In What Ways Does Frankenstein Complicate the Romanticist...

In what ways does Frankenstein complicate the Romanticist conceptions of creativity and individualism? Make reference to Frankenstein and at least one other Romanticist text. Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, complies with all the fundamental principles associated with Romanticism; use of the supernatural and sublime, especially with regards for nature, thus leading to pantheism, compassion and a sense of morality towards humankind, individual freedom and rebellion against contextual societal constraints. Shelley, however, defies the Romantic principle of individual creativity, evident from the constant references to authentic Romantic works such as Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (which will be referred to†¦show more content†¦(1818). Frankenstein. United States of America: Norton). This passage depicts the sublime landscapes surrounding the valley of Chamounix. Shelley had been there previously and as such, was able to call upon memories for creative inspiration. This type of creativity is also upheld by Wordsworth, ‘For our continued influxes of feeling are modified and directed by our thoughts, which are indeed the representatives of all our past feelings.’ (Wordsworth, W. (1800). Preface to Lyrical Ballads (2nd ed.)). It would appear therefore, that Shelley is keeping Romantic conceptions of creativity quite uncomplicated by adopting a creative process with which people were familiar. However, the above quoted passage contains a lot of negative description with regards to the appearance of the valley. Words like ‘closed in,’ ‘raging’ and ‘dashing’ give rise to an image unlike the usual perceptions when the word ‘nature’ is considered. Interestingly, this idea is also adopted by Coleridge in The Rime, ‘Yea, slimy things did crawl with legs/Upon the slimy sea./About, about, in reel and rout/The death-fires danced at night ;/The water, like a witch s oils,/Burnt green, and blue and white.’ (Coleridge, S. T.