Research Paper

Most literature work is influenced by the period in which the author lived. War, poverty, or any other social trends are all influences on the author. People tend to write about events and describe the time period. Authors always tend to include some aspects of the time period in which they lived. The Romantic Period had a tremendous influence on Mary Shelly's writing of the novel Frankenstein.

The Industrial Revolution in England during the 1700's was a time of huge change. People started to see the world differently than they had before. They saw nature as all beautiful, powerful, and perfect. Previously, literature was influenced by law, order, and religion; but during Romantic Period it was influenced by writers' imagination and emotions. This change in attitude of the people is called Romanticism. The Romantic Movement is one of the most important literary periods in history. It encouraged acting with emotions instead of common sense. Writers seeked extreme emotions, whether they were good or bad. Marry Shelly used all of the characteristics of the Romantic Period in writing Frankenstein.

Victor Frankenstein is a man with great ambition; he is obsessed and self-centered. His flaw is his enormous pride. He fulfills his ambition and makes the biggest mistake by creating a monster. Victor is a product of the Industrial Revolution. His beliefs are in science and the known world, which is the opposite of the Romantic ideal. He believes that he can conquer nature, and tries to be a god, but discovers that he can't do either.

Examples of Romantic characters in the novel are Henry and the monster. Henry is emotional, carefree, and innocent. Henry wants to go to the east to study the native people. He is caring and romantic. The monster is born as a romantic, but because of the world's influences on him, he becomes dark and wants to bring death and destruction to everything around him. When he sees beauty, he becomes jealous. "But she, shall suffer; the murder I have committed because I am forever