Mountains, rivers, glaciers, pastures, forests, ruins, and cliffs; areas filled with the lush foliage, echoing calls of various fauna, and the roars and mumbles of moving aquatic bodies. These solitary locales were the haunts of Romantic writers and their imaginations, and still offer refuge for modern writers. These unrefined places are often referenced, revered, and hailed by authors as the center of mental and bodily wellness. Nature as a common theme has been depicted in various ways, with writers using different literary devices to create the rich and lengthy descriptions of natural places that are famous to Romantic works of literature. Two specific authors that illustrate Nature in different ways are Mary Shelley and William Wordsworth. …show more content…
They both use visual imagery to create landscapes and natural scenes but one way they differ appears in their choice of adjectives. For example, Wordsworth describes a valley scene with adjectives like “pastoral”, which implies a reference to the common man in contrast to the vocabulary Shelley uses, reflecting the concept that wealthy people tend to retreat to the mountain villas for relaxation, as seen in the first description of the ruined castles in the Arve Valley of Frankenstein. Shelley aims to describe her natural scenes with words that give off the feeling of grandeur, for example she uses the word “imperial” when referencing a glacier. In addition to using different classes of adjectives, the way in which the two authors present their examples of imagery is uniquely different. Wordsworth uses short, small, often two word phrases and clauses, i.e. “plots of cottage-ground, these orchard-tufts” (Wordsworth 289) to present his information: as compared to Shelley, who uses complex sentences to create an image of the countryside like the following: “ruined castles hanging on the precipices of piney mountains, the impetuous Arve, and cottages every here and there peeping forth from among the trees formed a scene of singular beauty” (Shelley 107). The third and final difference in imagery is the use of the imagery itself that is applied under the concept of Nature being a living force or spirit. In this case, Shelley choses to personify Nature as a spirit or being that serves the purpose of lifting the observer to a state of happiness, called “the sublime”. This is evident in the recurring statements of Nature “filling [him] with a sublime ecstasy” (Shelley 110) and when the winds “whispered in soothing accents” (Shelley 108). Nature in Frankenstein has been described as human-like force that speaks to the main character, Victor Frankenstein; an example
Nature (our genes) and nurture (our environment) affect our individual differences in behavior and personality. In the novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley addresses the conflict of nature vs. nurture. Victor Frankenstein creates a "child" whom he abandons upon birth. This brings up questions such as, was the creature genetically inclined to be evil, or did the hostility he encountered turn him evil? Are one's surroundings determined by who they become later in life? Does nurture form one's characteristics that will determine who someone is later in life? Mary Shelley used these questions as an approach to show that the monster is intelligent, but destructive, and had guilt due to his environment and isolation. The monster’s guilt due to its
For many centuries, a vast dispute has iced the world over whether genes or environmental inspirations might affect one’s disposition, development, and deeds. As crucial as canvas in art, the philosophy of nature and nurture come together as the fundamental structure to one’s personality and genetic makeup. In the novella, Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, the association of the exterior appearance and inner feelings are openly linked. The hideous creature that the science addict, Victor Frankenstein, makes is initially innocent yet severely deformed. His nature is to be benevolent and sympathetic, however, society only views his external appearance, which is of defect. The natural act of mankind is to judge based on exterior appearance, thus the creature is quickly detested and branded as an abnormal mutant due to his peripheral look. Mary Shelly’s efficient utilization of nature vs. nurture conflict ultimately serves to emphasize that the nurturing development of an individual gyrates around nature.
“He is dead who called me into being; and when I shall be no more, the very remembrance of us both will speedily vanish. I shall no longer see the sun or stars, or feel the winds play on my cheeks. Light, feeling, and sense, will pass away; and in this condition must I find my happiness.”(161)
Physicist Albert Einstein showed that fulfillment and understanding come from studying nature when he said, “Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better” Both William Wordsworth and John Meir show how their relationships with nature have led them to a deeper understanding of their lives and the world around them. In The Calypso Borealis, John Meir discovers a sense of freedom when he discovers the simple but beautiful Calypso Borealis. Whereas Wordsworth finds happiness by holding on to the memory of a beautiful field of daisies in I Wandered Lonely as a cloud. William Wordsworth and John Muir used imagery and diction to express their relationships with nature. Muir uses these literary devices to bring the reader on a journey filled with ups and downs. Wordsworth, on the other hand, uses these literary devices to paint a picture of a scene that lifts his spirit. Both authors use of imagery and diction explain their love of nature and how it has impacted their lives.
The experiences or quality of life creates a monster and they are not born it.
In Anne Mellor’s article “Possessing Nature: The Female in Frankenstein,” she focuses on the role that women play in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Mellor explores the patriarchal society by providing evidence for the claim that Frankenstein is a feminist work. Mellor argues that Victor Frankenstein’s downfall is due to his fear of femininity and his need to become the creator of a human being. She begins the article with the argument that the division of spheres (public and private) within the book caused the destruction of many women. Mellor then explored the spheres that men and women occupied. Men would “work outside of the home” while women were “confined to the home”. This division of spheres had negative consequences as much for men as they did for
In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, man tries to tamper with nature. This is an enormous mistake, because his experiences prove that man should respect the omnipotent power of nature so man can be happy. Man should respect nature because if man goes beyond his limits, then nature lets man creates all types of consequences for himself which proves Shelley’s point to respect nature’s powers.When people look at nature, they are automatically healed just by its looks. This is a much more powerful force than anything man is capable of doing, thus nature is all powerful. Nature is constant, unlike man who is constantly changing, which shows that nature is always in control.
In 1818 Frankenstein was written by Mary Shelley. In Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein brings a creature to life. The creature kills William, Henry Clerval, and Elizabeth. Victor had promised to make a female creature for the creature, but he did not fulfill his promise. This makes the creature enraged. The creature runs away and Victor follows him. Victor gets on a boat with Walton. Victor dies and the creature comes and is very sad that his creator has died. The creature says that he must end his suffering and he jumps into the ocean. In the novel Frankenstein, Shelley uses the theme of nature to show how it is like the characters of the story and how it affects the characters.
The theme of sublime nature is perpetuated by Shelley’s incorporation of violence in locations with beautiful lake and mountain views. As Frankenstein takes a tour of a mountain and glacier he sees sublime nature in the form of “the pallid lightning that played above Mont Blanc,” showing that terrors such as lightning already exist within the domain of the beautiful mountainside (Shelley 167). Shelley uses this ominous mood to foreshadow Frankenstein’s future encounter with another herald of terror, the monster. Not long after Frankenstein sees an object in the distance and suddenly, “A flash of lightning illuminated the object,” the
Nature versus nurture has been a popular topic of discussion among psychologists, scientists, educators, and parents. The main focus of the nature versus nurture debate is how it affects human behavior and development. The novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley emphasises the idea that parents and families have a powerful influence on human behavior, which is demonstrated in the relationship between Creature and Victor. “Folding Beijing” written by Hao Jingfang takes a different perspective on the idea. Through her story she highlights the idea that economic forces shape who we are. Based on information from both Frankenstein and “Folding Beijing”, Mary Shelley’s novel demonstrates the more influential and powerful force of human behavior to
First, she uses the weather to describe Victors appearances and actions. When Victor is growing up, he appreciates and admires nature in its natural beauty; however, when he lives in his isolated tower, he ignores nature. Because of this, he becomes ill and his family thinks he is dead. Frankenstein claims that during the process of finding success, “no one can conceive the variety of feelings which bore me onwards, like a hurricane…the summer months passed while I was thus engaged…in one pursuit. It was a most beautiful season; never did the fields bestow a more plentiful harvest…but my eyes were insensible to the charms of nature” (Shelley 81). Frankenstein compares his drive for success to the intensity of a hurricane. Hurricanes ultimately end in demolition and therefore Shelley uses nature to symbolize destruction. Also, Frankenstein states that his eyes have become “insensible” to the “charms of nature.” Nature is passing him by in the surroundings,though eyes are supposed to adjust to their surroundings and notice things around them however, his eyes no longer function well enough for him to notice or admire nature. After working like this for years, he inevitably becomes ill and stays away from society. Hence proving the common theme that Mary Shelley is trying to convince the readers of : Nature must not be ignored and
In the novel Frankenstein, the author Mary Shelley reinforced the role of female nature in a book that is predominantly male-oriented. The female character is an underlying feature throughout the whole novel. For example, when Victor Frankenstein created his Monster from dead body parts, he disregarded the laws of female reproduction. Both Anne K. Mellor and Jonathon Bate argue that Victor defiled the feminine nature when he created his Monster from unnatural means. Mellor argued in her essay, “Possessing Nature: The Female in Frankenstein,” that Victor eliminated the necessity to have females at all (355). There will not be a need for females if new beings are created in a laboratory. The disruption of mother nature is one of the novel’s original sins (479). In Bate’s essay, “Frankenstein and the State of Nature,” he argued that Victor Frankenstein broke the balance between female principles of maternity and mother nature (477). Frankenstein broke nature and undermined the role of females. The argument of Mellor was more persuasive than the discussion of Bate because she was able to provide more evidence that Victor Frankenstein dishonored the role of female nature.
The environment has a lot to say in Marry Shelly's Frankenstein. It seems to reflect somewhat what is going on emotionally with Victor in the story. Victor finds solace in solitude with nature, and appears to use it as a coping mechanism to escape from the horrors of his life. Nature also ties into how the monster Victor has created feels, but in a much different way than it does for him.
“Here we find nature to be the circumstance which[…] judges like a god all men that come to her.” is one of the first statements by Ralph Waldo Emerson in his essay “Nature”, referring to nature’s role in romanticism. Nature, as well as science, are one of the main topics depicted in writings of the romantic period. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein can be attached to these writings. Her novel implies many natural and scientific characteristics that approach throughout the novel and finally clash by Victor Frankenstein’s creation of the monster. The following essay states the importance of nature and science in Frankenstein and argues that Frankenstein’s monster is a personalization of the danger involved in connecting both nature and science.
One of the most popular themes for Romantic poetry in England was nature and an appreciation for natural beauty. The English Romantic poets were generally concerned with the human imagination as a counter to the rise of science. The growing intellectual movement of the 18th and 19th centuries placed scientific thought in the forefront of all knowledge, basing reality in material objects. The Romantics found this form of world view to be restrictive. They felt that imagination was crucial to individual happiness. The imagination also provides a common human bond; a means of sympathy, of identification. However, the absence of imagination, the Romantics felt, would lead