Tambora Research Paper

   Since its publication in 1818, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein has grown to become a name associated with horror and science fiction. To fully understand the importance and origin of this novel, we must look at both the tragedies of Mary Shelley's background and her own origins. Only then can we begin to examine what the icon "Frankenstein" has become in today's society.

The life of the monster can be related to the motherless life led by Shelley. Shelley’s mother too left her as soon as she was born, and as a result, she had quite an arduous life. Combined with her father’s financial woes, her tumultuous relationship with her stepmother meant that Shelley did not have an ideal childhood, which would have had a serious impact on her personality. She had to put up with a lot of miseries when she grew up, and was subjected to lifelong condemnation from the society because of her affair with the married Shelley.

Mary Shelley alludes to literary text, intellectual history, and her personal life in order to deliver the theme with literary style, to develop the characters’ background, and to emphasize the universality of the story. Literary texts such as Paradise Lost, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and the myth of Prometheus induces a sense of how commonplace the story of Frankenstein could be. Intellectual history adds to that effect by emphasizing the story with logic. Similarities to her personal life such as her childhood and marriage exemplifies her point. The external references in the novel serve to represent the Gothic and Romantic Movements and to encourage the readers to relate the situation to their own lives.

Mount Tambora is known as one of the most dangerous volcanoes in history. It is recognized to have one of the most hazardous eruptions, the 1816 eruption, with the death toll of 72,000 and more people.

The volcano had been dormant for hundreds of years and this violent explosion lasted days, sending ash into the atmosphere (D'arcy Wood). At the time, there were both native villagers living in the area and British officers, as the area was a colony under the British crown. Most of the surviving records of the explosion come from these British officers, some of whom didn’t actually witness the explosion but heard it and assumed the explosion was from rebels on the island. A captain of a nearby East India Company ship reported ash falling out of the sky and “By noon, the light that had remained in the eastern part of the horizon disappeared, and complete darkness had covered the face of day” (D'arcy Wood). At the time of the explosion another British subject, Sir Thomas Raffles, was the governor of Java, Indonesia. His compiled record of first hand accounts confirming the blackened sky and falling ash (Skulls). Similar accounts of darkness were recorded throughout the region, which was due to the sheer volume of ash that was released by the volcano. The ash-blackened sky was not the only impact of the eruption. The more far reaching effects of the eruption would not be felt until the summer of 1816, when the eruption gasses and particles so affected worldwide meteorological patterns that the western world called 1816 “The Year Without a Summer”.

The “monster” can be evil, but also compassionate. Throughout Mary Shelley’s novel, there are many references to politics, symbols, and the struggles of her personal life. In Frankenstein there is a connection to Enlightenment and the Reign of terror. Later in the story of Frankenstein he stole fire from Mount Olympus and gave it to the humans against the will of Zeus.

Sometimes considered one of the first science fiction novels of supernatural terror, Frankenstein proved itself an instant success when released anonymously in 1818. The mad scientist Victor Frankenstein and his creation provoke readers with the fear of the unknown and the power of natures forces. A deeper look into the character of Victor Frankenstein, the role of scientific experimentation and the intricate settings of nature in which the story evolves, prove Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein , a worthy example of both Romantic and Gothic representation in nineteenth century British Literature.

“Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley was born out of the waking nightmare she had on June 16, 1816 (see notes 1 and 4). It was an intense vision that produced one of the greatest and powerful horror stories n the western literature, it is a story which assumed a mythic view as it taken into account the profound result concerning understanding of a man of his position in the world and the results of transgressing against nature and God (Gilbert, 2000, 1-4).

In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the setting is crucial in understanding the emotions, characters, and events featured in the novel. As a romantic herself, Shelley uses the description of the weather conditions and the images of nature to emphasise particular themes and ideas. From the changing seasons to the violent storms to the geographical locations; the author uses imagery and mood to emphasise the power of the natural world versus human’s unnatural science.

In the poem “Harlem”, Langston Hughes uses literary devices to portray the African-American community as oppressed, however, strong-willed people, with the intention to warn those in power of a revolution. First of all, the African-American community is depicted to be oppressed as Hughes uses similes throughout the poem. Namely, when their dreams are compared to something “sag[ging] like a heavy load”; the line represents how an unpursued desire can emotionally feel like it is weighing you down. Especially when it is against one’s power whether or not they may follow their own ambitions due to racial injustice. On the other hand, Langston uses a metaphor to illustrate how the people of colour may also be strong-willed. The poem ends by asking

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

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has undoubtedly withstood the test of time. Frankenstein’s direct association with fundamental Gothic literature is extremely renowned. However, the novel’s originality is derived from the foundational thematic values found within the relationship (or lack there of) between Victor Frankenstein and the monster he had created, in combination with a fascinatingly captivating plot. Understandably, Frankenstein can often be associated with a multitude of concepts; however, in this particular instance, the circumstances in the book seemed remarkably coherent with Shelley’s Romantic beliefs in preserving the natural world, and one’s natural existence. These values present themselves as metaphorical symbols that

Frequently, literature is intended to convey a significant idea or theme to it 's readers regarding events that occur in our everyday existence. Occasionally these ideas appear in the context of straightforward characterization, but in some literatures, such as Marry Shelley 's Frankenstein, these themes come to us in the guise of monsters, goliaths, dragons, gods, and myriads of fantasy-like components that express meaning in ways impossible within the boundaries of reality. Frankenstein came about when the famous romantic poet, Lord Byron, challenged Mary Godwin, Percy Shelley, and a few others to write a ghost story to entertain them from the horrid weather that engulfed Lord Byron 's Swiss villa one night.

There are many variables within the climate change equation that must be taken into account to determine what is truly causing the climate change. Yet, recently, it has been observed that in years following a volcanic eruption the global temperature has been a couple of degrees cooler, and there has been increased precipitation. "The amount and global extent of cooling depend on the force of the eruption, the amount of particular gases emitted, and, perhaps, on the location of the volcano with respect to the world's global atmospheric circulation patterns." (NASA Homepage) The argument that volcanic eruptions cause the climate change is as follows: volcanic eruptions eject sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, and the resulting stratospheric aerosols change the short and long wave radiation budget of the atmosphere. This causes a chain reaction in which the stratosphere cools off. (Welcome to MTU Geology Department) The diagrams below illustrate the many variables involved in a volcanic eruption.

A story of mystery, tragedy, and terror, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein continues to captivate millions. She writes the tale of mankind’s obsession of the unknown, pulling readers to Frankenstein’s many lessons. Mary Shelley affects literature with her seemingly paradoxical use of both Romanticism and Gothicism. Shelley takes elements of romanticism, such as heavy use of emotions, innocence, and characters achievements, while also using gothic aspects like death, violence, and dark weather. Weaving the two genres together, Mary Shelley creates a timeless science fiction novel containing characteristics of serenity with a sense of eeriness.