Frankenstein

Anna Rapp

Frankenstein Blog

October 22^nd, 2013

Marry Shelley’s novel Frankenstein embodies many of the characteristics of the romantic period. One of the main focuses during this period was nature and more specifically the hope in nature. In the novel Frankenstein the nature around the protagonist often uplifts his spirits and sometimes also mirrors his mood. We see this when Victor and Henry take a stroll through the country and also when Victor is walking around the valley of Chamounix.

During Victor’s walk through the country with Henry, he comments “A serene sky and verdant fields filled me with ecstasy” (p45). Before the walk Victor had been melancholy about life and as soon as he was back out in nature he begins to feel in better spirits. This expresses the hope in nature that existed during this period, which Shelley was able to incorporate into her novel. A second example is after Justine’s execution when Victor begins to feel depressed; although, he is able to stop himself from committing suicide he is still not happy with himself or the world. During an excursion he begins to wander, enjoying nature, which uplifts his mood. However, this is short lived as one morning he wakes up to rain and his feelings of despair and loss of hope. This shows how nature can be utilized to symbolize hope but it also shows how Shelley depicted the rain to mirror his emotions.

By analyzing these passages the reader is able to see how the Romantic period influenced Shelley’s novel Frankenstein in some of the most basic but important aspects.

My questions are do you notice any other passages from the reading that either emphasis nature, the individual, and/ or any other aspects of the Romantic Period?