Mary Shelley’s
Frankenstein never ceases to amaze me and surpass all my previous
expectations of what her writing has to offer. Whether it’s the compelling and
heart-wrenching story, the underlying themes dealing with isolation, morality,
and the human condition, or simply the chilling thought of man bestowing life
to that which had none, this story should under no circumstances be clichéd or
underestimated. Now, after looking back over the book and having spent a few
days in class reading William Wordsworth’s “Tintern Abbey” I found that Shelley
quotes the poem directly in the novel, seamlessly weaving it into the context
of the story and adding yet another layer to the analytical thoughts that can
be extracted from her work. The quote is found in Chapter 18, pg 135.
Everything else in the chapter leading up to this point is essentially
describing Victor and Henry Clerval’s journey across different countries and
cities in Europe, with Henry delighting in all the amazing sights and wonders
that are befalling his eyes while Victor does his best to hide his internal
dread, guilt, and weary anticipation of the pact he made with his creature: to
create for him a bride, the very reason that Victor decided to make the journey
in the first place to England to further his studies. Now, Victor and Clerval
have returned to their native mountains of Switzerland and Victor notes his
friend’s “wild and enthusiastic imagination…chastened by the sensibility of his
heart. His soul overflowed with ardent affections, and his friendship was of
that devoted and wondrous nature that the world-minded teach us to look for
only in the imagination” (Shelley. 135). Following this description is the
direct quotation of lines 77-84 of “Tintern Abbey” In my opinion, there are multiple
reasons that Shelley decided to pull from Wordsworth immortal work of poetry
and directly cite it in this particular spot, all of which can be derived from
a single word: contrast, an element that is constantly playing itself out over
the course of the novel. Shelley takes no shortcuts in describing the wondrous
settings throughout the book, whether it’s the icy waters of the Arctic Circle,
the beauty of Geneva, and now with Henry and Victor’s travels across Europe. In
the Romantic tradition, Shelley puts a heavy emphasis on the beauty that nature
has to offer. In doing this, Shelley is making a direct contrast within the
novel, describing these magnificent and awe-inspiring scenes of nature in a Gothic
horror novel centered around an abhorred creature who is a terror to everyone
he encounters, including his own creator. The contrast also expands out to
include Victor, using Wordsworth’s pre-transcendental descriptions of nature in
all its natural glory to serve as proof that nothing Victor, or any man for
that matter, ever creates can ever stand up the handiwork of the ultimate and
perfect Creator. Shelley also uses Wordsworth’s words to physically contrast
Victor and Henry, in that Victor realizes he is now no longer able to
appreciate the physical beauty of the natural world like Henry can because of
what he has done. Victor wonders this, asking, “Has this mind perished? Does it
now only exist in my memory?” (Shelley. 135). Not now, but Victor will soon realize
the truth of his prediction, in that the world surrounding him that God
intended for him to enjoy so much in life can never mean anything more to him
than a simple memory of what was a beautiful part of his life, but shall be no
more.
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