Romanticism started in the late 18

th
century in Germany and England. The
leaders of romanticism are William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Romanticism reflected Wordsworth definition of poetry "a spontaneous
overflow of emotions". Contrary to the popular believe, that romantic poetry and
literature only tackles topics related to only love, the main element that existed
in all romantic art is "emotion" in general whether it be hate, love, hunger or
anger. The Romantics rejected the renaissance spirit that focused on the
scientific and logical aspects of things. They sought the calmness of nature
instead of the busy and crowded life of cities. The romantic movement rose in
that time to focus on certain elements, which are, Belief in the individual and
common man, Interest in the bizarre, supernatural and gothic, Interest in the past,
faith in inner experience and the power of the imagination, and love and
reverence for nature.
In the novel, nature is a prominent feature. It is Victor Frankenstein's constant
companion and sole solace. Even though Frankenstein loves his family
immensely, he seeks the companionship of nature instead of the companionship
of his family and friends. He always feels uncomfortable and out of place when
he is among his family. On the other hand he always seeks nature which seems
to offer him the comfort he needs in order to live a relatively sane life. In the
novel the element of "nature" reflects the worlds of both Frankenstein and his
monster. Victor describes Switzerland, his home, as colorful and lively. He
describes the Swiss hills as covered with verdant vines and the landscape as
teeming with blue lakes that reflect the brilliant blue sky. In contrast, he
describes Orkneys, where he creates his monster, as cold, barren, grey and
rough. He also compares the winds of both Orkneys and Switzerland, where he
says. "In Switzerland the winds are but. The play of a lively infant not the
tormented sea squalls that batter the rock face of the Orkneys". It is symbolic,
that Frankenstein would choose such a bleak place to create his creature. This
reflects the difference of the coldness of the creature's world and Victor's world.
While the creature occupies a world that is filled with an unforgiving set of rules
and cruelty, Victor's world, while not exactly perfect or lacking in unfortunate
events, is filled with love and tenderness from the moment of his birth.
Mary Shelley has probably been familiar with the image of nature as
therapeutic, since she has read the writings of Wordsworth, Coleridge, and of
course her husband Percy Shelley. In Wordsworth poem Tintern abbey, his use
of the image of nature as a restorative agent might have influenced her images in
Frankenstein.
These beauteous forms,
Through a long absence, have not been to me
As is a landscape to a blind mans eye:
But oft, in lonely rooms, and mid the din
Of towns and cities, I have owed to them
In hours of weariness, sensations sweet,
Felt the blood, and felt along the heart;
And passing even into my purer mind,
With tranquil restoration:feelings too
Of unremembered pleasure: such, perhaps,
As have no slight or trivial influence
On that best portion of a good mans life,
His little, nameless, unremembered, acts
Of kindness and of love. (Abrams, 136)

Shelley chooses to relate victor's feelings by using romantic images and natural
descriptions rather than relating his feelings by dialogue or intellectual
descriptions. "No-one can conceive the variety of feeling which bore me
onwards, like a hurricane, in the first enthusiasm of success" , "I feel pleasure in
dwelling on the recollections of childhood, before misfortune had tainted my
mind, and changed its bright visions of extensive usefulness into gloomy and
narrow reflections upon self . . . I find it arise, like a mountain river, from
ignoble and almost forgotten sources; but swelling as it proceeded, it became
the torrent which, in its course, has swept away all my hopes and joys."
As we go forward with the novel, we find the Shelley, instead of describing
Victor's feelings through metaphors like earlier, describes his recovery from
great illness through his connection with nature "We passed a fortnight in these
perambulations: my health and spirits had long been restored, and they gained
additional strength from the salubrious air I breathed, the natural incidents of
our progress". Throughout the novel nature is what helps victor recover or find
comfort, rather than friends and family. We also note Shelley's use of the
element of nature after the monster's murder of William and Justine. Victors
wallows in despair and guilt so intensely that even Henry, his closest friend,
could not offer him comfort and relief. He instead seeks the calming and healing
effects of nature. "I remained two days at Lausanne, in this painful state of mind.
I contemplated the lake: the waters were placid; all around was calm, and the
snowy mountains, "the palaces of nature," were not changed. By degrees the
calm and heavenly scene restored me, and I continued my journey towards
Geneva."
Victor finds himself suffocated by the presence of his family, he only
welcomes the move into Belrive because, there, he can finally dwell in nature.
He prefers to row a boat on a lake than spend time with his family. Victor's
father believes it is human companionship that Victor needs so he urges him to
marry Elizabeth, and Victor agrees, but shortly after the marriage Victor realizes
that he is already too deeply obsessed with nature that Elizabeth can never
compare to the solace he finds in Nature. Elizabeth's recognition of Victor's state
is revealed in her statement: "Observe how fast we move along, and how the
clouds which sometimes obscure, and sometimes rise above the dome of Mont
Blanc, render this scene of beauty still more interesting. Look also at the
innumerable fish that are swimming in the clear waters, where we can
distinguish every pebble that lies at the bottom. What a divine day! How happy
and serene all nature appears!
Victor's response to Nature throughout the novel is more passionate than the
relationship between him and his family or friends. As the novel goes on, we
understand that only nature can restore Victor's health or cheer him up. He
seems incapable of interacting with people any more. Victor is also aware of his
state and he tries to explain to himself why people cannot help him nor can he
help anyone by saying: "I should have been the first to hide my grief, and console
my friends, if remorse had not mingled its bitterness with my other sensations.
Now I could only answer my father with a look of despair, and endeavor to hide
myself from his view."






2
element of "Nature" in romanticism The
Asmaa Elsayed Akl
CHS II
138