Romanticism is a movement in the arts and literature that emphasizes inspiration and the primacy of an individual. Romanticism in literature originated in Germany, with famous writers Johann Wolfgang and Samuel Taylor, and quickly spread to America around the 1800 's, after English poetry was revolutionized. Romantics often explore faraway places of medieval folklore and legends in their writings. Mary Shelley learned from the experts, using some concepts from her background and tied it into romanticism in the legendary Modern Prometheus or Frankenstein. In Frankenstein, some of the main concepts of behind the literary movement can be found in setting and character development. Originally published in 1818, encoded in the novel is Shelley
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The setting of this novel stands for two things. The word “romance” is referred to in a sense of men and women and symbolizes her character’s state of minds and the connection they have with nature. Shelley clouds the idea of romanticism being incorporated in the settings in which she chose; instead, she gives the audience an insight of how she and husband Percy met, in the form of medieval folklore. Romanticism is incorporated in the different settings of Frankenstein as symbols of real life love that Shelley and her husband shared. Although the frame story is told from Captain Walton 's ship, events from this novel stretch from Geneva to the Alps, France, Scotland and England. According to Shelley 's biography, "In July 1814, one month before her seventeenth birthday, Mary ran away with Percy, and they spent the next few years traveling in Switzerland, Germany, and Italy." (Editors). Shelley chooses these settings to reflect back on the beautiful days of her young adulthood where she first experienced love. The novel initiates with the quote, "I am birth and Genovese and my family is one of the most distinguished of that republic." (Shelley 1). During this time, Shelley began writing the novel, where she and future husband Percy were staying at Lake Geneva in Switzerland, which gave her idea of using Geneva Switzerland as the first setting. Seeing that England was the most common noted place in Frankenstein, the reader can interpret that Shelley used this location in the reflection of her being born England. One of the key aspects the reader can interpret in Frankenstein is Shelley’s use of symbolism. As a romantic herself, Shelley deploys the images of several scenes of nature to emphasize particular themes and ideas. From the changing seasons, violent storms, and the mountain and lakes, the country shows a mass of aspects that
The setting of this novel stands for two things. The word “romance” is referred to in a sense of men and women and symbolizes her character’s state of minds and the connection they have with nature. Shelley clouds the idea of romanticism being incorporated in the settings in which she chose; instead, she gives the audience an insight of how she and husband Percy met, in the form of medieval folklore. Romanticism is incorporated in the different settings of Frankenstein as symbols of real life love that Shelley and her husband shared. Although the frame story is told from Captain Walton 's ship, events from this novel stretch from Geneva to the Alps, France, Scotland and England. According to Shelley 's biography, "In July 1814, one month before her seventeenth birthday, Mary ran away with Percy, and they spent the next few years traveling in Switzerland, Germany, and Italy." (Editors). Shelley chooses these settings to reflect back on the beautiful days of her young adulthood where she first experienced love. The novel initiates with the quote, "I am birth and Genovese and my family is one of the most distinguished of that republic." (Shelley 1). During this time, Shelley began writing the novel, where she and future husband Percy were staying at Lake Geneva in Switzerland, which gave her idea of using Geneva Switzerland as the first setting. Seeing that England was the most common noted place in Frankenstein, the reader can interpret that Shelley used this location in the reflection of her being born England. One of the key aspects the reader can interpret in Frankenstein is Shelley’s use of symbolism. As a romantic herself, Shelley deploys the images of several scenes of nature to emphasize particular themes and ideas. From the changing seasons, violent storms, and the mountain and lakes, the country shows a mass of aspects that