Romantic Spirit in both novels 'Frankenstein and Sense and Sensibility'
M. K. BHAVNAGAR UNIVERSITY
Department Of English
Joshi Bhumi Vinodbhai.
Roll No : 2
Pg Enrollment No: 14101020
Paper Name : The Romantic Literature
Assignment Topic :
“Romantic
Spirit in both novel – “ Frankenstein and Sense and sensibility.”
Introduction :
A movement in art and literature in 18th and 19th centuries in revolt
against the Neo-classicism of previous centuries called “Romanticism”.
Imagination , emotions and freedom are certainly the focal points of
romanticism literature of romanticism include subjectivity , spontaneity ,
freedom from rules, solitary life rather than life in society.
Common people had begun to read and also understand the values of
Individualism. The declaration of independence and the English Reform Bill. It
is also known as” The Age Of Revolution”.
Liberty is fundamentally an ideal and that ideal – beautiful , inspiring,
compelling, as a loved banner in the wind. We find many characteristics of this
age which are as below:
1. French Revolution
2. Transition period
3. Role of Imagination
4. Celebration of Nature
5. Value of Art
6. Contrast with Neo- Classicism
7. Symbolism and Myth
8. Spread of the Romantic spirit.
Romantic ideas that..
.
“ Imitation never gives the
originality.”
“ Imagination and emotions are more
important than reason and formal rules.”
·
What is Romantic Literature?
Romantic literature tends to emphasize a love of Nature, a respect for primitive, and valuing of the common “ Natural man ;romantics idealize
country life and believe that many of the ills of society are a result of
Urbanization.
“
Poetry should be free from all rules.”
Romantics were attracted to rebellion and revolution, especially
concerned with human rights, individualism , freedom from oppression.
The art often dealt with death , transience and mankind’s feelings about
this things. The artist was an extremely individualistic creator whose creative
spirit was more important than strict adherence to formal rules and traditional
procedures.They emphasis on the individual and subjectivity.
We have two novels‘ Frankenstein and Sense and Sensibility.so, let’s
discuss ‘ Romantic Spirit’ in these both novel.
Romantic Spirit In Frankenstein :
Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, later
known as Mary Shelly. She was a journalist, philosopher and novelist, and also
educator and feminist philosopher.
Mary
Shelly became an essayist biographer, short story writer and novelist famous
for her novel ‘Frankenstein’ : or The
Modern Prometheus from 1818.
The
novel ‘Frankenstein’ is failed attempt at artificial life, by the scientist
Frankenstein, which produced a Monster. The work is considered to be a mixture
of Science fiction , gothic novel and having elements from the Romantic
movement.
About ‘Frankenstein’:
The Modern Prometheus is also seen as warning about the transformations
of man under the industrial revolution. Frankenstein warns about the terrible
effects of letting oneself be driven by ambition and losing control over its
own possibilities.
This is the book about the Morality, belonging and the vital importance
of human connecting in making us human. The creation of myth within the book
has served as inspiration for modern films graphics novels songs and even
horror- themed episodes of numerous television shows.
Victor Frankenstein: as a Romantic
Hero:
Victor is the doomed protagonist and narrator of the main portion of the
story. He is studying in Ingolstadt. Victor discovers the secret of life and
creates an intelligent but grotesque monster. Victor Frankenstein wants to be
God and knows the secret of life. He is consumed by the desire to discover the
research becomes convinced that he has found it.
Victor refuses to admit to anyone the horror of what he has created ,
even as he sees the ramifications of his creative act spiraling out of control.
The Dream of Frankenstein :
His dream day dream about the grand future effects of his creating
artificial life and the nightmare into which he falls after he recoils from his
finished creature in revulsion and exhaustion.
His dreams after “giving bright suggest that the creature represents the
unspeakable body of the Mother within the symbolic order.Shelly’s
representation of female characters implies that sadism and sensibility are
complementary responses to the paradoxical.so, we may say that….
“ Novel is hybrid of male and female.”
Creation of Monster :
“Monster is creation of creation.”
Monster is ugly ,eight feet tall and enormously strong but within the
mind of newborn. Monster is Victor Frankenstein’s creation, assembled from old
body parts and strange chemicals,, animated by a mysterious spark which is just
unnatural.
Victor wants to keep his creation
secret because of his ugliness .When he is not accepted by society , Monster
comes to know about his ugliness.so, him we may say that….
“ Beautiful soul in
ugly body.”
As we all know that no human beings can alive without companion .the same
way, Monster demands for companion.Here, we find that through the character of
Monster , writer Mary Shelly surly criticize the idea that….
“ Beauty indicates inner virtue.”
Instead of it is a warning about the abuse and misuse of science by
ignorant or irresponsible individuals. Frankenstein problem might not be anti-
science as much as pro-humanities.
“ Creation considers as an act of
science , but the rest of society would call it an of evil.”
Whether as a result of desire to attain the God like power of creating
new life or his avoidance of the public arenas in which science is usually
conducted, Victor is doomed by a lack of Humanness .He cuts himself off from
the world and eventually commits himself entirely to an animalistic obsession
with revenging himself upon the Monster.
The novel leaves the reader with contrasting interpretations of Victor
like… Classic mad scientist, transgressing all
boundaries without concern or brave adventure into unknown scientific
lands not to be held responsible for the consequences of his explorations.Because
of his appearance …..
“ He is alien for the Society.”
Victor as a father of Monster he doesn’t accept his creation.we also say
that it is the reflection of his own evil mind. Victor has unbound quest of
knowledge but he doesn’t know that sometimes…..
“Too much knowledge is bitter.”
Victor feels guilty after creating Monster because of Monster’s
loneliness,he wants to take revenge .“Increases of knowledge only discovered to
more clearly what a wretched outcast I was!
Monster is not cruel or brutal from the birth but he is made by the
society to avoiding him.
“Loneliness is the punishment for Monster which is given by Victor.”
We have another example of ‘Dr.Faustus’- the play . Faustus has quest of
knowledge.
Impossible to avoid comparison of
human development through the contrary means of both religious and secular
humanistic relationship.
1.
Morality without God :
Monster says that…
“ I
required kindness and sympathy ; but I did not believe myself utterly unworthy
of it.”
2. Mythological approach :
Myth are symbolic projection of people hope and values. Victor’s anima is
presented here.
The creature is bitter and
rejected being turned away from human civilization, much the same way not that
Adam in ‘ Paradise Lost’ was turned out of the garden of Eden.
Quest Of Knowledge :
The pursuit of knowledge is the heart of Frankenstein.Victor attempt to
surge beyond accepted human limits and access the secret of life.
“Victor’s obsessive hatred of the Monster drives him to his tragic death.”
Victor can be responsible for his actions and tragic end because…” Fate
is stronger than free will.” Walton desire geographical exploration has the
same potential for catastrophic result as victor’s studies in alchemy and
science.
“ Victor ‘s end is in
tragedy and Walton’s ends in defeat.”
Sublime Nature:
Through the description of nature we find
romantic spirit in Frankenstein.
The source of unrestrained emotional experience for the individual.
Initially others characters the possibility of spiritual renewal.
“Learn from me, if not from at least,
by my example. How dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge.”
Thus, we find romantic spirit in Frankenstein everywhere, people free to
think, free to imagination and they are individual. Through the character of Victor
and his creation Monster. Victor was convicted that new species would bless him
as the creator. Means ,he has new identity after creating Monster but Victor
feels that…
“ I shawnned my fellow
creatures as if I had been guilt of a crime.”
Afterwards, he knows that the intellectual nature isolate man from the
mankind. Frankenstein observe that “ Study secluded me from the intercourse of
my fellow creature and render me -
Unsocial”
Romantic Spirit in Sense and Sensibility :
Jane Austen’s society was founded on very rigid class- distinctions. She
stood between the Age of sense and sensibility. She takes characters from very
ordinary life. Men do not have any soaring ambitions as we find in Frankenstein
women quietly accept their social position and engage themselves exclusively in
matrimonial pursuits.
Her novels are
absolutely clean. No obscenity , no
vulgarity, nothing that is capable of corrupting a maid’s innocent heart.
·
Characters of the novel :
The height of Jane Austen’s characters are rather narrow. She selects her
the characters from
among the landed generally in the countryside.she doe stake an aristocratic
characters are so highly individualized , they have also a touch of universal
about them. That is the mark of greatness of an artist.
“ Great artist always make their characters both individual and
representatives of a certain class.”
Example:
Marianne becomes representative of
all romantic lovers.
Marianne Dashwood :
Sensibility is identified with the character of Marianne. The romantically inclined and eagerly expressive
second daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Henry Dashwood.
Sweet lady with attractive qualities intelligence, musical talent, frailness
and the capacity to love deeply.
When Marianne uses the
term “ Attachment” she is referring to the deeply individualized subjective,
feeling of falling in love, a term closely linked to the noel’s notion of “
Sensibility.”Marianne insists through her grief that…
” I care not who knows that I am
wretched.”
Marianne’s illness is a product both of excessive romantic sensibility
and of a sequence of physically possible reaction on the other hand , her
illness begins as ‘nervous illness’ induced by Willoughby’s rejection and her
disappointed romantic hopes and dreams.
Marriages :
Through the marriage , we find romantic spirit in the novel.
To quote the princess – Bride, marriage is what brings us together, today
and everyday in sense and sensibility.Everything plot, character and various
motivations all boil down to marriage is an important concern.Marriage was for
a life , and insurance and social security did not exist; a couple
needed granted source of income before they could settle down together.
The opening discussion of money and marriage immediately establishes the
important role that ordinary economic concern will play in Austen’s novel.
Austen refuses to romanticizes; she recognizes that material realities
constrain love and marriage.
“ Who marrying whom? why or why not? Is it good or bad one ?it is not
just a personal matter or emotional security but it is social group why? But….
Marriage is political , social , economical alliance between families.”
“ Marriage might not be immediately in power.”
So, We may say that here, Marriage connect with Wealth not happiness.
“ Marianne’s match with colonel Brandon is problematic but it only leads
us to happy ending.” Sometime, we find that marriage is connected with wealth.
Wealth :
Money is a motivating factor in a lot of the decisions that we see unfold
in sense and sensibility. Wealth and inheritance create systems of control and
power here, that profoundly influence the personal choice and options of our
characters.
Love:
No doubt love is connected with
romantic mood. It is splendored thing, surely but it’s also a money troubled
thing. We find various plot of love not always good things. It is danger or
tragic potential in it.
“ wealth has much to do with happiness.”
An attachment is an emotional association between two people; to form an
attachment is to fall in love.In contrast a connection is the public bond
involving a range of associations between individuals and their families.
Heroine blinded by their ego, vanity or over confidence in their
understanding, commit gross errors of judgment and suffer bitter reverses in
the beginning.
Thus, we find romantic spirit in the novel ‘ Sense and sensibility’ with
love , marriages , getting freedom or individualism in each characters , with
general characteristics of Romantic ages.
Epilogue:
So, as discussion of whole subject with various aspects in details , we
may conclude that both novels are written in Romantic age because through the
both have different feathers of romantic spirit both- ‘Frankenstein and Sense
and Sensibility’ includes the whole characteristics of romantic age.Both novels have imaginations, freedom of expression , individualism ,
quest of knowledge, awareness about literature and all that things are already
there.
It is good that you use quotation which proves romantic spirit.
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