Frankenstein is Romantic?

Well, no, Frankenstein’s monster isn’t really Romantic, in my mind at least, but the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley was written in the Romantic Era and reflects the qualities of the writings that define that time period, the most notable, using nature to amplify human emotions, which is truly genius since every human being can relate in some way to nature. It is all around us, so how could we not?

I’d never read Frankenstein. Like others, I’d ever only seen Frankenstein’s monster in movies. I was pleasantly surprised by the enjoyment I found in reading this classic. Naturally, I was expecting a repeat of the movie version. It was a charming and emotionally suspenseful story that I thoroughly enjoyed.  

What impressed me the most about Mary Shelley’s novel, her use of metaphors that expressed emotions via images of nature. You would expect a lot of clichés and overblown displays of emotional tripe, but I found none of this. There was a seamless merging of human emotion and nature throughout her story.

Although I haven’t read about the other two eras we will be studying, Victorian and Modern, I grabbed onto an idea that just wouldn’t let go; it would be my guess that through each era, certain characteristics carry over into the next. I recognized the emotional ploys inherent in the Romantic Era in today’s writings. Most writings today try to connect to their readers through emotion or try to engage a reader through their emotions, still other writings use logic instead, and others use a mix.

Another impressive observation, it is not easy to write emotional metaphors without being cliché these days. Cliché is defined as a saying that has been used so much that it is considered trite or no longer original. Although I’m sure Shelley could have used clichés, I found none. Even though during her time they might not have been considered cliché, today we would have recognized them as such.

Writers in the Romantic Era valued originality. That is something else Shelley excelled at in her novel. This is probably the main reason why I found no clichés in her writing.

To accomplish a wonderful work of art like this novel embodies, even today would be a great accomplishment. To accomplish something even half as great would be a joy for me as a writer. It’s good to have role models, no matter the age, present day or past, Shelley is one I look up to and will try to emulate in my own way.

Next week, we are studying the Victorian age. I look forward to seeing how the writings of this age evolved from the Romantic era. It should be interesting to see if any of the characteristics survive.

Authors we will be reading next include; Alfred Tennyson, Elizabeth Browning, Robert Browning, and Matthew Arnold.

Till next time…Happy Reading!

Romantic Era

Hello again, these last two weeks have been very interesting; reading William Blake, William Wordsworth, Lord Byron, etc. Poetry in the romantic era is filled with strong emotional images, practices that still exist in today's poetry, and is in fact, something all poets try to evoke in their readers. Poetry then, as now, emphasis imagination and feelings, evoking emotion in their reader's mind.

Creation from nothingness was highly prized in the arts and poetry. Invention and imagination were chief qualities artists often thought of as radical. Mixed with the realistic forms of poetry, today these qualities are also valued, but no longer thought of as radical. Strong emotional appeal is still sought by authors, but not in the in-you-face melodramatic fashion of the Romantic Era.

Something else I found very interesting was the Romantic Era was being experienced by different nations around the world, not just in Europe. Each nation found their own Romantic expression among their own people and among their own political structures, many revolutions being sparked during this time. Many authors expressed their revolutionary ideas and the views of the times through their works.

Next week is our study of the Victorian Age and the reading of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. I look forward to sharing my ideas and insights into this time. I've never read Frankenstein, so I'm looking forward to the experience.

Introduction

I am a Creatve Writing student at University of Central Oklahoma and taking English Literature Since 1800 this semester, which requires posts on a blog each week. Posts will be my commentary and insights on one or more of the assigned readings each week. The class will be covering three major novels, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Charles Dicken's Great Expectations, and Virginia Wolfe's Mrs. Dalloway. Other readings, mostly poetry and prose, include authorsWilliam Blake, William Wordsworth, Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, Robert Browning, Christina Rosetti, Yeats, T.S. Elliot, and others from the Romantic period.

It is my hope that my commentary on these classic works will produce lots of feedback from others who enjoy great works of literature. I welcome your comments on the works, but also on my comments, whether corrections, approvals, or your own insights into the works presented here.

Week one readings include; Michael by William Wordsworth, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Coleridge, Songs of Innocence and The Garden of Love both by William Blake.

Thanks in advance for reading my blog. I hope you will return each week to read my new entries.

Happy reading!