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!