Coursera Unit 4: Mary Shelley

For those of you keeping score at home, yes, I had to skip Unit 3 of Coursera because of Nathan and my trip to the boundary waters.  Unit 3 covered Dracula.  Guess that one will have to sit on my To Read list for a while longer!

Observing Outward Objects: Nature in Frankenstein

After a delightful trip to the boundary waters of Minnesota last week, the concept of nature and man’s gravitation towards it penetrated my mind deeply.  Inspired by this trip, I found moments in Shelley's Frankenstein that seemed to suggest that farther man is from what is natural, the farther he is from goodness. This is seen through the actions and descriptions of loved characters, the unnatural creation of the monster, and Frankenstein’s thoughts and retreats after hardship.

The novel begins with a lovely description of the travels of Frankenstein’s mother and father. Joy and love define their relationship, and from their happiness Frankenstein is born (33). Shortly after, Elizabeth joins the family. Frankenstein describes her as delighting in “the sublime shapes of the mountains” and “the changes in the seasons” (36). It makes sense that Frankenstein describes his family in terms of nature, as that is where he finds his greatest inner joy.

While Frankenstein is creating the monster, his concept of nature becomes distorted. Rather than being in union with the earth, he yearns to become the master of it (37). Frankenstein claims his misfortunes begin when he aspired to “become greater than his nature [would] allow” (52). As Frankenstein works on his monster, he isolates himself and focuses solely on that pursuit. It isn’t until the creation is finished and Clerval arrives that Frankenstein finds joy in nature again.

Joy returns to Frankenstein’s soul at different intervals. Whenever this is the case, nature is the cause. Upon Clerval’s arrival, Frankenstein “became capable of observing outward objects” like flowering trees and the change of season (61). As hardship takes the form of the death of William and Justine, nature is solace.

Like many of the Romantics, I believe Shelley is arguing that a relationship with nature is essential to the goodness in man.