LANGUAGE
In 'Frankenstein', Mary Shelley uses pathetic fallacy to present nature as influential.
- During the scene of the creation of the monster in Volume I of the 1818 edition, the monster is created during a "dreary night of November" where Victor feels "anxiety".
- Moreover, the rain is described to have "pattered dismally against the panes" of the window. "Dismal" in Latin means "diesmali" which translates into 'evil days'. By describing the weather as evil creates tension in the reader and an ominous effect. One might suggest that the description of the weather has sealed the fate of the characters. Moreover, the "night" exemplifies the unknown as one would not be able to see clearly at night in comparison to day. The reader may feel a nervous effect in them and may suggest that the weather is the reason why Victor feels "anxiety". The audience may sense the weather's force as Victor's life collapses as he ignores the "anxiety" (may have been a warning signal from nature) and continues with his work. Shelley is echoing ideas of Romanticism which were found in Jean Jacques-Rousseau's 'Emile or On Education' which insisted the readership should "give nature time to work before you take over her business".
- Shelley being a Romantic writer, she may be insinuating that nature is influential as it determines how Victor feels and his mood. In addition, if Victor tries to take nature's "work" and outdo it, there may be consequences which creates an ominous effect towards the audience. In contrast, the monster feels natures movement as he "cleared" the De Laceys "path from snow" which suggests he has waited for "nature to work" as it releases "snow" and has thus acted afterwards which puts the monster in a favourable position as he acts kindly for the De Lacey family.
- The audience may feel as though nature is a moral compass and may feel its influence as positive like Shelley as she was a believer in the Romantic movement.
LANGUAGE
Moreover, Shelley presents nature as powerful through the use of a lexical field of violence. When Victor "visited the tree next morning [he] found it shattered" and "utterly destroyed". Frankenstein later on says he is the "blasted tree" and that a "bolt entered his soul"
- He naturally embeds scientific language into his speech which suggests how influential and powerful nature is on his actions.
- (clash between Romanticism and Enlightenment). However, Shelley may be more favourable towards the Romantic movement for she was a Romantic writer and she may expect the audience to draw on their knowledge of 'The Modern Prometheus'. One might suggest 'The Modern Prometheus' is Victor Frankenstein as takes the alternative title.
- Frankenstein tries to achieve the power of the bolt by altering nature but ultimately fails. A modern audience may feel an ominous effect towards manipulating nature due to the ethical issues surrounding scientific methods such as the use of stem cells. However, a contemporary audience may feel manipulating with nature due to religious beliefs as Victor may be challenging beliefs in the sanctity of life. Additionally, one might suggest that Victor is playing with God's creation. Moreover, an Elizabethan audience and modern audience may recall how Victor, like Prometheus fails in his attempt to achieve and share the power of the divine.
- Thus, the lexical field of violence suggests how nature crushed Victor's ambitions like how it did so to the tree and Victor can not master the power of the divine. Through Prometheus, the audience may feel a sense of tension and everlasting pain for Victor's future, as Prometheus was eternally crushed by Zeus. Shelley may have relied on the readership to draw their prior knowledge of Greek mythology to know that Victor may suffer a very dire punishment askin to the Titan if he attempts to overpower nature, for nature is too powerful.
STRUCTURE
Mary Shelley presents nature as powerful through the use of mirroring events.
- Every time a subplot has occurred, nature arguably brings the two protagonists: Victor Frankenstein and the monster back onto an emotionally stable state as shown through Victor who goes through the "verdant fields" thus feeling "ecstasy"
- A modern audience thoughts of ecstasy and drug.
- An Elizabeth audience
- Echoing ideas of Romanticism in 'Emile or On Education': "nature made me happy". She may be showing the plausible aspects of Romanticism against the conflicting movements: Neoclassicism and the Enlightenment.
- The mirroring events shows how nature is important for the monster's and Victor's sanity and even determines their fate. Nature acts before subplots reach their climax as the "dreary night of November" makes him feel "anxiety", he then creates the "daemon" which changes the direction of the novel.
- An audience may feel an ominous effect from nature as Victor has officially created life.
- Romantics often felt awe from nature which provided them with serenity which is akin to the monster ("I was cold" and then "no distinct ideas occupied my mind") and Victor.
- Nature is therefore able to manipulate the characters and brings the audience at a sense of ease as nature creates a peaceful impression.
FORM
Mary Shelley presents nature as influential through the use of the epistolary novel.
- Moves the plot forward.
- Letters move to different locations through nature.
Shelley may be echoing ideas from Romanticism as Jean-Jacques Rousseau's 'Emile, or On Education' states that we ought to let "nature work" so it moves the plot forward.
-The letters inform the audience so they are emotionally engaged too. For instance, in Walton's letter to Mrs Saville, he creates an enthusiastic atmosphere for both himself and the audience as he describes the "icy climes". The letter coming from the "region of beauty and delight" may make the readers feel as though they are apart of those atmosphere which conveys nature as moving. Moreover, the reader may feel as though they are receiving the letters. Therefore, they may feel as though they are in the positive atmospheres of the "icy climes" that Victor finds himself in which suggests nature is influential to both the readership and audience. The influence of nature may evoke a sense of awe which is commonly felt by Romantics.
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To be critical, you may argue:
STRUCTURE
As opposed to nature being seen as rather influential and powerful, nature is presented as conflicting through the use of juxtaposition.
- On one hand, Shelley exemplifies nature at its finest ("sublime", " wonderful" and "singular beauty"). On the other hand, the author presents a "thunderstorm" near Victor's house in Belrive. Thunderstorms provide electricity which can reverberate ideas of Galvanism from Luigi Galvani who caused a deceased frog to twitch as thought it was alive. The use of electricity here defies the divine as people, it seemed, successfully recreated life. An Elizabethan audience would have been rather distraught as they would have feared God. The finding of Galvanism created a great deal of controversy as many deemed that one should not 'play' with God's creation due to the sanctity of life. However, a modern audience may infer that nature was level with human's power and God's due to the creation of life from stem cells and by three parents for instance (to eliminate hereditary diseases from offspring). Thus, the contradiction between the "sublime" nature and "thunderstorm" nature suggests nature is conflicting. Shelley may have wanted the clash to be symbolic of contemporary clash between the Enlightenment era and Romantic era she lived in, Enlightenment ideas sought reason for everything whereas romantics prefer the importance of imagination and prefer nature over science. Shelley's intentions may have been to question the audience for answers as to which movement is more plausible. Therefore, the readership are not influenced by the weather, but instead shift in belief on their own accord because of the conflicting fashion of nature.
Similar event:
- Nature is powerful
- Victor's relationship with nature is conflicting as he seeks comfort in nature, as he escapes to the "verdant fields" which filled him with "ecstasy" but he constantly tries to defy it.
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Frankenstein later on says he is the "blasted tree" and that a "bolt entered his soul" once he creates the monster.
- He naturally embeds scientific language into his speech which suggests how influential and powerful nature is (the storm).
- Clash between Romanticism and Enlightenment due the "storm" into "soul". "Soul" connotes to electricity and galvanism.
- However, audience may recall Frankenstein also being called 'The Modern Prometheus' which suggests the power of nature. Frankenstein tries to achieve the power of the bolt by altering nature but ultimately fails.
- He like Prometheus fails in his attempt to achieve and share the power of the divine. Thus, the antithesis suggests how nature crushed Victor's ambitions like how it did to the tree. Moreover, the antithesis between "bolt" and "soul" suggests Victor can not master the power of the divine as it is too great to control and therefore powerful.