Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: Romanticism & Science
Mary Shelley: Life, Romanticism, and Frankenstein (1797-1851)
The Romantic Movement: Origins and Ideals
Romanticism is a cultural and political movement that took place in both Germany and England. The great majority of critics and historians agree that the Romantic Period began in 1798, when Wordsworth and Coleridge published Lyrical Ballads. This period would last until 1829, with Lord Byron’s death. Romanticism arose as a reaction against the rationality of the Enlightenment and neoclassical precepts. Thus, this movement can be understood as a break with reason.
Mary Shelley: A Pivotal Romantic Literary Figure
Our focus is Mary Shelley. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, born in 1797, is one of the most representative figures of Romanticism. Shelley is well known for her seminal work, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, written in 1818.
Frankenstein: A Blend of Gothic Tale and Science Fiction
Regarding its general contents, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, is a cross between the Gothic tale and the fable of ideas; neither genre is strictly realistic. It is the story of a scientist who, in creating a human being, finds himself responsible for a monster and murderer. The tale became one of the principal progenitors of science fiction, and the scientist’s tragedy is indirectly a criticism of ‘unnatural’ curiosity. It is an obsessive, dramatic, and symbolic hunt. We can also identify with the monster; we recognize his misery at being repulsed with anger and hatred everywhere, and we see how his crimes derive from bitter resentment of his creator.
Romanticism’s Core Themes in Shelley’s Work
Romantic writers are concerned with:
- Nature
- Human feelings and compassion for humankind
- Individual freedom and the Romantic hero
- Rebellion against society
Writers also experiment with the discontent they feel against all that seems commercial, inhuman, and standardized. Romantics often concern themselves with:
- Rural and rustic life versus modern life
- Faraway places and travel
- Medieval folklore and legends
- The common people
Mary Shelley lived among the practitioners of these concepts and used many of these principles in her novel Frankenstein.
The Monster as a Romantic Hero Archetype
The monster is a Romantic hero because of the rejection he must bear from normal society. Wherever he goes, the monster is chased away because of his hideous appearance and his huge size. Shelley attempts to show readers how many people in conventional society reject less-than-average or disfigured individuals who live on the borders of our society. We cannot blame the monster for what happens to him, and Shelley elicits from the reader a sympathetic response for a creature so misunderstood. The monster tries to fit into a regular community, but because he is hideous to look at and lacks social graces, he can never become part of mainstream society. The monster’s response is to overcompensate for his lack of learning, subsequently shunning all human contact except when necessary.
Science and Society in Frankenstein’s Era
Another feature we should point out is the role of Science in Frankenstein. For the first time in the 19th century, science began to have cultural authority. This would lead to a clash between religion and science that would contribute to Modernism in the late 19th century. So, science became a part of the culture as well. Its main principle was that things are meaningful as long as they can be demonstrated in a scientific way.
Science also interacted between government and industry, helping to develop weapons due to colonization. Apart from being quite important in the 19th century, it also became a new global language. This cultural authority of science, a key aspect of the Romantic era, is evident throughout the period.