Romanticism in Frankenstein

The sublime beauty of nature

Robert Walton as a Romantic• Walton is a typical Romanic because he is educating

himself and traveling for his own educational pursuits to unexplored and not fully understood places, remote settings like St. Petersburg

Sensuous and passionate:• Walton’s openness of his need for a friend• His heart is determined• Confidence in the heart• The warmth that Walton feels for Victor when he first

meets him

Romanticism Cont’d

Romanticism Cont’d

Revolutionary and Rebellious:• Victor cautions Walton about seeking

knowledge because of the results it may have – this idea is a very Romantic concept since during the Industrial Age people were afraid that technology could lead to disaster if it was not checked by man

Romanticism Cont’d

Art-loving:Henry Clerval is a Romantic character – he is a

poet and a writer; he likes adventure and values his friends

Romanticism Cont’d

Defenders of Liberty- Justine is saved from poverty by the

Frankenstein and blamed for the deaths of her own family members, etc.

- This is an element of Romanticism as Shelley uses Justine’s story to comment on the poor treatment of servants in England and on the demeaning class structures many countries in Europe practiced

Romanticism Cont’d

The Noble Savage:- The monster scolds Victor for playing God- He says he will not physically hurt Victor

because he sees him as a lord- The monster is not truly evil but instead the

miseries of life have made him this way – he is a noble savage

It was during an access of this kind that I suddenly left my home, and bending my steps towards the near Alpine valleys, sought in the magnificent, the eternity of such scenes, to forget myself and my ephemeral. (81)

My wanderings were directed towards the valley of Chamounix. I had visited it frequently during my boyhood…but nought had changed in those savage and enduring scenes. (81)

The weight upon my spirit was sensibly lightened as I plunged deeper in the ravine of Arve. The immense mountains and precipices that overhung me on every side – the sound of the river raging among the rocks… (81)

Ruined castles hanging on the precipices…formed a scene of singular beauty. (81)

But it was augmented and rendered sublime by the might Alps, whose white and shining pyramids and domes towered above all, as belonging to another earth, the habitations of another race of beings. (97)

Mont Blanc, the supreme and magnificent Mont Blanc, raised itself from the surrounding aiguilles and its tremendous dome overlooked the valley. (81)