The Romantic Movement Essay Example for Free

The Romantic Movement EssayMary Shelleys Frankenstein was written at the time of the Romantic Movement characterized by innovation (rather than traditionalism), spontaneity (Shelley was brought up in Geneva where freedom of expression was important), an idealisation of nature and the belief of livelihood in an age of vernal beginnings and high possibilities. All of these characteristics are found early on in the novel in Waltons letters, the disco really of the North celestial pole being the innovation and new beginning. In this novel, the Romanticism significantly complements the Gothic genre. Robert Walton is a Romantic, with a thirst to express his intense imaginings and daydreams to companion. His dreams of exploration were first godly by poems and stories and childish fantasies at a young age. As Walton prepares for his journey to the North Pole, the viewer of nature in St. Petersburg seem to him a hint of how the new world will look when he gets there. His excitement is heightened by the brisk and picturesque world around him. However, his beautiful surroundings are also very perilous, and end up being the reason he has to return.Walton describes Frankenstein as completely broken-down by grief, but still able to appreciate the natural bang of the world around him, which seems remarkable. A man destroyed by sorrow can still look up at the night sky and aspect some sense of relief, happiness, or awe at the fabulous beauty that surrounds him Even broken in purpose as he is, no bingle 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. This appreciation of beauty in a novel so filled with brutality seems an odd contrast, but is elementary for the distinct natural settings that we will come across in the novel, all corresponding to the emotions of the characters involved. The North Pole is a suitably cold, deso late and isolated setting for the meeting of Walton, Victor and the daemon. Mary Shelley also had very encompassing religious views. At the time she wrote Frankenstein, Catholicism was very oppressing and she was very against it.In his letters, Walton wishes to discover things that will benefit mankind. We later find by he shares this godlike ambition with Frankenstein. Shelley uses biblical language to emphasise this Heaven shower down blessings on you. He will be like a celestial spirit that has a halo around him. elevates me to heaven. Walton seems to be playing God or somebody of high divinity by generously giving out supernal phrases. This is quite foreboding, as the oppressiveness in the historical context also suggests that all is not well.This is backed up by Walton acting against his fathers dying enjoinment not to embark in a seafaring life. This is not a very divine thing to do. This is an underlying theme at this early layer in the novel, but as Victor confesses his story of playing God, we realise that this theme mutely prepares us for the tale that is about to unfold. The desire to find out the unknown and to be the first to discover the unseen is a tragic flaw of both Walton and the Victor Frankenstein, and from the very first letter, the theme of glory is heavily established.Walton states I preferred glory. Of course there are only a select few who have achieved this timeless goal, yet those who pursue it are promote by the immortality and recognition awarded to the victorious. Mary Shelleys Frankenstein is a literary rumination of the quest for glory, Waltons discovery of the North Pole being the backdrop for the tale of the title characters involvement of the knowledge of life.