Jessica Hatt 12.17.14 Period E Frankenstein: Prompt 1 Frankenstein: Frankenstein: Romantic Precedent Precedent
The Enlightenment, an age of logic and reason, gae !a" to an era that took a sharp t#rn in al#e and st"le,!hich !as deliered in the form of $omanticism. This trend predominated literat#re from the %eginning of the nineteenth cent#r" to its middle, and !as characteri&ed %" emotional appeals and gothic tendencies. There !as a dramatic shift in appreciation from ind#str" to nat#re and from so#nd reasoning to emotional drien responses. 'ar" (helle")s Frankenstein Frankenstein !as
p#%lished in the middle of this time period in 1*1* and displa"s d ispla"s all of the
characteristic aspects of a romantic noel. Frankenstein Frankenstein is romantic mainl" in its references to nat#re and !eather in reflection of the characters and the emotional rather than a logical foc#s in the ma+orit" of sit#ations. The essence of $omanticism is etched into this gothic noel, giing the piece a greater significance.t %rings a%o#t the emotional #nderl"ing message of the necessit" of compassion that !o#ld %e #ndetecata%le, #ndetecata% le, or, if not, non-eistant !itho#t the romantic am%iance that makes this noel a classic peice of litterat#re that trancends time. /s opposed to the former Enlightenment period, Frankenstein Frankenstein foc#ses primaril" on the characters emotions rather than their intellect#al processes. 0ictor em%odies this as he consistentl" follo!s his heart rather than his %rain and +#stifies the ma+orit" of his actions %" his mental states rather than reasona%le progressions. He descri%es his feelings as emotions that oppressed me 3175 c#rsing him to p#rs#e his crea t#re despite him potentiall" %eing m#rdered in the process. $age, anger, and the desire for reenge sparks his traels to permanentl" epel his creat#re in order to satisf" the %#rning !ithin m" m " heart3175. 6hile 0ictor 0ictor is electrified in his #est for the creat#re onl" %" emotion, the creat#re is motiated solel" in the same respect. /s he
eplains to 6alton, 6alton, his mannerisms !ere instigated %" the fact that n o g#ilt, no mischief, no malignit", no miser", miser", can %e fo#nd compara%le to mine31*45. The creat#re feels his heino#s actions +#stified in the emotional a%andonment he eperienced from 0ictor despite an" logical or moral arg#ment that la%els m#rder of innocent people as !rong. Emotions drie the negatie actions of the plot %#t are also noted fre#entl" as the first o%seration of others. /n eample of this eists een in the narratie of 6alton 6alton in !hich !h ich he notes the emotional stat#s of 0ictor rather than an"thing else as he states he is generall" melanchol" and despairing328-215. The foc#s o n emotion %rings a%o#t attention to their importance and the significance the" hold to determining the h#man spirit as !ell as the potential po tential to #ndermine an indiid#al)s health if #sed harmf#ll". (helle")s emphasis emphasis on the romantic notion of emotion e motion contri%#tes to giing the gothic noel a po!er of infl#ence to p#rpose and #nderl"ing ca#se of the iolent happenings to enco#rage kindness and acceptance a%oe all else. Frankenstein Frankenstein also
ehi%its $omantic tendencies in the prof#se mentions of nat#re. (hell"
disc#sses the enironment in an appreciatie tone remarking in its arresting %ea#t" and the !onder that comes a%o#t in the impressie aspects of an ordinar" landscape. Her characters marel at the different components that come together to make the enironment, from mo#ntains to the smallest animal. The" eperience etreme satisfaction s#ch as 0ictor eplains ho! the sight of the a!f#l and ma+estic in nat#re had h ad indeed al!a"s the effect of solemnising m" mind, and ca#sing me to forget the passing cares of life 3*25. Een the creat#re, #pon its %irth in the da!n of its creating eperiences an o%session !ith the nat#ral phenomenon of so#nd as he %ecame delighted !hen first discoered that a pleasant so#nd, !hich often sal#ted m" ears, proceeded from the throats of the little !inged animals !ho had often intercepted the light from m" e"es 3**5. 9at#re acts as a gro#nding agent for the characters !ithin this noel it is !here
the feel the safest and most clear headed. Thro#gho#t the noel, !eather also %ecomes a classicall" #sed $omantic indicator of tone. For eample, as the scene shifts as 0ictor 0ictor isits the spot of 6illiam)s 6illiam)s death as he sees his creation for the first time since he a%andoned it after h e gae it life, the !eather shifts as !ell. t %egins as the sk" !as serene3;25, and gre! !ith intensit" as the heaens !ere clo#ded and soon felt the rain coming co ming slo!l" in large drops, %#t its iolence #ickl" increased3;25. The !eather reflected the sit#ation perfectl" depicting not onl" the rising action to set the mood %#t also the internal emotions of the characters. /s 0ictor)s 0ictor)s aniet" gre! the aniet" in the atmosphere s#rged as !ell. This #se of nat#re is one of the most gen#ine indicators of $omanticism $o manticism and 'ar" (helle")s Frankenstein Frankenstein #tili&es it fla!lessl" to inter!eae a stor" !ith the $omantic al#es and admiring the ordinar" in eer"da" life, s#ch as the scener" o#tdoors, as !ell as the %i&arre sit#ations of
a tr#l" perfect eample of $omantic =iterat#re. (helle" s#%tl"
inter+ects aspects of emotion and nat#re into the p iece to enhance the meaning tenfold. The tet reaches a deeper meaning as it enco#rages ra!, #n%iased compassion and kindness thro#gh its #se of tone and emotion. (helle" ( helle" attempts to pers#ade the a#dience that tha t the n#rt#ring of all of the people in one)s life life no matter their relation is cr#cial in societal deelopment. 6itho#t 6itho#t this s#pport s"stem, similar to !hat the creat#re eperienced,then, as the creat#re did, the" !ill er#pt in iolence. (helle" emplo"s the rhetoric component of ethos in her #se of $omanticism to engage the a#diences emotions to comm#nicate her opinion. >#e to the prealence of this aspect thro#gho#t the entire noel, it is incredi%l" strong and !ell deeloped. This allo!s for the meaning of the noel to %e d#ra%le and last from generation to generation. Her p#rpose is still as er" m#ch releant toda" as it !as !hen it !as first p#%lished in 1*1*. This can %e solel"
attri%#ted to the strength of the $omantic aspects of the noel that (helle" scattered thro#gho#t the plot to aide in the a%sorption, !hether s#%conscio#sl" or conscio#sl", her oerall message.
