Frankenstein

 

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

 

This week in class we are reading the romantic novel by Mary Shelley, Frankenstein.

I really enjoyed the novel and I really feel that it's a great book to further your understanding of romanticism in literature.

 

One of the main components of romanticism is the beauty of memories and emotion and this is something prevalent throughout the novel. As Victor tells his story he is extremely grateful and emotional upon talking about his family and his childhood. He takes pages just to tell of his childhood and how fondly he remembers it. This reminds me of "Ode to Intellectual Beauty" and how it talks about the beauty of one's memories and experiences.

 

Another component of romanticism is the beauty of nature. This is expressed primarily through the creation that Victor Frankenstein made. The creature finds solace and comfort in nature that he couldn't find in the villages because they were afraid of him. Later, after William's murder and Justine's execution, Victor himself finds the same comfort from fleeing into the mountains and enjoying nature. It seems to be the only thing that comforts him from the awful events that have happened and the guilt he feels from creating the monster.

 

While these are just a few of the romantic elements found in Frankenstein, they are certainly the strongest to me and helped me understand a romantic text versus a realistic text.