Frankenstein by Mary Shelly is many things. It is horror, romantic and well,science fiction. The story dwells into the ugly of not only science but of man and lonilesness as well. All in all the novel is a classic , adored by many and an inspiration to modern culture, all forms of media, literature , art and so much more. The novel mainy centres around Victor Frankenstein [the young student scientist] and his 'monster creation. '.
Despite this apparent difference, Mary Shelley was deeply influenced by the romantics, and the reader of Frankenstein can certainly identify a number of characteristics of romanticism in this novel. (Smith, 1). Shelley's novel Frankenstein is both Romanticism, and Gothic romance. So now that we have that knowledge about the story we can find out how this affected the story itself.
In the introduction Blanning argues that, besides the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution, the Romantic Revolution was as, if not more, important, and just as radical and extensive. He then sets out to prove his point in a very rational setting. In his introduction, Blanning writes that the only way one can hope to understand Romanticism is ‘to enter the world of the romantics by the routes they chose themselves.’ His argument is that in order to fully appreciate Romanticism, one must know, or at least experience, its many appearances in literature, art and music. The book is filled with references to the iconic paintings, operas and novels that were born during the Romantic era.
Her greatest fame during her lifetime arose out of her scandalous relationship with Percy Shelley. And, although we know her now as the author of Frankenstein and greatly admire her and her work, following the publication of this, her most famous work, many believed
Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, contains and signifies many import Romantic elements throughout the entirety of the novel. Shelley incorporated many gothic and dark romantic elements into her story, but the heart of the novel is pure and true Romanticism. Almost all Romantic novel must haves are presented in the novel, and are attached to the writing so carefully that Frankenstein has earned its stay in the Romantic genre. Among these Romantic principles are the use of nature as a beautiful and powerful force, the Romantic ideal of creating something from nothing, and the Romantic reverence for the bittersweet cycle of life and death. the most associated theme with Romantic works is the power and beauty of nature.
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.
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. Frankenstein is a novel which is written by Mary Shelley. It is an example of a Romantic novel.
Although Shelley did not live to experience the wild inventions that have drastically evolved our world today, she did understand that the power of technology will go as far as we allow it to. This is demonstrated in the novel by scientist Victor Frankenstein whose sole focus goes into the extreme desire he feels to create life. He reads philosophers ideas and decides that “natural philosophy is the genius that has regulated my fate; I desire, therefore, in this narration, to state those facts which led to my predilection for that science” (Shelley 26). The philosophers of this time merely discussed the possibility of man creating life that Victor was determined to make a reality. He is the prime example of the hard working people that have innovative ideas today; but they can also learn a lesson from him.
During the Romantic era, Mary Shelley wrote one of her famous book called Frankenstein, which became respected literature of Romantic era. Even though Frankenstein was created mainly to emphasize horror, it rather developed different point of views; it captured many audiences who sought for ideas of science and nature. Throughout the story, Mary Shelley mingled science, human emotions, and nature in order to create supernatural tale that can be understood despite specks of illogical ideas. To make the story as much as smooth as possible without any disbeliefs, Mary Shelley incorporated science and morality in order to enhance her story to be easily absorbed and felt.
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.
Frankenstein, a novel by Mary Shelley is a Romantic and Gothic piece with many characteristics similar to other pieces of the time. Some of those utilized by the author include nature, mystery, and setting. These devices assisted
Frankenstein can be seen as a cautionary tale about the dangers and consequences of the unbounded pursuit of what you desire most, and a reminder to consider the impact that obsessive decisions might have on others. By doing so, Mary Shelley thus critiques the Romantic hero, a figure that is characterized by desire, who in this novel is Victor Frankenstein, the main character. Further, she provides the audience with her own conception of what the Romantic Hero should be like, and behave. In all Romantic literature, there is a figure called the Romantic/Byronic hero that is present.
Romanticism pictures were at the same time aimed at showing some belief in the goodness of humanity. The romanticism pictures were designed at making sure they presented a message of justice to all. A Strong belief in the senses and emotions was inclusive, and most of the pictures were aimed at bringing out the importance of wisdom and knowledge. Most of the romantic artists and sculptors were found to give more emphasis to the expression of emotions as one responded to life issues. However, this was a contrast to the self-control and collective values as supported by neoclassical art (Dacus
In the narrative, Mary Shelley carefully introduces various aspects of the tradition of Romantic literature and thus, the novel can also be understood as a mirror to the society of that era. Few of the Romantic thoughts evident in Frankenstein are, the idea of individualism, yearning for a utopic state, nostalgic remembrance, the symbolic use of nature and most evidently, the presence of gothic elements that showcase intense emotions and horror. Furthermore, Shelley uses the voice of three different narrators-Walton, Victor and The Monster, to engage the audience and make them understand all the three viewpoints. Through the epistolary and framed narrative, she also continues to establish new themes as the novel proceeds. The skilful use of literary devices such as allusions, monologues, imagery and metaphors helps to dramatize the text and create an impact on the readers’ mind.
Romanticisim was a movement in literature and art which lasted from about 1789-1870 in Europe, North America and Latin America .The rising of Romanticism is associated with the Industrial Revolution, or with the American War of Independence and the French Revolution. Especially, the Industrial Revolution led to some technological and socio-economic-cultural changes at that period in the Europe. As a matter of fact that these changes invited to people to use of natural sources and the mass production of manufactured goods ,mankind obtained new skills and became a machine operator who was dependent on factory. After all,having control over nature and the ability of using resources gave a confidence to humanity. Thus,Romanticism was born as a reaction to mechanization of human life by evoking the emotional side of human and falsifiying reality.
