Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

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The novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley was written in the era of Romanticism which occurred between the eighteenth to the nineteenth century as a direct stance against The Age of Enlightenment. This particular historical time elevated both science and reason to be the ultimate goal. In contrast, the Romantic Movement namely aimed towards having intuition dominate reason and consider nature as a healing place for humans to flee urbanization and industrialization, Romanticism also celebrated the individual as a force to rebel against the status quo. In the following essay, I will be discussing the ensuing themes that make Shelley’s Frankenstein a Romantic novel: the individual as an outcast from society, the heavy influence of heightened emotional states, as well as the use of the ‘sublime’ (a mixture of both fear and awe of nature) which contrasts urbanization and modern development which birth the stylistic form of Romantic writing.
The role of the individual in contrast to the masses plays an important role in Frankenstein; perhaps the best example of this is seen via an analysis of the main character Victor Frankenstein. Frankenstein is an eccentric scientist who dwells in a mysterious mansion located in Geneva, Switzerland. He is a dual character in nature, struggling against either believing in reason or the unknown. In other words, Frankenstein represents both the positive and negative aspects within science. In the novel Victor Frankenstein’s father, Alphonse Frankenstein, criticizes his study of ancient philosophies which tend to focus on the supernatural and the inexplicable. He desired him to solely focus on the rational and logical contemporary work at hand “… My dear Victor, do not waste your time upon this; it is sad t...

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...ouTube. Richey. Feb 16 2014. Video. May 11 2014. < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ky6qKSCvSMw&list=PLnr-Pfk9NI7JfYD-kiYo1PAmUg7i-WggD>.

• McAtee, Marjorie, and W. Everett. "What Is the Connection Between Romanticism and Nature?.”WiseGeek. Conjecture, 2 May 2014. Web. 11 May 2014. .

• "Themes, Motifs & Symbols." SparkNotes. SparkNotes, n.d. Web. 11 May 2014.
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"I'm looking for characteristics of romanticism in Frankenstein.”enotes.com. enotes.com. 5 Apr. 2012. Web. 11 May 2014. .

• "sublime." © Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.. 11 May. 2014..

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