Stephanie Mikeman

In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Dr. Frankenstein states that "The world was to me a secret which I desired to divine" and "I have described myself as always having been imbued with a fervent longing to penetrate the secrets of nature." Using ideas from the Nature definitions of CH27, defining the Romantic World View, either agrees or disagrees with Dr. Frankenstein's attitude about nature and explains why. Is this view prevalent today?

In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Dr. Frankenstein is an advocate and supporter of the romantic philosophy and ideas. The book was written in 1816 and published in 1818, a time when Romanticism was the dominant perspective and it had established its firm roots throughout the European continent. Dr. Frankenstein believes in individuality and self-consciousness of the human race. The Newtonian era of reason had suffocated the soul of imagination, creativity, and emotions and this belief was destroyed by focusing on self-identity, and advocating the need of individual expression and distinctive perspectives in Romantic era (Kreis, S. (2014)). Dr. Frankenstein believed that all human beings are unique in their own ways of looking at the world. Harmony and diversity keep everyone together with love and admiration for each other. He described himself as someone who has ‘fervent longing' for research and inquiry into the nature of the world (Shelley, M. W., & Gibson, D. (2000)). Knowing the secrets, reasons, and purpose of things around us that we observe, enjoy, and practice for fulfilling our own desires and needs is what Dr. Frankenstein believed.

I, myself, believe in inquiry, research, and reason but I am also not unaware of the necessity of emotions, and creativity so I do not wish for a mechanical or robotic world like Enlightenment. I think every individual is different from others and if someone has the unique desire or passion to seek answers for hidden secrets of the nature, it leads to a better comprehension of the world around us. In today's world of information technologies, online communications, and scientific research, this worldview is relevant and commonly found in business corporations, entrepreneurs, philosophers, and scientists.

References:

Kreis, S. (2014), The History Guide, "Lecture 16: The Romantic Era", 20 July 2014, (WEB) Retrieved from: http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/lecture16a.html

Shelley, M. W., & Gibson, D. (2000). Frankenstein. Madrid, Espan~a: Edimat Libros.