Introduction
Before highlighting and discussing Mary’s contribution to the Romantic Movement, it is important first to highlight the ideas that the writers of the Romantic period were concerned with. Romanticism was regarded as the period of literary movement. During this period, writers’ work was marked with ideas and literary techniques that entailed both science and nature. Therefore, the romantic writers’ ideas were about human experiences and feelings, nature, compassion for humankind, heroism, social equality, and freedom of the individual in society (Gill, 2016). The writers dissented about social injustices and inhuman characters. Thus, in her novel Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, she used Romantic Movement concepts. The main intention of this paper is to show how women used concepts of the romanticism literary movement in her work to represent the ideas of nature, humankind, compassion, heroism, and human feelings and experiences (Shelley, 2018).
Mary Shelley’s Contributions to the Romantic Movement
In her novel Frankenstein, the monster character is a Romantic. The monster is the hero because of the rejections from society he faces whenever he wants to integrate with people. The monster was chased wherever he went because of his physical appearance. Due to his hideous and huge figure, the monster was rejected by the society. Shelley is using the rejections act in her work to demonstrate how society and people reject an individual due to his physical appearance or a person with a different perspective who stays on the borders of our homesteads and society. She makes sure that the monster is not to blame for what happens to him, thus eliciting the reader’s sympathetic feelings for someone who is so deeply misjudged and misunderstood by the people in society (Shelley, 2018). The monster tries to fit in society, but because of his appearance, he never gets a chance to be a member of the community in the society. Since the monster was never accepted in society, he shunned any human contact except when it was exceptional. Therefore, Shelley used romanticism in her work that promoted and contributed to the Romantic Movement (Gill, 2016).
Also, Shelley was not only a writer but also knew other greater writers of her time. Thus, she knew the work of other authors, such as Wordsworth and her husband, Percy Shelley. For instance, she used the novel The Rime of Ancient Mariner by Coleridge in her own novel to relate the monster with the Ancient Mariner. Relating her novel to Coleridge’s works, she ties her work with one of the best Romantic works. This shows her authenticity as a Romantic Movement writer. Moreover, due to its rich literature, some people believe that his husband wrote the novel or that Mary wrote the novel under the guidance of her husband. Nevertheless, Shelley’s literary work is amazing since it’s a product of a fertile mind (Shelley, 2018). Thus, understanding this novel, one realizes that it is a pinnacle of literary work surrounded by Romantic thoughts. Therefore, Shelley contributed to the Romantic Movement through different themes in her novel Frankenstein.
Consequently, the romantic writers were always trying way to represent a picture of unforgettable moments and experiences. For instance, the narrators or the characters in the romantic works were indistinguishable from the poets themselves. In her novel, Shelley tries to portray romantic ideals throughout the novel. In describing Frankenstein’s moments, no personal experiences are portrayed in the novel yet she is still depicting the quest to achieve a moment. Thus, Frankenstein’s quest is to create a person in his laboratory. Thus, Shelley uses romantic texts in her work. Also, Victor Frankenstein’s character is represented in romantic ways, thus putting emphasis on the readers to see a thing in a different way (Shelley, 2018). Her work is full of romantic beliefs; for instance, Victor imagines a world where it can be understood differently, leading to a perfect version of the human being. Therefore, Shelley contributed greatly to the Romantic Movement.
Why Mary Shelley is not included in Most Literary Canon
Mary’s work was highly influenced by her husband. Thus, the notion is sometimes subjected to debate among literary scholars. The question arises that is how did Mary’s husband contributed to her work? Some assert her husband wrote the book under his wife’s name, while others argue that her husband had a major and direct influence in the writing of the book. The notions and debates like this have led Shelley not to be included in the literary canon more often. Also, the fact that she was female in a male-dominated society during her time was not recognized. Furthermore, she was discredited by her work due her time due to her radical views on social injustices (Gill, 2016). Although her work is a masterpiece, she is not included in most literary canon. Nevertheless, she holds an important place when it comes to studies of feminist literary work.
Conclusion
The Romantic Movement writers’ ideas were about human experiences and feelings, nature, compassion for humankind, heroism, social equity, and freedom of the individual in society. The writers dissented about social injustices and inhuman character. Shelley’s ideas, thoughts, and work focused on showing human kindness and compassion, social equity, and personal freedom. Thus, she contributed to the Romantic Movement. Thus, understanding this novel, one realizes that it is a pinnacle of literary work surrounded by Romantic thoughts. Although her work is a masterpiece, she is not included in most literary canon due to her gender. Nevertheless, she holds an important place when it comes to studies of feminist literary work.
Works Cited
Gill, Frederick C. The Romantic movement and Methodism: a study of English romanticism and the evangelical revival. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2016.
Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. Frankenstein: Orthe Modern Prometheus’: the 1818 Text. Oxford University Press, 2018.
