Frankenstein is in the genre of
Gothic literature because Shelley uses elements of that genre to criticize both
romanticism and rationalism. Shelley shows favoritism to romanticism, though, which
can be seen in her characters’ strong admiration for nature. Victor, for
example, spends a whole day wandering through the mountains after William and
Justine’s deaths. He describes his beautiful surroundings in detail, exclaiming
“the sublime and magnificent scenes afforded me the greatest consolation that I
was capable of receiving” (Shelley 101). Descriptions like this one pepper the
novel and illustrate Shelley’s romanticism, especially in her fondness of
nature.
Continuing her praise of nature and
its peacefulness, Shelley criticizes rationalism and science through her novel.
Victor Frankenstein, a chemist and pupil of the natural sciences, clearly
represents rationalism. Rational thought, especially in the context of the
enlightenment, focused intensely on the abandonment of emotional thought and
motivation, in favor of a way of thinking that was clearer, more concise, and based
in fact. Shelley points out that this new way of thinking is flawed through
Victor Frankenstein’s insanity in his work. Frankenstein himself even admits as
he’s recounting the story that he got a little too obsessed with creating his
being. In fact, he got so consumed with the small details of his work that he
failed to recognize the bigger picture of what he was creating. Thus,
Frankenstein was shocked and horrified at the creature that he alone spent
night and day working on for months. He could not really see the monster
because he was looking at it through his rational and scientific “lenses,” if
you will. However, when life was breathed into the Creature, Frankenstein
viewed his creation with emotion and saw a repulsive being. In his surprise, Frankenstein
panicked and fled, leaving the confused monster to fend for itself. Through
this series of events, Shelley points out that emotions are necessary to see the
full picture, yet are also flawed and should not be the only tools used to make
decisions.
The Creature’s representation, on
the other hand, is not as clear. He is an unnatural creation, an artificial
being that Frankenstein created in his rational defiance of the laws of nature.
However, the Creature himself, as his own being, represents romanticism. The
Creature is completely controlled by his emotions, acting on whatever anger or
sadness he is feeling at the moment. Give in text example of him changing his
mind twice after the family freaks out at him.
Overall, Frankenstein resonates
with every reader because it calls into question the everlasting nature vs.
nurture debate. Whether you are someone controlled by your emotions, or someone
who meticulously and rationally thinks through your actions, we all wonder
whether people are naturally evil or if they are corrupted by human experience.
Should we blame the Creature for killing all of Frankenstein’s family, or
should we blame Frankenstein for creating the Creature in the first place? The answer
all depends on your perspective.
Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. Frankenstein. New York: The
Penguin Group, 2013. Print.
I feel that many people, myself included, didn't really touch on the nature and environment bit of Frankenstein, which definitely fits in with Romanticism! The appreciation of nature in the story is certainly very important because, as you pointed out, the whole terror of Frankenstein began with one man tampering with nature and life. Nice job!
ReplyDeleteInteresting reaction. I like your analysis, however, I would disagree with you on the grounds that Gothicism does not serve as a median between Romantic and Enlightenment ideals. While Mary Shelley certainly criticizes both traditions, Gothicism is not neutral battleground. Rather, it is best viewed as a more specialized version of Romanticism, packaged with its own unique elements. The ideals of irrationality and passion touted by the Romantic school of thought motivate Frankenstein to create the monster in the first place. You assert that Frankenstein's motive was grounded in rationality. However, the idea to build a monster was fertilized by some dark obsession to literally create life. While his approach certainly is scientific and rational, at his core, Victor Frankenstein is fueled by passion. Please read my blog post if you get the opportunity (shameless advertising) as I explicate this idea a little bit more there. Great post!
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