During the Age of Enlightenment, artists and scientists tried to keep certain classical ideals alive despite the growing transition that physics and architecture had brought. Victor tries to revive the classical forms of natural science through his own growing studies at the university by studying ancient philosophers and scientists. The fact that Victor can stand for Classicism illustrates the diversity in his ideals and methods.
By embracing both the antiquity of his ancient mentors and the novelty of his own anatomical discoveries, Victor ends up creating the monster. This creation represents the impact of science's growth on the classical society that Victor stands for. During the Age of Enlightenment, most clergyman showed disgust towards the growing power of science in society. Mary Shelley uses the relationship between the monster and Victor to demonstrate this attitude to her readers.
Shelley also uses Henry Clerval to represent the Romantic era. Henry contrasts with Victor's Classicism largely because Henry is focused on what is already in front of him while Victor focuses on inward ideals and situations. During the Romantic era, artists painted and poets composed on environmental scenes the way that Henry relishes every detail of the countries the two visit in chapters 18-20.
Shelley also uses the catastrophe in chapters 18-20 to predict the downfall of both eras. Henry Clerval appreciates the details of the natural settings and art of each country. Victor loves Henry because of his manner, but the monster abruptly ends the relationship by murdering Henry. After the end of the Romantic era, the Industrial Revolution (also represented by the monster) brought every person's focus to modern machinery and nearly ended the focus towards the natural world and antiquity. The Romanitc Era reflected certain ideals of the Age of Enlightenment, just as Henry was linked to Victor. So in the end, science brings down the Romantic Era and Classicism.
Image Courtesy of I Luv Cinema
No comments:
Post a Comment