "Frankenstein" is comparable to the best in the Romantic literature. Mary Shelley paints Nature and its divine grandeur with some rare strokes of a masterful hand. She deliberately juxtaposes the exalted vision of Mother Nature with the horrendous spectacle of a man-made monster and his ghastly deeds. This steep contrast sets reader thinking about the wisdom of departing away from the set norms of Nature. Mary's message to mankind is loud and clear; do not mess with Nature for your own good.

    Read More

  • Innovative Literary Techniques In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

    796 Words  | 4 Pages

    Written during the ninteenth century, the gothic Frankensteinnovel by Marry Shelly, tells the story of a young educated student Victor Frankenstein, who creates a grotesque but fantastic creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment, which leads to different tragic events. Shelly writes about the creation of the creature and how he is first introduce to his livelihood and this world. In this novel Shelly uses different types of literary techniques to convey the expression of the creature as a baby just learning about life and the world, and by employing innovative literary techniques such as imagery, setting, theme, and characterization, she creates a feeling of sympathy on the readers. This feeling is created through Shelly establishment of pity on the readers by reavealing the creature’s loathsome creation, habitat, or even existence.

    Read More

  • Character Development In Frankenstein

    1921 Words  | 8 Pages

    Such passion is seen in Victor’s ‘noble intent’ to design a being that could contribute to society, but he had overextended himself, falling under the spell of playing ‘God,’ further digging his grave as he is blinded by glory. His creation – aptly called monstrous being due to its stature, appearance, and strength – proved to be more of a pure and intellectually disposed ‘child’ that moves throughout the novel as a mere oddity, given the short end of the stick in relation to a lack of familial figures within his life, especially that of parents. Clearly, Victor Frankenstein had sealed his fate: by playing God he was losing his humanity, ultimately becoming the manifestation of Mary Shelley’s hidden desires, deteriorating into The Lucifer Principle by which the author Howard Bloom notes social groups, not individuals, as the primary “unit of selection” in human psychological

    Read More

  • Motifs And Techniques In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

    769 Words  | 4 Pages

    Would you hurt or abandon a baby? In the fictional novel Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley the main character Victor Frankenstein believes that he can bring life to a body he makes from human parts. He does successfully create this creature but ends up being terrified and disgusted by it so he runs and abandons it. The creature then departs in solitude and later sets out for revenge against Victor for abandoning him. Shelley conveys the creature as a child learning about life using several different techniques in order for the audience to feel sympathy towards it.

    Read More

  • Literary Criticism In Frankenstein

    1245 Words  | 5 Pages

    Their perspectives of nature, however, are vastly different due to their circumstances regarding companionship and affection from companions. Victor Frankenstein describes nature as calming and it brings him great happiness when he is surrounded by nature because he himself is happy and adored by friends who surround him. Frankenstein has friends whom he holds strong bonds with where “harmony was the soul of [their] companionship, and the diversity and contrast that subsided [their] characters drew [them] nearer together” (29, Chapter 2). He is surrounded by companions that give him plenty of love and affection that in turn, bring him happiness and a favoring outlook on nature. Victor takes pleasure in wandering through various scenes of nature, feeling accepted by it, therefore, he can portray it as full of life and “awful and majestic” (82, Chapter 10).

    Read More

  • Nature And Romanticism In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

    758 Words  | 4 Pages

    The influencing power of nature is somewhat withdrawn at major points in the book, mainly due to its connection with the Byronic hero, Victor Frankenstein. Towards the beginning of the novel, Frankenstein is shown to be both an

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Mother Nature In Shelley's Frankenstein

    862 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Nature And Setting In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

    764 Words  | 4 Pages

    The references made to nature throughout the novel affect the characters mood. “The very winds whispered in soothing accents, and maternal nature bade me we know more” (77). This quotation from the book shows the impact that nature expressed to Victor that made him feel relieved and happy. “My spirits were elevated by the enchanting and parents of nature; the past was blotted from my memory, the presence was tranquil, and the future gilded by bright rays of hope and anticipations of joy” (96).

    Read More

More about Romantic Themes In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Open Document