Group+4

__Frankenstein__ and the Romantic Era Lauren Cifelli, Young Kim, Angela Lopiccolo


 * Ordinary Language V. Flowery Prose**
 * The language of novels during the time period __Frankenstein__ was written was much more flowery and flowing than ordinary language.
 * Because the novel was written in ordinary language of the time, it was easier for the newly rising and literate middle class to relate to the story.
 * Its simplicity allows for the scenes to be more graphic in a way that will strike the reader at the heart because it is easier to read and it helps the story to achieve its original goal, of striking a sense of fear in the reader.


 * Science Used to Create Life**
 * During the time of Romantic writers, there was a huge focus on the emotional and spiritual over the logical aspects of life.
 * The novel __Frankenstein__ is a wonderful example of a novel that shows the consequences of delving too far into the realm of science.
 * Because Victor Frankenstein relied on science and used it to create life, to play God in a sense, he was cursed with the burden of destroying the demon he brought into the world.
 * Victor goes through an emotional reversal in the first half of the novel: at first he was passionate about science and learning and logic alone.
 * Right after he created the monster, however, he began to show a plethora of emotions as he realized the implications of his sins.

· He almost made a pact with the devil by almost creating a second monster, which he calls a devil during the scene in which he is in the process of sewing together the second monster, but decides against it last minute. · He gets lost chasing the monster in the barren lands north of Europe like Jesus got lost in the desert. · He gives his life, as well as the lives of his entire family, to save the human race, which he is sure will be endangered if the monster and his new ‘mate’ procreate.
 * Spirituality- How the novel reflects the Bible**.
 * Romantic authors were very interested in individual spirituality.
 * __Frankenstein__, corresponding with the trends of romantic era, had hints of religious undertones, but none were very absolute.
 * Dr. Frankenstein, for example, was a Christ figure.
 * “Although interest in religion and in the powers of faith were prominent during the Romantic period, the Romantics generally rejected absolute systems, whether of philosophy or religion, in favor of the idea that each person (and humankind collectively) must create the system by which to live” –(Romanticism 1).
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http://www.turrellart.com/original_art.htm


 * Emotions**
 * There is a strong focus on the emotions of both Victor Frankenstein and the monster in the novel.


 * The monster is lonely and depressed throughout the novel.
 * He felt a strong connection to and love for the De Lacey family, but was distraught when the family members did not reciprocate his feelings.
 * “I am now going to claim the protection of some friends, whom I sincerely love, and of whose favour I have some hopes…I am full of fears, for if I fail there, I am an outcast in the world forever” (Shelley 113).
 * He yearned for a companion→asked Frankenstein for a wife to love
 * “I am alone and miserable; man will not associate with me; but one as deformed and horrible as myself would not deny herself to me. My companion must be of the same species and have the same defects. This being you must create” (Shelley 123).


 * Frankenstein is horrified at his creation.
 * Victor is regretful of his actions and feels constant guilt.


 * Emphasis on Feelings, Not Logic and Reason**
 * Frankenstein initially only wanted scientific advancement. He did not think about the moral consequences of his actions.
 * Engrossing, intensive process; Frankenstein becomes emotionally attached to his work. He was driven by his emotions to complete his work.
 * Victors hates his creation. He does not care that it is a monumental scientific achievement.
 * He regrets ever creating the monster.
 * In the end, Frankenstein realizes that too much knowledge has the possibility to damage the world; chooses emotion over knowledge.


 * Escape**
 * Escape is a constant motif in the novel


 * The monster
 * Escapes to the wilderness or the mountains to get away from the cruelty of humans.
 * Escapes from his hideousness; when he is not around human, he forgets his brute looks.


 * Frankenstein
 * Tries to escape from his responsibility as the monster’s creator (his parent).
 * Tries to hide himself and his family from the monster, until he realizes it is impossible.


 * Appreciation for Nature**

• Shelley uses aspects of nature, including the wilderness, weather, and the landscape, to suggest the mood of the novel and to parallel the characters’ emotions. o Shelley goes for irony when describing the arctic landscape in Letter 1. The frigid barren landscape is usually associated with the “desolate…tiredness… [and] death” but Shelley juxtaposes it against Walton’s sunny optimism (Foster 125). Walton becomes discouraged about his arctic journey, and the weather parallels his change of feelings by becoming even more icy and dangerous. • Readers learn later into the novel that this desolate landscape is fitting for Frankenstein since Frankenstein has become resigned to his fate, the monster’s deadly agenda is achieved, and Walton is horrified by Victor’s and Frankenstein’s stories. o The “tranquil” landscape of Geneva highlights the idyllic, innocent, and almost sacred nature of Frankenstein’s childhood home (Shelley 83). The “calm…[and] serene” scene was the setting for Frankenstein’s most joyous period of his life, his childhood, and he seems reluctant to disturb that “comparative happiness” by refusing to tell his family about his scientific experiments (Shelley 84). Frankenstein often retreats into the wilderness of Geneva to get rest and refreshment in a “heavenly” locale that contrasts so much with his sinister experiments (Shelley 84). o The weather at Belrive, the Frankensteins’ summer home, coincide with Frankenstein’s moments of revelation. A lightning storm at Belrive sparks Frankenstein’s unhealthy obsession with the origins of life. Just like how the lightning quickly burns the tree branch in Volume 2, Chapter 1, Frankenstein’s passion for the life sciences is short lived, consuming, and slowly destroys Frankenstein from within.


 * Movement of Social Classes (through Emotions and Morality)**

• Many of the characters in Frankenstein have gained or lost some social standing in order to satisfy themselves emotionally. Most have sacrificed their place in the social hierarchy by adhering to their own moral code or have gained social standing by the virtue of others. o Frankenstein’s mother was faultless in her father fall from being a wealthy merchant to becoming destitute. However, her constant care of her ailing father at the sake of her own health demonstrates her self-sacrifice. o Frankenstein’s father did not further his social standing when he married his destitute wife. His display of pity and charity for Frankenstein’s mother display his disregard for advancing his own social standing and highlights his own integrity. o Elizabeth Lavenza escapes extreme poverty as well by the virtue of the Frankenstein’s compassion. o The De Lacey’s have forsaken nobility in France for the sake of justice. Felix De Lacey faced exile and loss of his family’s wealth and standing in order to protest an unfair trial. Shelley’s emphasis in morality is one characteristic of the Romantic literary movement that leads to another: the minimization between social classes. o Safie has chosen to forsake her standing as a Persian noblewoman for the life of a peasant in order to follow her fiancée into a society that allows females some semblance of social equality. Safie displays two mainstays of the Romantic movement; Her emotions, mainly her love for Felix, and her desire for a more equal footing in society, motivate her to give up her nobility.


 * The Horror Genre**

• Elements of the horror genre are evident through Frankenstein’s frequent visitations of charnel houses and graveyards, his use of dead bodies, his unsavory science experiments, and the dramatic, mountainous scenery.

http://angevivla.blogspot.com/2007/09/frankenstein-as-romantic-hero.html

Works Cited

Foster, Thomas C. How to Read Literature like a Professor. New York, NY: Harper-Collins Publishers, Inc. 2003.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein, or, the Modern Prometheus. New York, NY: Dorling Kindersley Limited, 2008.