Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein right in the middle of the Romantic Era of English literature, and one of the hallmarks of Romantic poetry and Romantic idealism is the valorization of individualism. Poets like Coleridge, Wordsworth, Keats, and especially Lord Byron and Percy Shelley all fixate on the idea of the lone individual, either tragically separate from or more often bravely resistant to the weight of convention and society. Percy Shelley, of course, was Mary Shelley's husband, and Lord Byron was their friend (or at least Percy's friend). Mary saw this kind of idealized individualism a lot, both up close and in the literature she read.
So Victor Frankenstein is in many ways a Romantic Hero, who strikes out on his own and through sheer individual genius remakes the world and does what others have been too weak or too fearful or too stupid to do.
And it's bad.
One individual against the world. Like Frankenstein.
And Frankenstein's monster, too, is a Romantic Hero. He is also brilliant, self-educated, insightful, powerful. He's also a genius, in his own way, and is unshackled by the conventions of society and the ways that they hold back MEN of GENIUS.
And it's bad.
And what Frankenstein's monster wants more than anything is for Victor to love and accept him. When Victor is incapable of giving him what he wants most, the next thing the Creature wants is for Victor to make him a companion. It’s being denied both that drives the Creature into murder and vengeance.
Romanticism idealizes individualism, revolution, genius, emotion. But Frankenstein isn't Romantic it's Gothic, which means that it is the dark side of Romanticism. It is about all the same things, but about how they go wrong.
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If these themes and the complex interplay of individualism in "Frankenstein" intrigue you, we invite you to enroll in our eight-week Frankenstein course. This immersive experience will provide you with a deeper understanding of the novel and its exploration of Romantic ideals and their consequences.
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Comprehensive Study of Frankenstein
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Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a quintessential gothic novel, a foundational text in the history of science fiction, and a gripping monster story. It is beautiful, horrible, and philosophically engaging, has been continually in print since 1823, and has inspired countless imitations and adaptations. Find out what the fuss is about with me. Whether you’re reading Frankenstein for the first time or the tenth, this fascinating text is worth a closer look.