What is Romanticism?Romanticism is a reaction to the Age of Reason

The Age of ReasonThe Age of Reason

• Time Period: roughly 1700-1797Time Period: roughly 1700-1797

• The Enlightenment, or the age The Enlightenment, or the age of reason, is often closely linked of reason, is often closely linked with the Scientific Revolution, with the Scientific Revolution, for both movements for both movements emphasized emphasized reason,reason, science, and rationalityscience, and rationality

What is Romanticism?

Romanticism is also a rejection of Classicism: the precepts of order, calm, harmony, balance,

idealization, and rationality (logos!) were replaced with the subjective, the irrational, the

imaginative, the personal, the spontaneous, the emotional, the visionary, and the

transcendental (pathos!)

What did the Romantics Believe?

The Natural World

• Focus on the beauty of natureFocus on the beauty of nature• That trying to control was That trying to control was

dangerous dangerous • That nature provides solace or That nature provides solace or

comfort to the individualcomfort to the individual

The Natural World

•Glorification of the Common PlaceGlorification of the Common Place

•Belief in the supernaturalBelief in the supernatural

The Individual

Romanticism favored the idea of the Individual

This Individual is Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mary’s husband!

The Individual

• The Romantics had a preoccupation with the genius, the hero, and the exceptional figure

• They focused on his passions and inner struggles

• They viewed the artist as a supremely individual creator, whose creative spirit is more important than strict adherence to formal rules and traditional procedures

• They emphasized imagination as a gateway to the transcendental, leading to belief in . . .

The Supernatural !!!

Which leads us to:

The Gothic Novel!

The Gothic Novel

The Gothic novel took shape The Gothic novel took shape mostly in England from 1790 mostly in England from 1790 to 1830 and falls within the to 1830 and falls within the category of Romantic category of Romantic literatureliterature..

The Gothic Novel

The Gothic is far from limited to this The Gothic is far from limited to this set time period, as it takes its roots set time period, as it takes its roots from former terrorizing writing that from former terrorizing writing that dates back to the Middle Ages, and dates back to the Middle Ages, and can still be found written today by can still be found written today by writers such as Stephen Kingwriters such as Stephen King

The Gothic Novel

• Gothic novel could be seen as a description of Gothic novel could be seen as a description of a fallen world.a fallen world.

• We experience this fallen world though all We experience this fallen world though all aspects of the novel: plot, setting, aspects of the novel: plot, setting, characterization, and theme.characterization, and theme.

• This leads us to the Gothic Hero . . .This leads us to the Gothic Hero . . .

No! Not these kinds of No! Not these kinds of goths!goths!

Gothic Archetypes• Gothic Hero: isolated either voluntarily

or involuntarily• Villian: epitome of evil, either by his Villian: epitome of evil, either by his

(usually a man) own fall from grace, or (usually a man) own fall from grace, or by some implicit malevolenceby some implicit malevolence

• The Wanderer, found in many Gothic The Wanderer, found in many Gothic tales, is the epitome of isolation as he tales, is the epitome of isolation as he wanders the earth in perpetual exile, wanders the earth in perpetual exile, usually a form of divine punishmentusually a form of divine punishment

FRANKENSTEIN

BY MARY SHELLEY

Who was Mary Shelley?

• Born in 1797 to 2 leading intellectuals: Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin

• Married Percy Shelley at the age of 16• At the age of 18 she wrote Frankenstein: The

Modern Prometheus• Frankenstein is the greatest example of British

Romanticism in the novel form

Mary Shelley’s background(August 30, 1797-February 1, 1851)

Born on August 30th 1797.

Mother: Mary Wollstonecraft a famous feminist author who died 11 days after giving birth to Mary

Father: William Godwin

A famous 19th century philosopher who believed in the rights of the individual.

Shelley’s marriage• At 15 years of age Mary

met her future husband Percy Bysshe Shelley, a disciple of William Godwin and a famous poet.

• At age 16, runs off with Shelley, who was already married

• After his first wife commits suicide, Percy Bysshe Shelley convinces Mary to elope with him in France when she was 17.

The Rest of the Story

• Percy and Mary were outcast from their society, spending the remainder of their life in Italy

• Percy drowned when Mary was 24

• Mary spent the rest of her life dedicated to her mother’s work, the rights of women

• Mary died of a brain tumor in 1851

Shelley’s Tragedies

• She gave birth to 4 children in 5 years. 3 of them died in infancy

• Shelley lost her husband in a boating accident after only 8 years of marriage

• Critics say that Frankenstein is greatly influenced by the themes of Birth and Death

The Making of Frankenstein

• On 19 March 1815 Shelley recorded in her journal, after the death of her first child: "Dream that my little baby came to life again--that it had only been cold & that we rubbed it before the fire & it lived."

Byron’s Challenge• In the summer of 1816,

Percy and Mary visit Lord Byron’s estate in Switzerland.

• The summer of 1816 had cold weather because a massive volcano in Indonesia erupted.

• Because of the gloomy weather, Byron challenged his guests to create the best horror story.

The creation of Frankenstein

• At Byron’s estate, Mary has a dream about a man who plans to bring life to the dead.

• She turns her idea into a story that wins Byron’s contest.

• Mary’s husband encourages her to turn the story into a novel.

• In 1818, Shelley publishes the novel at the age of 19.

What the book isn’t:

The Title of the Novel

• The name “Frankenstein” originates not from the Creature, but the Creator, Victor Frankenstein.

• Victor, like Shelley, suffers the loss of many loved ones at an early age.

• He creates his creature as a way to bring back the dead.

The Modern Prometheus• Mary Shelley’s subtitle for Frankenstein

is “The Modern Prometheus”• In Greek Mythology, the titan

Prometheus stole fire from the sun and gave it to humanity.

• This angered the Greek god Zeus who did not want humans to control fire.

• He was punished by being chained to a rock while an eagle would feast on his liver.

• The Prometheus Myth has become a metaphor of what happens when humans get a hold of something they cannot control and reach beyond their ability.

The Characters

• Victor Frankenstein – the science student

• The Monster – Frankenstein’s creation

• Robert Walton – explorer and ship captain

• Elizabeth Lavenza – Victor’s fiancé

• Henry Clerval – Victor’s friend• The DeLaceys– French family

The Creature

• Unlike the Hollywood stereotype, the Creature is an intelligent being whose rage stems from his neglect from Victor.

The Doppelganger

• The story is a Doppelganger, or German word for “double image.”

• Both the Creature and Victor mirror each other in their effort to destroy the other.

• The Doppelganger represents a divided self, or two alter egos who are more alike than different.

The Structure of the Novel

• 3 layers of storytelling– Walton’s Letters– Victor’s Story– Monster’s Story

• WHY?– Credibility– Levels of reality– All three cross

unknown boundaries

Themes in the book:

(((A more realistic Creature!

Dangerous KnowledgeDangerous Knowledge

• Should we fool around with Nature?Should we fool around with Nature?• Are there laws (“God’s Laws”) that are Are there laws (“God’s Laws”) that are

off limits to humanity?off limits to humanity?• Prometheus Myth: He stole fire from Prometheus Myth: He stole fire from

the Gods for humans. He was the Gods for humans. He was punished for eternity by being tied to punished for eternity by being tied to a rock and having a vulture eat his a rock and having a vulture eat his liver every morningliver every morning

Nothing In Excess

• Stressed importance of leading balanced and moderate lifestyle

• During Shelley’s time, people were struggling to adjust to the Industrial Age

• In our time, we struggle to balance our humanity with our dependence on technology

Sublime Nature

Throughout the novel, pay attention to Throughout the novel, pay attention to how the characters are influenced by how the characters are influenced by the natural world.the natural world.

Also note Shelley’s long descriptions of Also note Shelley’s long descriptions of the natural world. This is classic the natural world. This is classic Romanticism!Romanticism!

Central Questions in the Novel

1. To what extent are we responsible for our own actions or the actions of others?

2. Can we recreate the past?

3. What is the source of the conflict between reason and feeling?

4. What is the nature of evil?

5. What are the consequences of defying the laws of nature?