Romantic Spirit in both novels 'Frankenstein and Sense and Sensibility'

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Romantic Spirit in both novels 'Frankenstein and Sense and Sensibility'

 

M. K. BHAVNAGAR UNIVERSITY

Department Of English

Pipavat Gopi yogeshbhai

Roll No :27

Pg Enrollment No:15101031

Paper Name : The Romantic Literature

 

Assignment Topic :  “Romantic Spirit in both novel – “ Frankenstein and Sense and sensibility.”

 

 

 

 

 

Preface:

 The Romantic era or the Romantic period. the Age of Enlightenment. Romanticism was characterized by its emphasis on emotion and individualism as well as glorification of all the past and nature. Romanticism  was an artistic, literary, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe toward the end of the 18th century and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate period from 1800 to 1850.A movement in art and literature in 18^th  and 19^th centuries in revolt against the Neo-classicism of previous centuries called “Romanticism”

the Romantic era or the Romantic period. the Age of Enlightenment. Romanticism was characterized by its emphasis on emotion and individualism as well as glorification of all the past and nature. Romanticism  was an artistic, literary, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe toward the end of the 18th century and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate period from 1800 to 1850.A movement in art and literature in 18^th  and 19^th centuries in revolt against the Neo-classicism of previous centuries called “Romanticism”.

Definition of romanticism:

Romanticism, first defined as an aesthetic in literary criticism around 1800, gained momentum as an artistic movement in France and Britain in the early decades of the nineteenth century and flourished until mid-century. With its emphasis on the imagination and emotion, Romanticism emerged as a response to the disillusionment with the Enlightenment values of reason and order in the aftermath of the French Revolution of 1789. Though often posited in opposition to

According to Isaiah Berlin, Romanticism embodied "a new and restless spirit, seeking violently to burst through old and cramping forms, a nervous preoccupation with perpetually changing inner states of consciousness, a longing for the unbounded and the indefinable, for perpetual movement and change, an effort to return to the forgotten sources of life, a passionate effort at self-assertion both individual and collective, a search after means of expressing an unappeasable yearning for unattainable goals."

And according to wordsworth “poetry should begin as "the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings," which the poet then "recollect[s] in tranquility," evoking a new but corresponding emotion the poet can then mould into art.

Characteristics of romanticism:

Common people had begun to read and also understand the values of Individualism. The declaration of independence and the English Reform Bill. It is also known as” The Age Of Revolution”.

Liberty is fundamentally an ideal and that ideal – beautiful , inspiring, compelling, as a loved banner in the wind. We find many characteristics of this age which are as below:

1.      French Revolution

2.     Transition period

3.     Role of Imagination

4.     Celebration of Nature

5.     Value of Art

6.     Contrast with Neo- Classicism

7.     Symbolism and Myth

8.     Spread of the Romantic spirit.

Romantic ideas that..

.“ Imitation never gives the originality.”

“ Imagination and emotions are more important than reason and formal rules.”

   What is Romantic Literature?

Romantic literature tends to emphasize a love of Nature, a respect for primitive, and valuing of the common “ Natural man ;romantics idealize country life and believe that many of the ills of society are a result of  Urbanization.

               “ Poetry should be free from all rules.”

Romantics were attracted to rebellion and revolution, especially concerned with human rights, individualism , freedom from oppression.

The art often dealt with death , transience and mankind’s feelings about this things. The artist was an extremely individualistic creator whose creative spirit was more important than strict adherence to formal rules and traditional procedures.They emphasis on the individual and subjectivity.

We have two novels‘ Frankenstein and Sense and Sensibility.so, let’s discuss ‘ Romantic Spirit’ in these both novel.

Poet and writer of romanticism:

Jane Austen-1775 – 1817 Novelist

William Blake-1757 – 1827 Poet, Artist, Printer

Emily Brontë-1818 – 1848 Novelist, Poet

Charlotte Brontë-1816 – 1855 Novelist

Elizabeth Barrett Browning-1806 - 1861Poet

Robert Burns-1759 - 1796Poet

Lord Byron-1788 - 1824Poet

Lewis Carroll-1832 - 1898Novelist

Samuel Taylor Coleridge-1772 - 1834Poet

Charles Dickens-1812 – 1870 Novelist, Journalist

George Eliot-1819 - 1880Novelist, Journalist

Elizabeth Gaskell-1810 – 1865 Novelist, Journalist

Thomas Hardy-1840 – 1928Novelist, Poet

John Keats-1795 – 1821 Poet

Christina Rossetti -1830 – 1894 Poet

Romanticts believed in the natural goodness of humsans which is hindered by the urban life of civilization. They believed that the savage is noble , childhood is good and the emotions inspired by both beliefs causs the heart to soar.romantics believed that knowledge is gained througgh intution rather than deduction .this is best summed up by wordsworth who stated that “ all good poetry is the spontaneous overflow feelings”

Romantic stressed the awe of nature in art and language and the experience of sublimity through a connection with nature.romantics rejected the rationalization of nature by the previous thinkers of the enlightenment period.

Romantics often elevated the achievements of the misunderstood ,heroic individual outcast.romantics legitimized the individual imagination as a critical authority.

About the novel Frankenstein :

In 1816, when Shelley wrote her first and most popular work Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus, the Industrial Revolution had just begun. New inventions were made and the world as it was known changed rapidly. In her novel Shelley takes on the idea of the damage this quick and unfamiliar progress could do. Victor Frankenstein, the main character of the novel, attempts to triumph over nature in that he tries to bring something inanimate to life. He successfully creates a living being but the creature turns against his creator and destroys Frankenstein’s life.

Author background :

Mary shelly was born during the 18^th century enlightenment.her father was william godwin , a political philosopher and her mother was famous writer , mary wollstonecraft.shelly’s  main influence was her father ,william. The book frankenstein was affected during a summer near geneva switzerland which became the main area for the book.

Setting and time period :

The time of its publication was during the enlightenment of europe.the  main point of the story heavily relies on the concept of biological –electrostatic phenomena , which is how the monster was created.the enlightenment  also brought a new form of writing that was created by her father , godwin.this godwinian and gothic style is how the book was written .

Main character of the novel:

Victor frankenstein is the main character in this novel , and he is seen as being the protagonist of the story.victor is the owner and the creator of the soon to be antagonist, the monster.victor was born and raised in geneva switzerland and his mother caroline beaufort.

Victor Frankenstein: as a Romantic Hero  

:

Victor is the doomed protagonist and narrator of the main portion of the story. He is studying in Ingolstadt. Victor discovers the secret of life and creates an intelligent but grotesque monster. Victor Frankenstein wants to be God and knows the secret of life. He is consumed by the desire to discover the research becomes convinced that he has found it.

Victor refuses to admit to anyone the horror of what he has created , even as he sees the ramifications of his creative act spiraling out of control.

Nature

 The soothing spirit of nature:

Natural beauty has a soothing influence on all of the characters of the novel, particularly on Victor Frankenstein. Whenever he feels his deed press on his conscience and his mood darkens, nature has the power to lift his spirits again. When Walton meets Frankenstein he concludes in one of his letters to his sister, “Even broken in spirit as he is, no one can feel more deeply than he does the beauties of nature. The starry sky, the sea, and every sight afforded by these wonderful regions, seems still to have the power of elevating his soul from earth”. His deep love for nature is evident throughout the novel. After Frankenstein has created his monster and for the first time is exposed to grave feelings of dread and devastation he states, “When happy, inanimate nature had the power of bestowing on me the most delightful sensations”. A fact that catches the reader’s attention here is that Frankenstein uses the word inanimate when referring to nature though nature is obviously not inanimate. This might indicate the contrast in Frankenstein’s mind between the monster that he had bestowed with a soul and thus animated and nature that has not been animated but just follows a natural course of existence. For the first time he is able to appreciate nature’s power and understands that he should never have tried to interfere with it.

The Dream of Frankenstein :

His dream day dream about the grand future effects of his creating artificial life and the nightmare into which he falls after he recoils from his finished creature in revulsion and exhaustion.

                    “ It has relation between role and nature of parody in human creative.”

His dreams after “giving bright suggest that the creature represents the unspeakable body of the Mother within the symbolic order.Shelly’s representation of female characters implies that sadism and sensibility are complementary responses to the paradoxical.so, we may say that….

“ Novel is hybrid of male and female.”

Creati                          Creation of Monster :

“Monster is creation of creation.”

Monster is ugly ,eight feet tall and enormously strong but within the mind of newborn. Monster is Victor Frankenstein’s creation, assembled from old body parts and strange chemicals,, animated by a mysterious spark which is just unnatural.

Victor  wants to keep his creation secret because of his ugliness .When he is not accepted by society , Monster comes to know about his ugliness.so, him we may say that….

“ Beautiful soul in ugly body”.

As we all know that no human beings can alive without companion .the same way, Monster demands for companion.Here, we find that through the character of Monster , writer Mary Shelly surly criticize the idea that….

“ Beauty indicates inner virtue.”

Instead of it is a warning about the abuse and misuse of science by ignorant or irresponsible individuals. Frankenstein problem might not be anti- science as much as pro-humanities.

“ Creation considers as an act of science , but the rest of society would call it an of evil.”

Whether as a result of desire to attain the God like power of creating new life or his avoidance of the public arenas in which science is usually conducted, Victor is doomed by a lack of Humanness .He cuts himself off from the world and eventually commits himself entirely to an animalistic obsession with revenging himself upon the Monster.

The novel leaves the reader with contrasting interpretations of Victor like… Classic mad scientist, transgressing all  boundaries without concern or brave adventure into unknown scientific lands not to be held responsible for the consequences of his explorations.Because of his appearance …..

“ He is alien for the Society.”

Victor as a father of Monster he doesn’t accept his creation.we also say that it is the reflection of his own evil mind. Victor has unbound quest of knowledge but he doesn’t know that sometimes…..

“Too much knowledge is bitter.”

Victor feels guilty after creating Monster because of Monster’s loneliness,he wants to take revenge .“Increases of knowledge only discovered to more clearly what a wretched outcast I was!

Monster is not cruel or brutal from the birth but he is made by the society to avoiding him.

 “Loneliness is the punishment for Monster which is given by Victor.”

We have another example of ‘Dr.Faustus’- the play . Faustus has quest of knowledge.

Impossible to avoid comparison  of human development through the contrary means of both religious and secular humanistic  relationship.

1) Morality without God :

“ Monster develops his own sense of morality without the influence of religion.”

    Monster says that…

 “ I required kindness and sympathy ; but I did not believe myself utterly unworthy of it.”

    2) Mythological approach :

Myth are symbolic projection of people hope and values. Victor’s anima is presented here.

“ Victor’s personality reflect in his creation –Monster.”

The creature is bitter and rejected being turned away from human civilization, much the same way not that Adam in ‘ Paradise Lost’ was turned out of the garden of Eden.

       The pursuit of knowledge is the heart of Frankenstein. Victor attempt to surge beyond accepted human limits and access the secret of life.

“Victor’s obsessive hatred of the Monster drives him to his tragic death.”

Victor can be responsible for his actions and tragic end because…” Fate is stronger than free will.” Walton desire geographical exploration has the same potential for catastrophic result as victor’s studies in alchemy and science.

“ Victor‘s end is in tragedy and Walton’s ends in defeat.”

           Sublime Nature:

 Through the description of nature we find romantic spirit in Frankenstein.

The source of unrestrained emotional experience for the individual. Initially others characters the possibility of spiritual renewal.

“Learn from me, if not from at least, by my example. How dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge.”

Thus, we find romantic spirit in Frankenstein everywhere, people free to think, free to imagination and they are individual. Through the character of Victor and his creation Monster. Victor was convicted that new species would bless him as the creator. Means ,he has new identity after creating Monster but Victor feels that…

    “ I shawnned my fellow creatures as if I had been guilt of a crime.”

Afterwards, he knows that the intellectual nature isolate man from the mankind. Frankenstein observe that “ Study secluded me from the intercourse of my fellow creature and render me  - Unsocial”

The sense and sensibility:

About the novel sense and sensibility:

Sense and Sensibility is a novel that is best understood within the context of the era in which it was written. Austen lived in that period of English history when eighteenth century rationalism was giving way to the increasing popularity of nineteenth century romanticism, as typified by William Wordsworth and the Romantic poets.

About author

Jane Austen came into the world on December 16th, 1775. Born to Reverend George Austen of the Steventon rectory and Cassandra Austen of the Leigh family.

In 1783, at the age of 8, Jane and her sister Cassandra were sent off to boarding school for their formal educations. Education would consist of the appropriate teachings of the time, which included foreign language (mainly French), music and dancing. Returning home, the rest of Jane's education centered mainly around what her father and brothers could teach her and, of course, what she could learn from her own reading.

Introduction:

At the beginning of the story, we see the Dashwood family right at the loss of Mr. Henry Dashwood. He leaves behind a wife and three daughters, Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret, a younger sister of 13. As English law of the day dictates, women could not inherit property, and so all that the girls have known is bequeathed to Mr. Henry Dashwood's son from his first marriage, Mr. John Dashwood. John is fairly good-natured, but easily manipulated by his 'narrow-minded and selfish' wife. The three girls inherit a thousand pounds each, but they are dependent on John to provide for them any additional money they might need. However, John's wife, Fanny, slowly manipulates him into giving the girls very little on which to survive.

Characters of the novel :

The height of Jane Austen’s characters are rather narrow. She selects her the characters from among the landed generally in the countryside.she doe stake an aristocratic characters are so highly individualized , they have also a touch of universal about them. That is the mark of greatness of an artist.

“ Great artist always make their characters both individual and representatives of a certain class.”

Example:  

Marianne becomes representative of all romantic lovers.

 Marianne Dashwood :

Sensibility is identified with the character of Marianne. The  romantically inclined and eagerly expressive second daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Henry Dashwood.

Sweet lady with attractive qualities intelligence, musical talent, frailness and the capacity to love deeply.

              When Marianne uses the term “ Attachment” she is referring to the deeply individualized subjective, feeling of falling in love, a term closely linked to the noel’s notion of “ Sensibility.”Marianne insists through her grief that…

” I care not who knows that I am wretched.”

Marianne’s illness is a product both of excessive romantic sensibility and of a sequence of physically possible reaction on the other hand , her illness begins as ‘nervous illness’ induced by Willoughby’s rejection and her disappointed romantic hopes and dreams.

 Marriages :

Through the marriage , we find romantic spirit in the novel.

To quote the princess – Bride, marriage is what brings us together, today and everyday in sense and sensibility.Everything plot, character and various motivations all boil down to marriage is an important concern.Marriage was for a life , and insurance and social security did not exist; a couple needed granted source of income before they could settle down together.

The opening discussion of money and marriage immediately establishes the important role that ordinary economic concern will play in Austen’s novel. Austen refuses to romanticizes; she recognizes that material realities constrain love and marriage.

“ Who marrying whom? why or why not? Is it good or bad one ?it is not just a personal matter or emotional security but it is social group why? But…. Marriage is political , social , economical alliance between families.”

Marriage here is closely bound up with financial consideration .Elinor says that…

“ Marriage might not be immediately in power.”

So, We may say that here, Marriage connect with Wealth not happiness.

“ Marianne’s match with colonel Brandon is problematic but it only leads us to happy ending.” Sometime, we find that marriage is connected with wealth.

Wealth :

Money is a motivating factor in a lot of the decisions that we see unfold in sense and sensibility. Wealth and inheritance create systems of control and power here, that profoundly influence the personal choice and options of our characters.

 

Love:

No doubt love is connected with romantic mood. It is splendored thing, surely but it’s also a money troubled thing. We find various plot of love not always good things. It is danger or tragic potential in it.Sometime, it goes hand in hand with suffering, no love relationship in the book can exist without an edge of discomfort.Edward, though cardinal, is much more distant and reserved than they expect a lover to behave.Marianne assure him that she doesn’t need wealth or grandeur to be happy , but Elinor protests that......

“ wealth has much to do with happiness.”

An attachment is an emotional association between two people; to form an attachment is to fall in love.In contrast a connection is the public bond involving a range of associations between individuals and their families.

Heroine blinded by their ego, vanity or over confidence in their understanding, commit gross errors of judgment and suffer bitter reverses in the beginning.

Thus, we find romantic spirit in the novel ‘ Sense and sensibility’ with love , marriages , getting freedom or individualism in each characters , with general characteristics of Romantic ages.  

Romantic Spirit In Frankenstein:

 Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, later known as Mary Shelly. She was a journalist, philosopher and novelist, and also educator and feminist philosophe

  Mary Shelly became an essayist biographer, short story writer and novelist famous for her novel  ‘Frankenstein’ : or The Modern Prometheus from 1818.

  The novel ‘Frankenstein’ is failed attempt at artificial life, by the scientist Frankenstein, which produced a Monster. The work is considered to be a mixture of Science fiction , gothic novel and having elements from the Romantic movement.

Romantic Spirit in Sense and Sensibility :

Jane Austen’s society was founded on very rigid class- distinctions. She stood between the Age of sense and sensibility. She takes characters from very ordinary life. Men do not have any soaring ambitions as we find in Frankenstein women quietly accept their social position and engage themselves exclusively in matrimonial pursuits.

Her novels are absolutely clean. No  obscenity , no vulgarity, nothing that is capable of corrupting a maid’s innocent heart.

 Conclusion:

So, as discussion of whole subject with various aspects in details , we may conclude that both novels are written in Romantic age because through the both have different feathers of romantic spirit both- ‘Frankenstein and Sense and Sensibility’ includes the whole characteristics of romantic age. Both novels have imaginations, freedom of expression , individualism , quest of knowledge, awareness about literature and all that things are already there

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